Jones v. New Mexico State Police

District Court, D. New Mexico·Decided August 31, 2022·No. 1:22-cv-00414·Unknown

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW MEXICO JOHN PAUL JONES III, Plaintiff,

vs. No. CIV 22-0414 JB/KK NEW MEXICO STATE POLICE and SECRETARY BOWIE, Defendants. MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER OF DISMISSAL

THIS MATTER comes before the Court, under rule 12(b)(1) and rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, on: (i) the Response to Order to Cure Deficiency and to Amend Complaint, filed June 10, 2022 (Doc. 6)(“Response”); (ii) the Motion for Summary Judgment, filed July 25, 2022 (Doc. 21); and (iii) the Renewed Request for a Meeting as well as the Determination of Service, filed August 26, 2022 (Doc. 25)(“Request for Meeting”). Plaintiff John Paul Jones III appears pro se. For the reasons stated out below, the Court will: (i) dismiss the claims against Defendant New Mexico State Police for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction; (ii) to the extent that Jones states claims against New Mexico State Police employees, dismiss those claims without prejudice; (iii) dismiss the claims against Defendant Secretary Bowie for failure to state a claim; (iv) deny Jones’ Motion for Summary Judgment; and (v) deny Jones’ Request for Meeting. PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND Jones sent a letter to the Honorable William P. Johnson, Chief United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico, which the Clerk’s Office filed as a complaint. See Letter from John Paul Jones III to Chief Judge William P. Johnson (dated May 25, 2022), filed May 31, 2022 (Doc. 1)(“Complaint”). Jones states, among other things: The New Mexico State Police have on file, today, an utterly false police report written about me. They violate their own policies and procedures in that they refuse to correct it . . . . For Memorial Day I placed the issues squarely before Secretary Bowie in the enclosed letter . . . . Hopefully you will encourage Secretary Bowie to “clean up the mess,” in the State Police, to use Governor Lujan-Grisham’s admonishment, and ensure that the truth really does matter in their police reports.

Complaint at 1-2. The Honorable Kirtan Khalsa, United States Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico, notifies Jones: This case should be dismissed because the Complaint fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted against Defendant New Mexico State Police. Plaintiff fails to state with particularity what Defendant New Mexico State Police did to Plaintiff, when the Defendant New Mexico State Police committed those actions, how those actions harmed Plaintiff and what specific legal right Plaintiff believes Defendant New Mexico State Police violated. See Nasious v. Two Unknown B.I.C.E. Agents, at Arapahoe County Justice Center, 492 F.3d 1158, 1163 (10th Cir. 2007)(“[T]o state a claim in federal court, a complaint must explain what each defendant did to him or her; when the defendant did it; how the defendant’s action harmed him or her; and, what specific legal right the plaintiff believes the defendant violated.”).

It is not clear whether Plaintiff is asserting claims against “Secretary Jason Bowie, NM Department of Public Safety.” Plaintiff states “For Memorial Day I placed the issues squarely before Secretary Bowie in the enclosed letter.” See Complaint at 1. A complaint must “give the defendant fair notice of what the . . . claim is and the grounds upon which it rests.” Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007). The Court will not comb through Plaintiff’s 25-page letter to Secretary Bowie to determine whether it states a claim. See Garrett v. Selby Connor Maddux & Janer, 425 F.3d 836, 840 (10th Cir. 2005)(“the court cannot take on the responsibility of serving as the litigant’s attorney in constructing arguments and searching the record”).

It appears the Court should dismiss this case because Complaint does not show that Court has jurisdiction over this matter. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(h)(3)(“If the court determines at any time that it lacks subject-matter jurisdiction, the court must dismiss the action”). As the party seeking to invoke the jurisdiction of this Court, Plaintiff bears the burden of alleging facts that support jurisdiction. See

- 2 - Dutcher v. Matheson, 733 F.3d 980, 985 (10th Cir. 2013)(“Since federal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction, we presume no jurisdiction exists absent an adequate showing by the party invoking federal jurisdiction”); Evitt v. Durland, 243 F.3d 388 *2 (10th Cir. 2000)(“even if the parties do not raise the question themselves, it is our duty to address the apparent lack of jurisdiction sua sponte”)(quoting Tuck v. United Servs. Auto. Ass’n, 859 F.2d 842, 843 (10th Cir.1988). The Complaint does not contain “a short and plain statement of the grounds for the court’s jurisdiction” as required by Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(1).

Order to Cure Deficiency and Order for Amended Complaint at 1-2, filed June 2, 2022 (Doc. 3)(“Order”). Magistrate Judge Khalsa also notifies Jones that the Complaint does not indicate clearly the relief that Jones seeks. See Complaint at 3. Magistrate Judge Khalsa ordered Jones to file an amended complaint. See Complaint at 4. The Court construes Jones’ Response to Magistrate Judge Khalsa’s Order as an amended complaint, because it contains: (i) a statement regarding the Court’s jurisdiction; (ii) a statement of Jones’ claims; and (iii) a demand for relief. See Response at 3-8. It appears that Jones may be asserting claims against Janice Madrid and other employees of the New Mexico State Police: As the hard evidence will indicate, which is the recording of the session that Plaintiff obtained from the NMSP due to his FOIA request, Ms. Madrid made the official determination that Plaintiff had written “threatening” letters, while admitting she had never read even one of the letters but nonetheless placed the Plaintiff under orders not to write any more letters, which is a grievous violation of the Plaintiffs First Amendment Rights . . . . Her order to not write any letters is in effect, todav, as confirmed by Captain Schum 18 months ago, and as confirmed by the NMSP senior leadership by their refusal to lift her order.

Ms. Madrid completed a carefully crafted false police report on the Plaintiff. That police report, which includes the three plus hour recording of the session in the Federal Courthouse, provides very strong evidence of violations of 42 U.S.C § 1985 a conspiracy to interfere with Plaintiff’s civil rights in particular those provided by the 5th and 14th Amendments in regards to “due process.” Response at 6 (emphasis in original). Regarding jurisdiction, Jones states: The Court has original jurisdiction in the instant case based on 28 U.S.C § 1343, which provides a Plaintiff the right to seek redress for the deprivation of

- 3 - any right secured by the Constitution of the United States. Further, the Court has jurisdiction under 42 U.S.C § 1985

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