Johnston v. Town of Greece

983 F. Supp. 348, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18344, 1997 WL 722054
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. New York
DecidedNovember 12, 1997
DocketNos. 95-CV-6408L, 96-CV-6398L
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 983 F. Supp. 348 (Johnston v. Town of Greece) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Johnston v. Town of Greece, 983 F. Supp. 348, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18344, 1997 WL 722054 (W.D.N.Y. 1997).

Opinion

DECISION AND ORDER

LARIMER, Chief Judge.

These civil actions arise out of plaintiff James Norman Johnston’s (“Johnston”) arrest and indictment on federal bank robbery charges in January 1994. The charges were dismissed approximately one year later, after Johnston had been detained for more than seven months.

Johnston first sued the Town of Greece, the Greece Police Department, and various individual employees of the Town pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging that their participation in his arrest and detention violated his Constitutional rights. Johnston also asserted supplemental state claims of false arrest/imprisonment and malicious prosecution against these same defendants based upon a separate and unrelated arrest for assault, in March 1995.

Johnston later sued the United States and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), under the Federal Tort Claims Act, 28 U.S.C. § 2671, et seq. (FTCA) for false arrest/imprisonment and. malicious prosecution as the result of the federal bank robbery charges. The two actions were consolidated pursuant to my Order dated February 6, 1997.

Defendants all have moved for summary judgment dismissing both actions in their entirety. Defendants assert' that none of Johnston’s claims can be sustained because probable cause existed for his arrest and prosecution on the federal bank robbery charges, as well as his assault charge. I agree and, therefore, for the reasons set forth below defendants’ motion is granted and the complaints in both cases are dismissed.

BACKGROUND

In November 1993 two banks located in the town of Greece, New York, were robbed: a Marine Midland bank on November 17, 1993 and a First National Bank on November 26,1993. Each was robbed in the middle of the day by a lone, white male, who handed a note to the teller stating his intentions and demanding money.

Johnston was arrested on federal bank robbery charges (18 U.S.C. § 2113) on January 13, 1994. The robberies initially were investigated by both the Greece Police Department and the- FBI, but Johnston was prosecuted on federal charges only. Johnston’s arrest warrant was issued by United States Magistrate Judge Kenneth- R. Fisher, and was based upon the . supporting affidavit of FBI Agent James Quinn.

A federal grand jury was convened and heard evidence on February 15, 1994, and Johnston was indicted that same day and charged with the two bank robberies.

The indictment ultimately was dismissed by this Court on February 28, 1995, at the request of United States Attorney Bradley Tyler. Dismissal was sought pursuant to Fed.R.Crim.P. 48 and “in the interests of justice,” because certain exculpatory evidence, had come to light which convinced the Government not to press forward with the prosecution.1

[352]*352In an unrelated matter, in March 1995, Johnston was arrested by members of the Greece Police Department and charged with second degree harassment as the result of an assault that occurred during an altercation between Johnston and his brother-in-law. Several days after the arrest, the charge was upgraded to third degree assault, allegedly because the brother-in-law’s injuries were more serious than originally believed. Johnston moved to dismiss that charge for lack of probable cause, but Greece Town Justice David Michael Barry denied the motion, following a hearing, and ruled that there was probable cause for the arrest. Eventually Johnston pleaded guilty to the harassment charge in full satisfaction of the charges relating to that incident. In this action before me, Johnston claims that the state charges were augmented by Greece police officers in retaliation for Johnston’s filing his notice of claim (of this lawsuit against them) the day before.

DEFENDANTS’ MOTION

All defendants move for summary judgment, asserting that the two actions should be dismissed in their entirety because Johnston cannot satisfy the criteria necessary to establish his claims. Specifically, defendants assert that probable cause existed for both arrests, thus defeating a necessary component of Johnston’s claims for both false arresVimprisonment and malicious prosecution.2 Defendants also seek attorneys’ fees and costs.

Summary Judgment Standards:

Pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c), a moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law if there is “no genuine issue as to any material fact” and where the record taken as a whole could not lead a rational trier of fact to find for the non-moving party. See Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986). The burden is on the moving party to inform the court of the basis for its motion and to demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2552, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). After the moving party has carried its burden, the non-moving party “must do more than simply show that there is some metaphysical doubt as to the material facts.” Matsushita, 475 U.S. at 586, 106 S.Ct. at 1355. “[T]he non-moving party must come forward with ‘specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.’” Id. at 587, 106 S.Ct. at 1356 (quoting Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(e) (alteration in original)). Thus, summary judgment should be granted where the non-moving party’s evidence is merely color-able, eonclusory, speculative or not significantly probative. Ferreira v. Westchester County, 917 F.Supp. 209, 214 (S.D.N.Y.1996)(citing Knight v. United States Fire Ins., 804 F.2d 9, 12-15 (2d Cir.1986)).

Federal Bank Robbery Charges:

Johnston seeks money damages for his arrest and prosecution on the federal bank robbery charges. He bases his claims in part on information discovered well after his arrest and prosecution. Such an analysis is flawed, however. This case can only be analyzed in the proper context of what was known by the arresting officers at the time [353]*353the events occurred. Viewed in that context, Johnston’s claims have no merit and must be dismissed.

State law applies to Johnston’s FTCA claims as well as his state tort claims brought pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. See Bernard v. United States, 25 F.3d 98, 102 (2d Cir.1994)(“State law applies to an FTCA claim”); Cook v. Sheldon, 41 F.3d 73

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Bluebook (online)
983 F. Supp. 348, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18344, 1997 WL 722054, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/johnston-v-town-of-greece-nywd-1997.