Jacobson v. McIlwain

145 F.R.D. 595, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20215, 1992 WL 396435
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedNovember 9, 1992
DocketNo. 89-14078-CIV
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 145 F.R.D. 595 (Jacobson v. McIlwain) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jacobson v. McIlwain, 145 F.R.D. 595, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20215, 1992 WL 396435 (S.D. Fla. 1992).

Opinion

OMNIBUS ORDER

ZLOCH, District Judge.

THIS MATTER is before the Court upon the Report of Magistrate Judge (DE 101), filed herein by United States Magistrate Judge Ann E. Vitunac, dated September 21, 1992.

The Court has conducted an independent de novo review of the entire record herein. The Court being fully advised in the premises and after due consideration, it is

ORDERED AND ADJUDGED as follows:

1. The Plaintiff’s Request For Telephonic Hearing (DE 74) be and the same is hereby DENIED;

2. The Plaintiff’s Motion For Clarification and Motion to be heard by The Honorable William Zloch regarding the Court’s August 7, 1992 Order in this cause (DE 94) be and the same is hereby DENIED;

3. The Report of Magistrate Judge (DE 101) filed herein by United States Magistrate Judge Ann E. Vitunac, dated September 21, 1992, be and the same is hereby approved, adopted and ratified by the Court;

4. The Motion For Reconsideration (DE 87) of Defendants Knowles, Forte, Walls, and Gebo be and the same is hereby GRANTED in part as to Defendant Knowles, and DENIED in part as to Defendants Forte, Wall and Gebo;

5. The Motion For Reconsideration (DE 84) of Defendants Mcllwain, Lawson, Thelma Atkinson, Mr. Atkinson, Jane Doe, HRS and John Doe be and the same is hereby DENIED;

6. The Motion For Reconsideration (DE 85) of Defendants Fenn and St. Lucie County be and the same is hereby GRANTED;

7. The Defendants Knowles, Fenn and St. Lucie County be and the same are here[597]*597by DISMISSED from this action on the ground of res judicata; and

8. The Plaintiff’s Objection to Magistrate’s Report And Recommendation and Omnibus Order (DE 102) be and the same is hereby OVERRULED.

DONE AND ORDERED.

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION

VITUNAC, United States Magistrate Judge.

This cause is before this Court on order of reference (DE 4), order of re-referral (DE 8), order of remand (DE 82) “for further consideration”, and order of reference (DE 93) “for consideration of the issues raised in all motions for reconsideration in any report and recommendation made to the District Court” from United States District Court Judge William J. Zloch.

Reconsideration Motions

This Court addresses the reconsideration motions first. Upon review of the record, the following motions and responses have been filed in response to this Court’s last report and recommendation (DE 75) and the District Court’s order (DE 82), reviewing that report and recommendation:

(1) Motion for Reconsideration by Defendants’ Knowles, Forte, Walls and Gebo (87)

(2) Plaintiff’s Opposition to the Motion for Reconsideration filed by Defendants’ Knowles, Forte, Walls and Gebo (DE 83)

(3) Motion for Reconsideration by Defendants’ Mcllwain, Lawson, Thelma Atkinson, Mr. Atkinson, Jane Doe, Florida Department of Health & Rehabilitative Services (“HRS”) and John Doe (DE 84)1

(4) Plaintiff’s Opposition to and/or Motion to Strike/Dismiss the Motion for Reconsideration filed by Defendants’ Mcllwain, Lawson, Thelma Atkinson, Mr. Atkinson, Jane Doe, Florida Department of Health & Rehabilitative Services (“HRS”) and John Doe (DE 89)

(5) Motion for Reconsideration by Defendants’ (a) Fenn, Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners of St. Lucie County, Florida and (b) St. Lucie County, Florida (DE 85)2

(6) Plaintiff’s Opposition to the Motion for Reconsideration filed by Defendants’ Fenn and St. Lucie County, Florida (DE 90)

These defense motions for reconsideration were filed after the District Court issued its order. These Defendants request that the District Court reconsider its April 1, 1992 order (DE 82) which overruled this Court’s report and recommendation. Specifically, the Defendants suggest that the District Court “overlooked” the second ground raised for dismissal of this action. The Defendants argue that this action is barred by the doctrine of res judicata.

All of the above mentioned defendants “join in and adopt” Defendants’ Knowles, Forte, Walls and Gebo’s motion for reconsideration on the issue of res judicata. For the record, however, only Knowles, Walls, Forte And Gebo raised res judicata as a ground for dismissal (DE 31, DE 34)3 in their respective motions to dismiss.

The District Court overruled this Court’s report and recommendation and concluded that the allegations constituted a continuing wrong under authority of Neel v. Rehberg, 577 F.2d 262 (5th Cir.1978)4.The District Court held that to dismiss the action as time-barred by the statute of limitations was premature. The District Court did not address the res judicata argument. Nor did this Court. In its report and recommendation, this Court specifically stated that it would not address the res judicata argument in consideration of its recommendation that the action was dismissable as time-barred (See DE 75, R & R at p. 10).

[598]*598For the record, this Court reviewed the original file in Jacobson v. Knowles, et al., Case No. 85-8200-CIV-KING (also referred to as “the 1985 case”) before it issued its last report and recommendation. At this juncture, another review of the case is necessary.

The Plaintiff filed the complaint on April 3, 1985. He names only two defendants— Sheriff Knowles and St. Lucie County. He alleges, on a standard form complaint used by prisoners for filing § 1983 actions, that

I have been in the St. Lucie County Jail for the past I8V2 months awaiting trial. For 14 months now I have not been out of doors once. No sunshine, no fresh air, no outdoor recreation.

(Complaint at p. 4) As relief, he requested: I want $250,000 for the physical damage to my physical being for having no sunshine, fresh air, or recreation for so long. I have suffered emotionally from the deterioration of my physical well being.

(Complaint at p. 4).

Service was ordered. Both Knowles and St. Lucie County acknowledged mail service by returning a signed Notice and Acknowledgement of Receipt of Summons and Complaint Form. St. Lucie County filed a motion for summary judgment. Knowles filed an answer. with defenses. St. Lucie County argued that: (a) Under Florida law, St. Lucie County is not responsible for the operation of the jail, and (b) A local government, such as a county, cannot be held liable in a § 1983 case under the theory of respondeat superior. In order to sustain an action, a plaintiff must first allege the existence of a policy or custom which resulted in a constitutional deprivation. In support of their motion, St. Lucie County also filed the affidavits of Weldon Lewis, the County Administrator, and Havert Fenn, the Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners. Among other things, each stated that:

Neither the Board of County Commissioners, St. Lucie County, Florida, nor any County employee is responsible for the operation of the jail. Neither the Board nor any County employee is responsible for supervising inmates in the jail.

The District Court referred the case to a U.S. Magistrate Judge. The U.S.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
145 F.R.D. 595, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20215, 1992 WL 396435, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jacobson-v-mcilwain-flsd-1992.