Klingensmith v. Cruz

District Court, W.D. Arkansas·Decided August 20, 2020·No. 5:19-cv-05185·Unknown

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF ARKANSAS FAYETTEVILLE DIVISION TYLER B. KLINGENSMITH PLAINTIFF V. CASE NOS. §:19-CV-05185 §:20-CV-05015 DETECTIVE MARK JORDAN; CHIEF JON SIMPSON; OFFICER SHRUM; PROSECUTOR STUART CEARLY; OFFICER ROBIN HOLT; SERGEANT JOE ADAMS; OFFICER COGDILL; SHERIFF SHAWN HOLLOWAY; KALEY SCHWAB; GLORIA SCHWAB; CAPTAIN BANTA; JERROD C. WISEMAN; JUDGE ROBIN GREEN; BRENDA DESHIELDS; DEPUTY ADRIAN CRUZ; DEPUTY JOSEPH ALLEN; MEGAN RUTLEDGE; DEPUTY NICHOLAS GUERRERO; NURSE HEATHER TRIMMER; NURSE FRAN INFANTE; DEPUTY TREY BRADY; DEPUTY RANDALL MCELROY; DEPUTY ANTHONY COBB; DEPUTY W. GUENTHER; DEPUTY ROSS; and DEPUTY CHANDLER DEFENDANTS MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER This case is before the Court for preservice screening pursuant to the Prison Litigation Reform Act (“PLRA”). 28 U.S.C. § 1915A. Under the PLRA, the Court has an obligation to screen any complaint in which a prisoner seeks redress from a governmental entity or officer or employee of a governmental entity. Additionally, the Court has reviewed Separate Defendants’ Motion to Strike Plaintiffs Third Amended Complaint and Separate Benton County Defendants’ Motion to Adopt and Join Defendant Mark Jordan’s Motion to Strike Plaintiffs Third Amended Complaint. (Docs. 139 & 142). 1. BACKGROUND Plaintiff filed his original Complaint on September 27, 2019. (Doc. 1). Plaintiff filed a separate case, Klingensmith v. Jordan, et al., 5:20-cv-05015, involving largely the same

Defendants and issues, on January 14, 2020. The two cases were consolidated on April 24, 2020, at which time Plaintiff was given an opportunity to file a third and final amended complaint. (Doc. 127). The Court noted that Plaintiffs previous complaints were difficult to construe and contained “unnecessary verbiage.” /d. at p. 2. The Court therefore directed Plaintiff to file an amended complaint that clearly and concisely set forth his claims against each named Defendant. He was limited to completing the form complaint and attaching up to six additional pages. In addition, he was directed to provide the dates on which all events occurred and to assert a single cause of action for each claim or count. Plaintiff's Third Amended Complaint, which he filed on May 14, 2020 (Doc. 135), now contains sixteen claims, and many of them seek relief based on multiple causes of action. Accordingly, the Court finds that the Third Amended Complaint fails to comply with the Court's earlier Order (Doc. 127). Even so, the Court declines to strike the pleading in favor of proceeding with the claims Plaintiff has articulated. The Court believes that this approach, in the end, will best serve the interests of justice and conserve judicial resources. Therefore, Defendants’ separate Motions to Strike (Docs. 139 & 142) are DENIED. Below, the Court will consider the sufficiency of Plaintiffs claims for service purposes. ll. LEGAL STANDARD Under the PLRA, the Court is obligated to screen the case prior to service of process being issued. The Court must dismiss a complaint, or any portion of it, if it contains claims that: (1) are frivolous, malicious, or fail to state a claim upon which relief

may be granted, or (2) seek monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b). A claim is frivolous if “it lacks an arguable basis either in law or fact.” Neitzke v. Williams, 490 U.S. 319, 325 (1989). A claim fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted if it does not allege “enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Bell Ati. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007). “In evaluating whether a pro se plaintiff has asserted sufficient facts to state a claim, we hold ‘a pro se complaint, however inartfully pleaded . . . to less stringent standards than formal pleadings drafted by lawyers.” Jackson v. Nixon, 747 F.3d 537, 541 (8th Cir. 2014) (quoting Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 94 (2007)). However, even a pro se Plaintiff must allege specific facts sufficient to support a claim. Martin v. Sargent, 780 F.2d 1334, 1337 (8th Cir. 1985). lll. DISCUSSION A. Defendants Subject to Dismissal Defendants Kaley and Gloria Schwab are private citizens and are not subject to suit under § 1983. Kaley is the victim in the state court criminal case in which Plaintiff was convicted, and Gloria is Kaley’s mother. Both of these individuals will be dismissed. See West v. Atkins, 487 U.S. 42, 48 (1988) (italics added). “[A] private party’s mere invocation of state legal procedures does not constitute state action.” Youngblood v. Hy-Vee Food Stores, Inc., 226 F.3d 851, 855 (8th Cir. 2001) (store employee, who was not employed by the police department, was not a state actor when employee reported suspected shoplifting and detained the shoplifter until police arrived) (citations omitted); see □□□□ Grow v. Fisher, 523 F.2d 875, 879 (7th Cir. 1975) (“The mere fact that the individual defendants were complainants and witnesses in an action which itself was prosecuted

under color of law does not make their complaining or testifying other than what it was, i.e., the action of private persons not acting under color of law.”). Benton County Circuit Judge Robin Green is immune from suit. Mireles v. Waco, 502 U.S. 9, 11 (1991) (“Judicial immunity is an immunity from suit, not just from ultimate assessment of damages.”). See also Duty v. City of Springdale, 42 F.3d 460, 462 (8th Cir. 1994). “Judges performing judicial functions enjoy absolute immunity from § 1983 liability.” Robinson v. Freeze, 15 F.3d 107, 108 (8th Cir. 1994). “A judge will not be deprived of immunity because the action [s]he took was in error, was done maliciously, or was in excess of [her] authority.” Stump v. Sparkman, 435 U.S. 349, 356-57 (1978). Judicial immunity is overcome in two situations: (1) if the challenged act is non-judicial; and, (2) if the action, although judicial in nature, was taken in the complete absence of all jurisdiction. Mireles, 502 U.S. at 11. It is clear from the allegations of the Third Amended Complaint that neither of those situations applies here. Accordingly, all claims against Judge Green will be dismissed. Plaintiffs claims against Benton County Prosecutor Stuart Cearly are also subject to dismissal. A prosecutor is absolutely immune from suit for any conduct undertaken in his or her role as advocate for the state. Imbler v. Pachtman, 424 U.S. 409 (1976). Absolute prosecutorial immunity protects the prosecutor as a key participant in the criminal justice process, such that the prosecutor need not be inhibited from performing his or her functions by a constant fear of retaliation. /d. at 428. This is true no matter the underlying motive of the prosecutor or the propriety of the actions taken. Myers v. Morris, 810 F.2d. 1437, 1446 (8th Cir.

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