Kelly v. Jones

148 F. Supp. 3d 395, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 158466, 2015 WL 8477960
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedNovember 24, 2015
DocketCIVIL ACTION No. 14-cv-4317
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 148 F. Supp. 3d 395 (Kelly v. Jones) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kelly v. Jones, 148 F. Supp. 3d 395, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 158466, 2015 WL 8477960 (E.D. Pa. 2015).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM.

McHUGH, United States District Court Judge

This is a civil rights action brought by Plaintiff Anthony Kelly, who wrongfully spent five, weeks in jail following his arrest pursuant to an -aged warrant, because the officer who requested its issuance allegedly refused to investigate an airtight alibi— that he was incarcerated when the crime for which he was arrested occurred. The warrant in question was more than five years old, contained no physical description, and specified a nickname for the suspect which Plaintiff had in fact never used. On these alleged facts, where the alibi asserted would have been completely exculpatory and could have been.objectively verified through an official source, I am persuaded that Plaintiff has stated a viable claim for malicious prosecution.

I. Factual Background

Plaintiff asserts claims for False Arrest, False Imprisonment, Malicious Prosecur tion, and Failure to.Investigate under both 42 U.S.G. § 1983 and Pennsylvania state law against Defendant-Officers John Gret-sky, S. Gretsky, and Demoss Jones, arising out of his arrest in 2012. Additionally, Kelly brings a state law claim for Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress against the three officers, and a § 1983 Monell claim against the City of Chester. Plaintiff was arrested outside of his place of employment on June 6, 2012. The arrest was made pursuant to a warrant for an alleged assault and robbery, issued upon an Affidavit of Probable Cause sworn to by Officer Demoss Jones on October 23, 2006/ That affidavit did not contain a physical description of the suspect, but merely , listed the suspect’s name, Anthony Kelly, and his alias, “Izzy.” Officers John Gretsky and S. Gretsky stopped Plaintiff, and upon hearing that the man they had stopped was named Anthony Kelly, made no . attempt to determine whether he also had the nickname “Izzy.” The Officers Gretsky executed the warrant and took Plaintiff into custody. Officer Jones, who was not among the arresting officers, was informed of the arrest immediately after the warrant was executed.

Plaintiff told the Officers that it was impossible for him to have committed the crimes listed in the warrant because he was incarcerated'during the period in 2006 when the crimes were alleged to have occurred. Plaintiff alleges that afino time did any of the officers investigate his claim that he was incarcerated at the time of the crimes and could not have committed them; no officers attempted to contact the initial victim to confirm Plaintiff’s identity; no officers attempted to verify his identity as “Izzy”; and, that the officers had a mugshot of the actual “Izzy” in their possession but ignored that picture.

Plaintiff spent more than a month in county jail as a result of the arrest, with bail set at $20,000. On July 18, 2012, charges against Plaintiff were dismissed with prejudice by Judge Spencer Seaton, [400]*400Jr., of the Chester Magisterial Court. Plaintiff has pleaded false arrest and imprisonment, but concedes that the statute of limitations for those claims has expired. Accordingly, the sole remaining theory of liability is malicious prosecution, based upon his continued detention after arrest.

II. Malicious Prosecution and Failure to Investigate

Plaintiff asserts malicious prosecution claims against all three officers under both § 1983 and under Pennsylvania common law. Under § 1983, malicious prosecution claims require a showing that: (1) the defendants initiated a criminal proceeding; (2) the criminal proceeding ended in plaintiffs favor; (3) the proceeding was initiated without probable cause; (4) the defendants acted maliciously or for a purpose other than bringing the plaintiff to justice; and (5) the plaintiff suffered deprivation of liberty consistent with the concept of seizure as a consequence of a legal proceeding. Kossler v. Crisanti, 564 F.3d 181, 186 (3d Cir.2009). Pennsylvania common law similarly requires that “[t]he defendant must have instituted proceedings against the plaintiff 1) without probable cause, 2) with malice, and 3) the proceedings must have terminated in favor of the plaintiff.” Kelley v. Gen. Teamsters, Chauffeurs & Helpers, Local Union 249, 518 Pa. 517, 520-21, 544 A.2d 940, 941 (1988).

