Josephine Havlak Photographer, Inc. v. Village of Twin Oaks

163 F. Supp. 3d 592, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18204, 2016 WL 612764
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Missouri
DecidedFebruary 16, 2016
DocketCase No. 4:15CV00518 AGF
StatusPublished

This text of 163 F. Supp. 3d 592 (Josephine Havlak Photographer, Inc. v. Village of Twin Oaks) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Josephine Havlak Photographer, Inc. v. Village of Twin Oaks, 163 F. Supp. 3d 592, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18204, 2016 WL 612764 (E.D. Mo. 2016).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

AUDREY G. FLEISSIG, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

This action for declarative and injunctive relief is before the Court on Defendants’ motion to dismiss Plaintiffs’ Third Amended Complaint for lack of standing and failure to state a claim. The motion was filed by Defendants Village of Twin Oaks and Village Clerk/Controller Kathy Runge, and adopted by Defendant St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar. Plaintiffs in this case seek (1) declaratory judgment that a municipal ordinance of the Village regulating commercial activity within Twin Oaks Park is an unconstitutional prior restraint on protected First Amendment activity, and (2) preliminary and permanent injunc-tive relief against Defendants’ enforcement of the ordinance. For the reasons set forth below, Defendants’ motion to dismiss shall be denied as to Plaintiffs Josephine Havlak Photographer, Inc., and Josephine Havlak; and granted as to Plaintiffs William Joseph Hill and Mary Katherine Hill.

BACKGROUND

Plaintiff Josephine Havlak Photographer, Inc., is a corporation offering commercial photography services, focusing on engagement, wedding, and portrait photography; Plaintiff Josephine Havlak, a professional photographer who takes all the photographs on behalf of Havlak Photographer, Inc., is the sole corporate officer and director of the company (jointly, “the Havlak Plaintiffs”). Plaintiffs William Joseph Hill and Mary Katherine Hill (jointly, “the Hills”) are a married couple wishing to engage the Havlak Plaintiffs’ services. The Havlak Plaintiffs have determined that Twin Oaks Park (the “Park”) is “an ideal place” to take photos of the Hills. (Doc. No. 46 at 5.)

Village Ordinance No. 459 provides in relevant part, as follows:

Regulation of Solicitations and Commercial Activities. Solicitation of any business or service is prohibited. No person, firm, or corporation is permitted to offer or advertise merchandise or other goods for sale or hire. Excepting village-sponsored events and activities, the maintaining of a concession or the use of any park facility, building, trail, road, bridge, bench, table or other park property for commercial purposes is prohibited unless a permit is issued by the Board of Trustees or their designated representative(s). Such permit shall be clearly displayed by the person(s) seeking to conduct commercial activities within the park. The permitting process will help to ensure that the Village is aware of the activity taking place within the park, that the proposed date/time/location does not conflict with the scheduled activities/events/operations, and that no harm is done to the landscape of the park. In its review of the permit request, the Board of Trustees or its designated representative(s) should consider:
1. The risk of damage and injury as set forth in Sections 220.020(B)-(E);
[595]*5952. The disruption of or conflict with the public’s use and enjoyment of the park;
3. Whether the issuance of such permit may result in crowded or congested conditions due to the anticipated number of attendees for a planned event.
4. The nature of the requested activity, including whether such activity involves:
a. the sale of products or items, which is prohibited unless it is a First Amendment protected activity;
b. the use of furniture, tents (as that term is defined in Section 220.040(D)) or large “prop” amenities, which is prohibited; or
c. the use of models or equipment.
5. The time and duration requested for such commercial purposes, including:
a. Whether the activity will exceed one (1) hour;
b. Whether the number of people involved exceeds ten (10); or
c. Whether the time requested conflicts with a period of peak visitation to the park or other scheduled events, activities, or operations.
Any permit request involving less than ten (10) people, lasting for less than one (1) hour, and complying with the above, will be granted by the Village Clerk/Controller or a designee. All permit requests must be submitted at least forty-eight (48) hours before the proposed activities. Any permit request involving more than ten (10) people, lasting more than one (1) hour, or otherwise conflicting with any of the above factors must be submitted at least fourteen (14) days in advance of the proposed activi- ' ties so that the Board of Trustees may review the request and the permitted authority may be limited to certain designated areas. Each permit issued by the Village shall only be effective on the date and time specified on the permit. Specific permit fees shall be set by the Board of Trustees from time to time and shall be posted on the Village’s website.

Plaintiffs claim in their Third Amended Complaint (Doc. No. 37) that the ordinance impermissibly restricts their First Amendment freedom of expression and violates their due process rights under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments. Plaintiffs contend that taking commercial photographs in the Park without a permit would violate the above ordinance and subject them to penalties of up to $1,000 in fines or 90 days in county jail pursuant to the Village Code’s general penalty provision, § 100.100. Plaintiffs allege that the photography at issue is artistic expression of ideas such as love, harmony, and humor, both for commercial purposes and as an expression of Josephine Havlak’s individual artistic motivation. They assert that because of the threat of prosecution they are refraining from engaging in commercial photography in the Park, and that they refuse to apply for a permit because even engaging in the process of applying chills their First Amendment speech. Plaintiffs maintain in the complaint that the ordinance is content based because it only applies to commercial photographers and not amateur photographers, and not to the Village itself which uses photographs of the Park on its website.

Plaintiffs seek declaratory judgment that the ordinance is unconstitutional, both facially and as applied to Plaintiffs, under the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments. Plaintiffs also seek to preliminarily and permanently enjoin Defendants from enforcing the ordinance as to Plaintiffs.

ARGUMENTS OF THE PARTIES

In support of their motion to dismiss, Defendants first assert that Plaintiffs lack standing. Defendants recognize that actual [596]*596injury exists for purposes of standing where an objectively reasonable threat of prosecution has chilled an individual from exercising a First Amendment right. Defendants contend, however, that Plaintiffs have not shown objectively reasonable fears of prosecution. With respect to the Havlak Plaintiffs, Defendants argue that these Plaintiffs “can easily obtain a permit and the mere ‘possibility they could be issued a summons is insufficient to establish standing.” (Doc. No. 40 at 4.) With respect to the Hills, Defendants argue that these Plaintiffs do not face any threat of prosecution, because the ordinance does not apply to customers of a vendor or business operating in the Park without a permit. Thus, according to Defendants, the complaint must be dismissed pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure

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Bluebook (online)
163 F. Supp. 3d 592, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18204, 2016 WL 612764, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/josephine-havlak-photographer-inc-v-village-of-twin-oaks-moed-2016.