Mahon v. City of Largo, Fla.

829 F. Supp. 377, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10534, 1993 WL 287397
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedJuly 26, 1993
Docket92-1105-CIV-T-17A
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 829 F. Supp. 377 (Mahon v. City of Largo, Fla.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mahon v. City of Largo, Fla., 829 F. Supp. 377, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10534, 1993 WL 287397 (M.D. Fla. 1993).

Opinion

ORDER ON MOTIONS

KOVACHEVICH, District Judge.

This cause is before the Court on the following motions:

1. Defendants’ motion to dismiss third amended complaint, filed January 25, 1993.

2. Defendant City of Largo’s motion to dismiss amended third amended complaint, filed March 2, 1993.

3. Plaintiffs motion to strike certain immaterial, impertinent and particularly scandalous matter, and to add a claim for punitive damages, filed April 2, 1993.

4. Defendant Officer Desjardins’ motion for judgment on the pleadings, filed April 6, 1993.

5. Plaintiffs motion for partial summary judgment on the issue of liability as to Defendant Officer Desjardins, filed April 9, 1993.

6. Defendant City of Largo’s motion for summary judgment, filed April 12, 1993.

7. Defendant City of Largo’s motion to strike motion for summary judgment on issue of liability, filed April 19, 1993.

*381 8. Defendant Officer Desjardins’ motion to supplement response to plaintiffs motion for partial summary judgment, filed April 27, 1993.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Plaintiffs third amended complaint, filed February 11, 1993, names the City of Largo as Defendant in four counts of false arrest, negligent training, negligent supervision, and civil rights violation of false arrest under 42 U.S.C. § 1983; and names Officer Matthew Desjardins as Defendant in one count of civil rights violation for false arrest under 42 U.S.C. § 1983.

Plaintiff alleges that on May 17, 1991, at approximately 8:00 p.m., Defendant Desjardins, acting within the scope of his employment by the City of Largo as a police officer, stopped Plaintiff for careless driving. While attempting to make a left turn onto Missouri Avenue from Rosery Road, Plaintiff accelerated through the turn causing the vehicle to spin 180 degrees on the wet pavement. Officer Desjardins observed the incident from his patrol car parked near the intersection and stopped the Plaintiff.

Plaintiff presented his driver’s license, which had been issued on April 23,1991, and which clearly stated on the front of the license that it was a “Class E” license. Section 322.54, Florida Statutes (1991) sets forth five different classes of driver’s licenses; “Class E” driver’s license holders generally may drive any type of motor vehicle, other than the type of vehicle for which Class A, Class B, Class C, or Class D driver’s license is required pursuant to Section 322.54(2)(e) (1991). Officer Desjardins mistook the classification for a restriction code “E”, which restricts the operator to daylight driving only. Although Plaintiff assured Officer Desjardins that his driver’s license had no restrictions, Officer Desjardins arrested the Plaintiff for driving at night with a restricted license. Plaintiff was handcuffed, charged with a license violation and imprisoned for approximately six hours in the Pinellas County Jail until he posted bond and was released.

Plaintiffs drivers license was, in fact, unrestricted, and Officer Desjardins acknowledges that it was a mistake to have arrested Plaintiff for the license violation. Notwithstanding the license mistake, Officer Desjardins alleges the arrest was valid because he had probable cause to arrest Plaintiff for reckless driving and driving under the influence. Officer Desjardins testified in his deposition that he observed an open beer container in the Plaintiffs vehicle, Plaintiff had alcohol on his breath, and Plaintiffs eyes were red and watery. Officer Desjardins did not conduct a field sobriety test, either before or after the arrest, to ascertain whether the Plaintiff was, indeed, under the influence of alcohol.

DEFENDANTS’ MOTIONS TO DISMISS COMPLAINT

A complaint should not be dismissed for failure to state a claim unless it appears beyond doubt that Plaintiff can prove no set of facts that would entitle him to relief. Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 45-46, 78 S.Ct. 99, 101-02, 2 L.Ed.2d 80 (1957). A trial court, in ruling on a motion to dismiss, is required to view the complaint in the light most favorable to the plaintiff. Scheuer v. Rhodes, 416 U.S. 232, 94 S.Ct. 1683, 40 L.Ed.2d 90 (1974).

The Defendants filed motions to dismiss Plaintiffs third amended complaint on January 25, 1993 and March 2, 1993. The Court does find the third amended complaint, caption title, COUNT III — § 1983 CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATION (MATTHEW DESJARDINS) confusing. It should be read in accordance with Plaintiffs response, filed March 8, 1992, to Defendant motion as follows: “COUNT III — CITY’S NEGLIGENT SUPERVISION”. Aside from this nominal correction, the Court finds that Plaintiff has sufficiently alleged facts and elements of law necessary to sustain his complaint; and accordingly, the Defendants’ motions to dismiss are DENIED.

STANDARD FOR MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

In the complete absence of genuine issues of material fact to support the allegations of a plaintiff, the defendant is entitled to summary judgment as a matter of law. *382 Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). The Eleventh Circuit clearly holds that the party moving for summary judgment bears the initial burden of showing the lack of a genuine issue of material fact. Goree v. Winnebago Industries, Inc., 958 F.2d 1537 (11th Cir.1992) (citing Celotex Corp. v. Catrett). All doubt as to the existence of a genuine issue of material fact must be resolved against the moving party without first weighing the probative value of the evidence. Hayden v. First National Bank of Mt. Pleasant, 595 F.2d 994 (5th Cir.1979); Gerber v. Longboat Harbor North Condominium, Inc., 757 F.Supp. 1339 (M.D.Fla.1991). Factual disputes preclude summary judgment. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett. A motion for judgment on the pleadings shall be treated as. one for summary judgment. Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(c).

DEFENDANT DESJARDINS’ MOTION FOR JUDGMENT ON THE PLEADINGS

Defendant Desjardins filed a motion for judgment on the pleadings on April 6, 1993, asserting that a negligent arrest is insufficient to sustain a Section 1983 claim. In support of his motion the Defendant cites Daniels v. Williams, 474 U.S. 327, 106 S.Ct. 662, 88 L.Ed.2d 662 (1986) (negligence is not sufficient to give rise to a Section 1983 claim based upon a deprivation of due process) and Davidson v. Cannon, 474 U.S. 344

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Bluebook (online)
829 F. Supp. 377, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10534, 1993 WL 287397, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mahon-v-city-of-largo-fla-flmd-1993.