Jones v. Herian

District Court, D. Nebraska·Decided June 9, 2021·No. 8:20-cv-00365·Unknown

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEBRASKA

MARVEL JONES,

Plaintiff, 8:20CV365

vs. MEMORANDUM SHERIFF OFFICER UNKNOWN OF AND ORDER LANCASTER COUNTY, et al.,

Defendants.

In the court’s initial review of Plaintiff’s pro se Complaint, the court found that several of Plaintiff’s allegations failed to state a claim upon which relief could be granted and that amendment of such claims would be futile.1 The court also found

1 These claims were:

▪ 42 U.S.C. §§ 1981, 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1988 claims ▪ Claims for money damages against the NRC, NDCS, and NDHHS and their employees in their official capacities. ▪ Claims against Defendants Lancaster County Sheriff Department, Lancaster County Public Defender Office, Lancaster County Department of Corrections, Nebraska Police Department of Lincoln ▪ Claim (1) (No Jurisdiction Over Plaintiff) ▪ Claim (3) (Legality of Underlying Criminal Conviction) ▪ Claim (4) (Public Defender’s Performance) ▪ Claim (6) (Failure to Transfer to Lincoln Regional Center) ▪ Claim (9) (Deprivation of Flyer, Ink Pen & Leftover Holiday Food) ▪ Claim (11) (Practicing Mental-Health Care Without License)

(Filing 11 at CM/ECF p. 27.) Because Plaintiff’s Complaint was simply a litany of allegations not divided or organized by claim or occurrence, the court developed numbered claims in an attempt to identify and organize Plaintiff’s claims. that three plausible claims could proceed to service of process.2 Finally, the court allowed Plaintiff to amend his Complaint as to six other claims.3 The order warned Plaintiff that, “PLAINTIFF’S AMENDED COMPLAINT SHALL NOT CONTAIN CLAIMS OR DEFENDANTS THAT HAVE BEEN DISMISSED WITHOUT LEAVE TO AMEND.” (Filing 11 at CM/ECF p. 29.)

In violation of the court’s order, Plaintiff’s 40-page Amended Complaint (not counting 109 pages of attached exhibits) (Filing 12) contains allegations that the court already decided failed to state a claim upon which relief could be granted and would be futile to amend; names Defendants in their official capacities who have already been dismissed; names approximately 43 additional Defendants plus four different groups of “unnamed Jane’s and John Doe’s 1 to 50”; and contains numerous additional allegations regarding another institution, the Lincoln Regional Center. Like Plaintiff’s first Complaint, his Amended Complaint is a morass of allegations not organized by claim, transaction, occurrence, or chronology.

While the court could order Plaintiff to file yet another amended complaint to allow Plaintiff to properly comply with Fed. R. Civ. P. 8 (pleading that states a claim for relief must contain short and plain statement of claim showing that pleader is entitled to relief), Fed. R. Civ. P. 10 (each claim founded on separate occurrence must be stated in separate count if doing so would promote clarity), and Fed. R. Civ.

2 Those claims are: Claim (5) (Substantive Due Process Claim Regarding Consequences for Failure to Participate in Treatment); Claim (10) (Procedural Due Process Claim Regarding Disciplinary Procedures); and Claim (12) (Contract Attorney’s Failure to Assist). (Filing 11 at CM/ECF p. 27.)

3 Those claims are: Monell municipal liability claims against the City of Lincoln, Lancaster County, and employees thereof in their official capacities; Claim (2-a) (Municipality’s Failure to Train) and (2-b) (1983 Civil Conspiracy to Deprive Plaintiff of Constitutional Rights); Claim (7) (Access to Courts); Claim (8) (Searching Patient Cells); Claim (13) (Forced Signing of Documents); and Claim (14) (Erroneous Administration of Medication). (Filing 11 at CM/ECF p. 27.)

2 P. 20 (plaintiff may sue multiple defendants if right to relief asserted against them arises out of the same transaction, occurrence, or series of transactions or occurrences and question of law or fact common to all defendants will arise in the action), the court will instead sift through Plaintiff’s Amended Complaint to consider only those allegations that pertain to the claims that have been deemed sufficient to go forward and that Plaintiff was given leave to amend.4

Claim of Monell Municipal Liability Against City of Lincoln, Lancaster County & Employees Thereof in Official Capacities5 & Claim (2-a) Municipality’s Failure to Train

Plaintiff’s Amended Complaint fails to allege sufficient facts indicating that an official policy, unofficial custom, or a deliberately indifferent failure to train or supervise on the part of the City of Lincoln, Lancaster County, or employees thereof in their official capacities were the moving force behind any of the alleged constitutional violations contained in the claims that have been allowed to go forward or which Plaintiff has been allowed to amend. Malone v. Hinman, 847 F.3d 949, 955 (8th Cir. 2017) (elements of municipal liability); Corwin v. City of Independence, 829 F.3d 695, 699 (8th Cir. 2016) (same). Rather, the only allegations Plaintiff makes are that Defendant Joe Negro, Chief Public Defender for Lancaster County, “failed to train Deputy Public Defend[er] Kristi J. Egger, in this civil conspiracy against Plaintiff” (Filing 12 ¶ 22) and that “Defendant City of Lincoln failed to train the police officers involved in this civil conspiracy against Plaintiff.” (Filing 12 ¶ 26.) Because there is no live claim that Egger or City of Lincoln police officers committed an underlying constitutional violation, there can be no claim that a municipality’s failure to train Egger or the officers caused a constitutional

4 The applicable standard of review and elements for each of Plaintiff’s claims have been discussed on initial review (Filing 11) and will not be repeated here.

5 This claim is unnumbered because it was discussed in the context of the type of claim that could be brought against certain Defendants instead of in the context of Plaintiff’s specific claims. 3 violation. Royster v. Nichols, 698 F.3d 681, 692 (8th Cir. 2012) (failure-to-train claim cannot be sustained absent underlying constitutional violation by allegedly improperly trained person); Brockinton v. City of Sherwood, Ark., 503 F.3d 667, 673 (8th Cir. 2007) (underlying constitutional violation by subordinate required for liability on part of person who allegedly failed to train subordinate).

Accordingly, any purported Monell claims against the City of Lincoln, Lancaster County, and employees thereof in their official capacities will be dismissed.

Claim (2-b) (1983 Civil Conspiracy)

As explained in the court’s previous Memorandum and Order (Filing 11 at CM/ECF pp. 17-18), to properly plead a section 1983 conspiracy, “a complaint must allege specific facts suggesting that there was a mutual understanding among the conspirators to take actions directed toward an unconstitutional end.” Duvall v.

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