Jones v. Lafferty

173 F. Supp. 3d 493, 2016 WL 1255720, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 41069
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Kentucky
DecidedMarch 29, 2016
DocketCivil Action No. 5:15-51-KKC
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 173 F. Supp. 3d 493 (Jones v. Lafferty) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jones v. Lafferty, 173 F. Supp. 3d 493, 2016 WL 1255720, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 41069 (E.D. Ky. 2016).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

KAREN K. CALDWELL, CHIEF JUDGE, UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF KENTUCKY

This matter is before the Court upon the motion of defendant Todd Lafferty to dismiss the complaint. [R. 34] Plaintiff Ronald L. Jones, Jr., has filed a response in opposition to the motion [R. 41], to which Laf-ferty has replied. [R. 42] The motion is therefore ripe for decision.

I. Factual Background.

Proceeding without counsel, Jones filed this action on March 2, 2015. [R. 1] In his amended complaint, Jones indicated that on December 11, 2014, he was sitting .on the sofa in his apartment when Probation and Parole Officer Todd Lafferty and several Lexington police officers used a key to open the door, and entered the premises without knocking, without announcing their presence, and without a warrant. [R. 17 at pp. 3-4] Lafferty arrested Jones at that time because “violations of supervision were present in the residence.” [R. 1-1 at p. 1] Jones alleges that Lafferty used unnecessary force during the arrest, and that as a resúlt he had to be treated by medical staff at the Fayette County Jail. Jones contends that Officer Lafferty violated the Fourth Amendment by entering his apartment without a warrant, and the 'Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments by using excessive force. [R. 17 át pp. 3-4, 7]

Upon initial screening of the complaint pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(e)(2), 1915A, the Court dismissed a number of claims against state and county officials, as well as the manager of the apartment complex and the property management company. The Court permitted Jones’ claims against Officer Lafferty “regarding war-rantless entry and unnecessary force” to proceed, and ordered that he be served with process. [R. 24]

In support of his motion for dismissal, Lafferty first contends that under Samson v. California, 547 U.S. 843, 126 S.Ct. 2193, 165 L.Ed.2d 250 (2006), the Fourth Amendment does not require either a warrant or reasonable suspicion to search Jones’ apartment because he was on parole at the time, and therefore Jones’ allegation that Lafferty lacked a warrant fails to state a claim. [R. 34-1 at pp. 3-5] Lafferty [495]*495further contends that he is entitled to qualified immunity because as a.parolee Jones had no clearly established right prohibiting the warrantless search of 'his home. [R. 34-1 at pp. 5-6] The motion to dismiss is unsupported by an affidavit from Lafferty or authenticated documentation.

In his response, Lafferty confirms that he was on parole on the date of the search and arrest. [R. 41 at p. 2] He contends, however, that because the “consent-to-search” language applicable to Kentucky parolees under Kentucky Department of Corrections (“KDOC”) Policy No. 27-16-01 11(D) (the “KDOC Policy”) is narrower than the California provision at issue in Samson, the search of his apartment— supported by neither a warrant nor reasonable suspicion — was unreasonable in violation of the Fourth Amendment.1 [R. 41 at pp. 3-4] Lafferty therefore requests discovery to determine whether the search was supported by reasonable suspicion. [R. 41 at p. 5]

In reply, Lafferty counters that permitting discovery would undermine the purpose of qualified immunity, and that the Kentucky-Supreme Court held in Bratcher v. Commonwealth, 424 S.W.3d 411 (Ky. 2014) that the particular language- of the “consent to search” provision at issue is irrelevant for Fourth Amendment purposes. Lafferty separately alleges that .the search was conducted by the Kentucky State Police; not Lexington police officers, thus rendering the KDOC Policy irrelevant, and that the KSP officers actually did have a warrant to search Jones’ apartment. [R. 42 at p. 2, p. 4 n.2] However, Lafferty has failed to support either assertion by placing evidence into the record.

II. Discussion.

A motion to dismiss pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) tests the sufficiency of the plaintiffs complaint. Gardner v. Quicken Loans, Inc., 567 Fed.Appx. 362, 364 (6th Cir.2014). When addressing a motion to dismiss, the Court views the complaint in the light most favorable to the plaintiff and accepts as true all ‘well-pleaded facts’ in the complaint. D’Ambrosio v. Marino, 747 F.3d 378, 383 (6th Cir.2014). A complaint must contain allegations, either , expressly stated or necessarily inferred, with respect to every material element necessary to sustain a recovery under some viable legal theory. Philadelphia Indem. Ins. Co. v. Youth Alive, Inc., 732 F.3d 645, 649 (6th Cir.2013). But the complaint must be dismissed if it undoubtedly fails to allege facts sufficient to state a facially-plausible. claim. Republic Bank & Trust Co. v. Bear Stearns & Co., Inc., 683 F.3d 239, 247 (6th Cir.2012).

Ordinarily, the sufficiency of the complaint is tested with reference only to the face of the complaint itself. Burns v. United States, 542 Fed.Appx. 461, 466 (6th Cir.2013). This includes, of course, documents incorporated into the complaint by reference. Tellabs, Inc. v. Makor Issues & Rights, Ltd., 551 U.S. 308, 322, 127 S.Ct. 2499, 168 L.Ed.2d 179 (2007). The Court may also consider “other materials that are integral to the complaint, are public records, or are otherwise appropriate for the taking of judicial notice.” Ashland, Inc. v. Oppenheimer & Co., 648 F.3d 461, 467 [496]*496(6th Cir.2011). Of . particular relevance here, if a plaintiff refers to a document in the complaint and it is central to her claim, the document will be considered part of the pleadings even if the plaintiff did not attach it to her complaint if the defendant attaches it to the motion to dismiss. Campbell v. Nationstar Mtg., 611 Fed.Appx. 288 (6th Cir.2015) (citing Weiner v. Klais & Co., 108 F.3d 86, 89 (6th Cir.1997)). See also Rondigo, L.L.C. v. Twp. of Richmond, 641 F.3d 673, 681 (6th Cir.2011).

Lafferty’s motion to dismiss Jones’ complaint must be first denied, at least in part, because he does not reference, address, or challenge the sufficiency of Jones’ excessive force claim.2 Lafferty’s assertion that the Court only “allowed Jones’ Fourth Amendment claim against Officer Lafferty in his individual capacity to proceed” [R. 34-1 at p. 2] is incorrect. [R. 24 at p. 5 (“Jones’s allegations regarding warrantless entry and unnecessary force against Officer Lafferty in his individual capacity do not clearly fail to state a- claim, and the Court will therefore order the complaint to be served upon Officer Lafferty for response.”) (emphasis added) ] Having failed to make any effort to argue against the viability of half of the claims in the complaint, Lafferty lays no plausible claim to the dismissal of all of it.

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

Related

Ronald Jones v. Commonwealth of Kentucky
Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 2022

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
173 F. Supp. 3d 493, 2016 WL 1255720, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 41069, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jones-v-lafferty-kyed-2016.