Jallow v. The City of New York

CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedJanuary 5, 2021
Docket1:20-cv-08629
StatusUnknown

This text of Jallow v. The City of New York (Jallow v. The City of New York) 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
Jallow v. The City of New York, (S.D.N.Y. 2021).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK YAYA JALLOW, Plaintiff, 20-CV-8629(LLS) -against- ORDERTO AMEND CITY OF NEW YORK, Defendant. LOUIS L. STANTON, United States District Judge: Plaintiff, appearing pro se,brings this action invoking the Court’s federal question and diversity jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. §§1331 and 1332. He alleges that members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) falsely arrested and detained him. By order dated December 8, 2020, the Court granted Plaintiff’s request to proceed without prepayment of fees, that is,in forma pauperis (IFP).For the reasons set forth below, the Court grants Plaintiff leave to file a secondamended complaint within sixty days of the date of this order. STANDARD OF REVIEW The Court must dismiss anIFP complaint, or any portion of the complaint, that is frivolous or malicious, fails to state a claim on which relief may be granted, or seeks monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief. 28 U.S.C. §1915(e)(2)(B); see Livingston v. Adirondack Beverage Co., 141 F.3d 434, 437 (2d Cir. 1998). The Court must also dismiss a complaint when the Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction.See Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(h)(3). While the law mandates dismissal on any of these grounds, the Court is obliged to construe pro se pleadings liberally, Harris v. Mills, 572 F.3d 66, 72 (2d Cir. 2009), and interpret them to raise the “strongest [claims] that they suggest,” Triestman v. Fed. Bureau of Prisons, 470 F.3d 471, 474 (2d Cir. 2006) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted) (emphasis in original). But the “special solicitude”in pro se cases,id. at 475 (citation omitted), has its limits – to state a claim,pro se pleadings still must comply with Rule 8 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which requires a complaint to make a short and plain statement showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.

The Supreme Court has held that under Rule 8, a complaint must include enough facts to state a claim for relief “that is plausible on its face.” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570(2007). A claim is facially plausible if the plaintiff pleads enough factual detail to allow the Court to draw the inference that the defendant is liable for the alleged misconduct. In reviewing the complaint, the Court must accept all well-pleaded factual allegations as true. Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678-79 (2009). But it does not have to accept as true “[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action,” which are essentially just legal conclusions.Twombly, 550 U.S.at 555.After separating legal conclusions from well-pleaded factual allegations, the Court must determine whether those facts make it plausible –not merely possible –that the pleader is

entitled to relief.Id. BACKGROUND Plaintiff brings this action against the City of New York, claiming that police officers from the NYPD violated his rights by arresting and detaining him on two occasions.He invokes the Court’s federal question and diversity jurisdiction and brings causes of actionunder three criminal statutes: (1) 18 U.S .C §1038, which prohibits criminal hoaxes or terrorist threats; (2) 18 U.S .C § 1201, the federal kidnapping statute; and (3) N.Y . Penal Law § 135.10, New York’ s unlawful imprisonment statute. Plaintiff seeks money damages. The following facts are taken from the amended complaint: OnAugust 21, 2020, Plaintiff received “discriminatory service” at a Chipotleand was attacked by one of the employees. (ECF No. 4-1,¶ 18.) After hedefended himself by fighting back, the police was called. When the police arrived, Plaintiff told them what had occurred and cited to them statutes “that were involved,” but “instead of doing the legal, proper, and morally right thing,” the police arrested and detained him “against his will and consent and without legal or valid justification.” (Id.) The police charged plaintiff with assault and while “other City personnel [did] everything in their

power to obstruct the Plaintiff’s justice and due process,” the police made “sure to provide the aggressor and preparatory in this situation with the full protection of the law and their due process.” (Id.) Three weeks later, Plaintiff had another encounter with the police and was again arrested and detained.On October 14, 2020, while Plaintiff was shopping at a Food Bazaar Supermarket in Brooklyn, New York, he was “accosted by several employees there, a continuation of the aforementioned discriminatory services, into a fight.” (Id. ¶ 19.) Although Plaintiff was not the aggressor, he was again arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. The police “lack[ed] authority or valid reason” to once again arrest and detain Plaintiff.(Id.)

DISCUSSION A. Plaintiff’s motionsto amend the complaint Four days after filing his initial pleading (ECF No. 2), Plaintiff submittedto the Court a motion to amend his complaint, along with an amended complaint (ECF Nos. 4, 4-1).Under Rule 15(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Plaintiff may amend his complaint once as of right within a certain timeline. As Plaintiff’s filing of an amended complaint is permitted under Rule 15(a),his first motion to amend (ECF No. 4) is denied as moot. On December 9, 2020, Plaintiff submitted another motion to amend his complaint with a proposed second amended complaint (ECF Nos.6, 6-1). In the proposed second amended complaint, Plaintiff asserts that the City of New York discriminated against him based on his race and color after his arrest. But he fails to provide any facts in support of his claims, including the information he provided in the amended complaint. For that reason the Court denies Plaintiff leave to file the proposed second amended complaint. Plaintiff, however, is granted leave to file a second amended complaint with all of his claims as provided below. B. Plaintiff’s claims fall under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 Plaintiff brings this action asserting that the City of New York violated his federal rights when NYPD officers falsely arrested and detained him.! As he brings this action against the City of New York — a state actor — the Court construes the amended complaint as asserting claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. To state a claim under § 1983, a plaintiff must allege both that: (1) a right secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States was violated, and (2) the right was violated by a person acting under the color of state law, or a “state actor.” West v. Atkins, 487 42, 48-49 (1988). 1. Plaintiff’s false arrest and imprisonment claims Plaintiff asserts that the police falsely arrested and imprisoned him on two occasions.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Monell v. New York City Dept. of Social Servs.
436 U.S. 658 (Supreme Court, 1978)
City of Cleburne v. Cleburne Living Center, Inc.
473 U.S. 432 (Supreme Court, 1985)
Wisconsin Department of Corrections v. Schacht
524 U.S. 381 (Supreme Court, 1998)
Devenpeck v. Alford
543 U.S. 146 (Supreme Court, 2004)
Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly
550 U.S. 544 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Ashcroft v. Iqbal
556 U.S. 662 (Supreme Court, 2009)
Salahuddin v. Cuomo
861 F.2d 40 (Second Circuit, 1988)
Posr v. Doherty
944 F.2d 91 (Second Circuit, 1991)
Hill v. Curcione
657 F.3d 116 (Second Circuit, 2011)
Brown v. City of Syracuse
673 F.3d 141 (Second Circuit, 2012)
Colon v. Coughlin
58 F.3d 865 (Second Circuit, 1995)
Weyant v. Okst
101 F.3d 845 (Second Circuit, 1996)
Jenkins v. City Of New York
478 F.3d 76 (Second Circuit, 2007)
Liranzo v. United States
690 F.3d 78 (Second Circuit, 2012)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Jallow v. The City of New York, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jallow-v-the-city-of-new-york-nysd-2021.