Hudson v. County of Dutchess

51 F. Supp. 3d 357, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 137487, 2014 WL 5013011
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedSeptember 29, 2014
DocketCase No. 12-CV-5548 (KMK)
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 51 F. Supp. 3d 357 (Hudson v. County of Dutchess) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hudson v. County of Dutchess, 51 F. Supp. 3d 357, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 137487, 2014 WL 5013011 (S.D.N.Y. 2014).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

KENNETH M. KARAS, District Judge.

This case is rooted in a decades-old property dispute between Plaintiff Robert Hudson (“Hudson”) and his neighbors, the Varneys, which dispute has already been the subject of multiple state- and federal-court proceedings. At various points throughout the course of the proceedings before this Court, Plaintiff has named a total of 13 different individuals and entities as Defendants. However, the Court issued an Order dismissing ten of those Defendants, leaving only Defendants County of Dutchess (“Dutchess County”), New York State Trooper Miaño (“Trooper Miaño”), and New York State Trooper Mergendahl (“Trooper Mergendahl”).1 Dutchess County and Troopers Miaño and Mergendahl now move to dismiss certain claims asserted against them. For the following reasons, Dutchess County’s Motion to Dismiss is granted, while Troopers Miaño and Mergendahl’s Motion to Dismiss is granted in part and denied in part.

I. BACKGROUND

A. Factual Background

The following facts are taken from Plaintiffs Third Amended Complaint, which is lengthy, not a model of clarity, and includes allegations about events dating back to 1979. Indeed, many of the [359]*359allegations appear to be completely unrelated to the causes of action that Plaintiff seeks to assert against the remaining Defendants. (See, e.g., Third Am. Compl. 5 (“I drove a truck with an eight foot by eight foot sign accusing [a Putnam County judge and attorney] of extortion, against me.”); id. (“In 1984 and again in 1986 I ran for the office of the United States Congressman for the twenty first Congressional District N.Y.”).)2 The Court will therefore describe only those facts that are pertinent to Defendants’ Motions.

Plaintiff resides in the Town of Pine Plains, in Dutchess County, New York, on “twenty two and a half ... acres,” which Plaintiff describes as his “place of domicile” and his “home.” (Id. at 6.) Plaintiff “maintain[s] [seven] goats on this property to help [him] bring [his] estate into farming (grazing) condition.” (Id.) On June 24, 2010, Trooper Miaño signed an information accusing Plaintiff of criminal trespass in the third degree, in violation of New York Penal Law § 140.10.3 (See PL’s Exs., at 2.)4 Specifically, the criminal trespass information that Trooper Miaño signed stated that, on June 24, 2010, Plaintiff “did drive his [vehicle] on the property of Sebastian Varney [“Varney”] ... in the Town of Pine Plains. [Plaintiff] was notified several times not to enter or drive on said property. The property is clearly posted and fenced in.” (Pl.’s Exs., at 2.)

On the same day, Trooper Miaño also signed an information accusing Plaintiff of criminal harassment in the second degree, in violation of New York Penal Law § 240.26, in connection with the same events.5 (See id. at 3.) Specifically, the criminal harassment information that Trooper Miaño signed stated that, on June 24, 2010, Plaintiff “did drive his vehicle ... on the property of ... Varney and while doing so did yell out the window, ‘What’s up young Varney.’ [Plaintiff] also swer[ ]ved at [Varney’s] dog trying to strike the dog with his vehicle. [Plaintiff] was notified several times to stay off the property and the property is well marked and fenced in.” (Id.) The factual basis for both of the informations that Trooper Mi-ano signed appears to have been the allegations contained in a deposition to which Varney swore at the Town of Pine Plains Criminal Court earlier that day. (See id. at 1.) Many details from Varney’s deposition appear in the charging instruments sworn to by Trooper Miaño. (See id. at 2-3.) In his deposition, Varney also requested an order of protection. (See id. at 1.)

Also on June 24, 2010, as a result of the foregoing events, Town of Pine Plains Jus[360]*360tice Christie Acker (“Justice Acker”) signed a temporary order of protection, ordering Plaintiff to stay away from Var-ney’s home and business; to refrain from communications or any other contact with Varney; to refrain from various forms of harassment against Varney; to refrain from intentionally injuring or killing without justification Varney’s dog; and, most importantly for the purposes of Plaintiffs Third Amended Complaint, to “[sjurrender any and all handguns, pistols, revolvers, rifles, shotguns and other firearms [that Plaintiff] owned or possessed” to the Dutchess County Sheriffs Office by 1:00 PM on June 25, 2010. (Pl.’s Exs., at 4.) Justice Acker specified that the order was to remain in effect until December 24, 2010. (See id.)6

Plaintiff was arrested on his property by Trooper Mergendahl and a second State Trooper on the same day that Justice Acker issued the order. (See id. at 19.) The next day, June 25, 2010, “the New York State Police took Plaintiffs rifles,” even though the order “required Plaintiff to turn his rifles ... over to the Dutchess County Sheriff.” (Third Am. Compl. 7.) Plaintiff attached a June 25, 2010 receipt from the New York State Police for one Springfield and one Remington rifle as an exhibit to his Third Amended Complaint. (See Pl.’s Exs., at 5.) The receipt was signed by a New York State Trooper with the surname “Doncitek.” (Id.)

By October 18, 2010, criminal proceedings had commenced against Plaintiff in connection with the two charging instruments that Trooper Miaño signed. (See PL’s Exs., at 7.) On that date, Justice Acker granted the prosecutor’s request for an adjournment, as well as his “application for a reduction of the misdemeanor Criminal Trespass 3rd to a violation of Trespass,” and informed Plaintiff that “the matter [could] only proceed as a Bench Trial.” (Id.) However, before those criminal proceedings reached a resolution, another incident involving Plaintiff and Var-ney occurred. On January 28, 2011, Varney swore to a second deposition, in which he stated that he “witnessed a vehicle” cross onto his property and “proceed through the back portion of [his] property,” and that “the operator” had been “shouting as he drove.” (Id. at 9.) Varney “believe[d] without doubt [that] the operator [was] [Plaintiff,] as [Plaintiff] [had] exhibited this course of action on numerous occasions.” (Id.) Varney stated that he had “an order of protection in place,” and “would like to have [Plaintiff] arrested.” (Id.)

On the same day that Varney swore to this deposition, apparently on the basis of the allegations contained therein, Trooper Mergendahl signed an information accusing Plaintiff of criminal trespass, in violation of New York Penal Law § 140.05.7 (See id. at 10.) Specifically, the criminal trespass information that Trooper Mergen-dahl signed alleged that, on January 28, 2011, Plaintiff “did intentionally, knowingly and unlawfully drive his ATV onto [Var-ney’s] property.” (Id.) On the same day, Trooper Mergendahl also signed an information accusing Plaintiff of criminal contempt in the second degree, in violation of New York Penal Law § 215.50.8 (See id. at [361]*36111.) Specifically, the criminal contempt information that Mergendahl signed alleged that, on January 28, 2011, Plaintiff “did intentionally, knowingly and unlawfully trespass onto ...

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51 F. Supp. 3d 357, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 137487, 2014 WL 5013011, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hudson-v-county-of-dutchess-nysd-2014.