Ingber v. Brown et al

CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedDecember 22, 2025
Docket7:25-cv-09671
StatusUnknown

This text of Ingber v. Brown et al (Ingber v. Brown et al) 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
Ingber v. Brown et al, (S.D.N.Y. 2025).

Opinion

USDC SDNY DOCUMENT ELECTRONICALLY FILED MEMORANDUM ENDORSEMENT DOC #: 7:25-cv-9671-NSR DATE FILED: 12/22/2025 Ingber v. Brown et al The Court is in receipt of the Dutchess County and City Defendants’ letters seeking leave to file a motion to dismiss the operative complaint. (ECF Nos. 12-14.) The Court is also in receipt of Plaintiff's letter. (ECF No. 15.) The Court hereby waives the pre-motion conference requirement and grants Defendants leave to file a motion to dismiss in accordance with the following briefing schedule: 1) Defendants’ motion papers shall be served (not filed) February 5, 2026; 2) Plaintiffs opposition papers shall be served (not filed) March 22, 2026; and 3) Defendants’ reply papers shall be served April 6, 2026. The parties are directed to file all motion documents on the reply date, April 6, 2026. The parties are further directed to mail two physical copies and email an electronic copy to Chambers of motion documents as they are served. The Clerk of Court is kindly directed to terminate the motions at ECF Nos. 12-15. SO ORDERED. Dated: December 22, 2025 White Plains, NY Nelson S. Roman, U.S. District Judge

COOK, KURTZ & MURPHY, P.C. ATTORNEYS & COUNSELORS AT LAW 85 MAIN STREET P.O. BOX 3939 KINGSTON, N.Y. 12402 (845)331-0702 ERIC M. KURTZ FAX: (845) 331-1003 ANDREW J. COOK, SR. (1884-1958) THOMAS A. MURPHY e-mail: jburns@cookfirm.com ANDREW J. COOK, JR. (1918-1997) MICHAEL T. COOK www.cookfirm.com FRANCIS X. TUCKER (1923-1987) JOHN C. BURNS _________________________ ROBERT D. COOK (Retired) December 19, 2025 BY CM/ECF Honorable Nelson Roman United States District Court Southern District of New York 300 Quarropas Street, White Plains, New York, 10601 Re: Ingber v. Brown et al. Index No.: 7:25-cv-09671-NSR Our File: 2025-133 Dear Judge Roman: Please be advised that my office has been retained to represent the Dutchess County Defendants in the above-matter. As may recall, Your Honor directed that the defendants are to Answer or otherwise respond to the Complaint by December 24, 2025. Pursuant to Your Honor’s individual rules, the Dutchess County Defendants respectfully submit this letter seeking a pre-motion conference in anticipation of filing a motion to dismiss the complaint pursuant Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. By way of background, the complaint alleges that, on March 5, 2023, Plaintiff discovered that his social media accounts had been “hacked”. (See Doc. No. 2 at ¶ 42). As a result of the hack, “friend requests” were sent to a number of people, including co-defendant, Cortney Brown, with whom Plaintiff had previously been romantically involved. (See Doc. No. 2 at ¶ 29, 43). Upon learning that a request had been sent to Ms. Brown, Plaintiff traveled to the Poughkeepsie Police Department to meet with Plaintiff’s then-boyfriend, Tyler Hoag, to explain the situation. (See Doc. No. 2 at ¶ 44). However, Plaintiff was not permitted to meet with Officer Hoag. (See Doc. No. 2 at ¶ 44). Shortly thereafter, Plaintiff was contacted by a member of the New York State Police, who requested that Plaintiff come to the police station. (See Doc. No. 2 at ¶ 45). Plaintiff thereafter traveled to the police station, where he accepted service of a summons and criminal complaint. (See Doc. No. 2 at ¶ 45). He was thereafter charged in the Town Court for the Town of Pleasant Valley by Information including a supporting deposition which was signed by Cortney Brown on March 9, 2023. (See Doc. No. 2 at ¶ 46). The charges consisted of two counts of Harassment in the second degree. (See Doc. No. 2 at ¶ 46). Plaintiff’s attorney thereafter moved to dismiss the charges against him and Defendants Jones and Defazio are alleged to have nonetheless arraigned Plaintiff on the harassment charges. (See Doc. No. 2 at ¶ 49, 57). The District Attorney Defendants thereafter filed a new Information, signed by New York State Police Officer Tyler Guerriere, for the misdemeanor crime of Stalking (causing fear) in the fourth degree. (See Doc. No. 2 at ¶ 58). It is alleged that, after the denial of his motion to dismiss and after receipt of the People’s discovery response, Plaintiff exchanged more than three years of text messages between himself and Ms. Brown. (See Doc. No. 2 at ¶ 73). After receiving the messages in discovery, the District Attorney Defendants continued with the prosecution of the plaintiff despite the “fact” that Brown had allegedly perjured herself. (See Doc. No. 2 at ¶ 79,80). Plaintiff was acquitted on November 15, 2024. (See Doc. No. 2 at ¶ 89). It is upon these facts taken solely from Plaintiff’s complaint, that Plaintiff asserts ten separate causes of action, none of which are actionable against the Dutchess County Defendants. At the outset, it should be noted that the “Unidentified Jane/John Doe Dutchess County Employees” named in the caption do not appear in the factual allegations whatsoever. While it is generally understood that a Plaintiff may not know the names of all parties involved in an action, personal involvement is a prerequisite to liability under §1983. Levantino v. Skala, 56 F.Supp.3d 191 (E.D.N.Y. 2014) citing Wright v. Smith, 21 F.3d 496 (2d Cir. 1994). There are no specific allegations relating to any of the “Doe” defendants and the complaint should be dismissed against them. The complaint similarly fails to allege that the Dutchess County Defendants were involved with Plaintiff’s arrest or the investigation of the allegations against him. Indeed, one of the main focuses of the complaint appears to be that County Defendants failed to investigate the charges. Rather, the complaint appears to suggest that the Dutchess County Defendants had no involvement until Plaintiff’s arraignment. It is well settled that the “doctrine of absolute immunity applies broadly to shield from liability for money damages in a § 1983 lawsuit, even when the result may be that a wronged plaintiff is left without an immediate remedy.” Werkheiser v. County of Broome, 655 F.Supp.3d 88 (N.D.N.Y. 2023) citing Anilao v. Spota, 27 F.4th 855, 863-864 (2d Cir. 2022). The Second Circuit has held that prosecutors enjoy “absolute immunity from § 1983 liability for those prosecutorial activities intimately associated with the judicial phase of the criminal process.” Id. citing Barr v. Abrams, 810 F.2d 358 (2d Cir. 1987). “For example, a prosecutor enjoys absolute immunity when determining which offenses to charge, initiating a prosecution, presenting a case to a grand jury, and preparing for trial.” Id. This immunity extends “even to a prosecutor who ‘conspires to present false evidence at a criminal trial.’ The fact that such a conspiracy is certainly not something that is properly within the role of a prosecutor is immaterial, because it attaches immunity to his function, not to the manner in which he performed it.” Id. citing Anilao v. Spota, 27 F.4th 855, 864 (2d Cir. 2022). Thus even if it were true that the defendants knowingly elicited false testimony, which it is not, they would be entitled to immunity, and the claims are not actionable. Similarly deficient is the claim that the defendants “published Plaintiff’s name and made false claims” such that it damaged his reputation. To be sure, Plaintiff has failed to specify who made the improper statements, to whom, the manner in which the statements were made, or even when they were made.

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Bluebook (online)
Ingber v. Brown et al, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ingber-v-brown-et-al-nysd-2025.