Kelly also asserts claims for “failure to investigate.” Although some decisions discuss such a theory in connection with claims for malicious prosecution, I share the concern of my colleague Judge Goldberg that the “contours of a standalone claim for failure to investigate are not well-defined within this Circuit.” Briscoe v. Jackson, 2 F.Supp.3d 635, 645 n. 5 (E.D.Pa.2014). As a result, I will not consider such failure to give rise to a separate claim, but rather consider the officers’ lack of investigation only as it pertains to the elements of a claim for malicious prosecution.

Under both the federal and state standards, Defendants must have initiated the criminal proceedings without probable cause. Therefore, if probable cause existed to initiate the proceedings against Kelly, the malicious prosecutions claims must be dismissed. “[P]robable cause to arrest exists when the facts and circumstances within the arresting officer’s knowledge are sufficient in themselves to warrant a reasonable person to believe that an offense has been or is being committed by the person to be arrested.” Orsatti v. New Jersey State Police, 71 F.3d 480, 483 (3d Cir.1995). While “‘the question of probable cause in a section 1983 damage suit is one for the jury,’ a district court may conclude ‘that probable cause did exist as a matter of law if the evidence, viewed most favorably to Plaintiff, reasonably would not support a contrary factual finding.’ ” Estate of Smith v. Marasco, 318 F.3d 497, 514 (3d Cir.2003) (quoting Montgomery v. De Simone, 159 F.3d 120, 124 (3d Cir.1998)).

Because the officers involved played different roles, I evaluate Plaintiffs claims separately,

A. Claims Against Gretsky Defendants

Officers John Gretsky and S. Gretsky are not alleged to have played any prior role in the investigation or the issuance of the arrest warrant. Technically speaking, they did not, in the first instance, “initiate” a criminal proceeding. I have some questions as to the validity of the claim against them on that basis alone. One could, however, consider their arrest of Plaintiff to constitute initiation of proceedings, and for purposes of discussion I will assume that bringing Kelly into custody would suffice [401]*401to meet the first element of a malicious prosecution claim. The analysis then shifts to whether they acted with probable cause.

To determine whether probable cause existed as to the arresting officers, the focus of the inquiry is on the arrest itself. Plaintiff concedes that Officers John and S. Gretsky stopped and arrested him based on an outstanding arrest warrant matching his name.- “It is well-settled that probable cause to arrest generally exists when a police officer makes an arrest pursuant to a warrant which meets the requirements of the Fourth Amendment.” Kis v. Cnty. of Schuylkill, 866 F.Supp. 1462, 1469 (E.D.Pa.1994) (citing Baker v. McCollan, 443 U.S. 137, 144, 99 S.Ct. 2689, 61 L.Ed.2d 433 (1979)).

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

Related

WEXLER v. CITY OF PHILADELPHIA
E.D. Pennsylvania, 2024
Thompson v. City of Williamsport
M.D. Pennsylvania, 2023
BARTLEY v. RINKER
W.D. Pennsylvania, 2023
MORRIS v. ZAKEN
W.D. Pennsylvania, 2022
Redclift v. Schuylkill County
M.D. Pennsylvania, 2022
MUCY v. NAGY
W.D. Pennsylvania, 2021
LEARY v. COOK
E.D. Pennsylvania, 2020
Sarin v. Magee
333 F. Supp. 3d 475 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 2018)
Diaz v. Bullock
268 F. Supp. 3d 640 (D. New Jersey, 2017)
Finnemen v. Septa
267 F. Supp. 3d 639 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 2017)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
148 F. Supp. 3d 395, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 158466, 2015 WL 8477960, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kelly-v-jones-paed-2015.