MALAT v. BOROUGH OF MAGNOLIA

CourtDistrict Court, D. New Jersey
DecidedJune 28, 2021
Docket1:19-cv-14841
StatusUnknown

This text of MALAT v. BOROUGH OF MAGNOLIA (MALAT v. BOROUGH OF MAGNOLIA) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. New Jersey primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
MALAT v. BOROUGH OF MAGNOLIA, (D.N.J. 2021).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY

SAMUEL A. MALAT, 1:19-cv-14841-NLH-AMD

Plaintiff, OPINION

v.

BOROUGH OF MAGNOLIA, POLICE CHIEF ROBERT A. STETSER, POLICE LIEUTENANT J. VADURRO, NEW JERSEY MOTOR VEHICLE COMMISSION, PROSECUTOR CHERYL H. COHEN, ESQ., JOHN DOES 1 THROUGH 10,

Defendants.

APPEARANCES: SAMUEL A. MALAT 24 MCMICHAEL AVE SOMERDALE, NJ 08083

Plaintiff appearing pro se

DEAN R. WITTMAN ZELLER & WIELICZKO LLP 120 HADDONTOWNE COURT CHERRY HILL, NJ 08034

On behalf of Defendants Borough of Magnolia, Police Chief Robert A. Stetser, Police Lieutenant J. Vadurro, and Prosecutor Cheryl H. Cohen, Esq.

HILLMAN, District Judge This matter concerns claims by Plaintiff, Samuel A. Malat, appearing pro se, that Defendants violated his constitutional rights and committed state law torts arising from motor vehicle citations that ultimately led to his arrest. Previously, Defendants Borough of Magnolia, Police Chief Robert A. Stetser, Police Lieutenant J. Vadurro, and Prosecutor Cheryl H. Cohen,

Esq. (“Magnolia Defendants”) moved to dismiss Plaintiff’s complaint against them. The Court granted the motion, which was unopposed by Plaintiff, but afforded Plaintiff thirty days to file an amended complaint. With regard to Defendant New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (“MVC”), which had not appeared in the action, the Court directed Plaintiff to show cause as to why his claims against the MVC should not also be dismissed.1 Plaintiff timely filed an amended complaint. In his cover letter, Plaintiff states that the amended complaint “will also serve to show cause why the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission should not be released from the matter.” (Docket No. 6 at 1.)

In response to Plaintiff’s amended complaint, the Magnolia

1 The Court previously noted that Plaintiff filed his complaint on July 9, 2019, and the Clerk’s Office issued summonses to Plaintiff for each Defendant on that same day. All Defendants, except for Defendant Motor Vehicle Commission (“MVC”), filed their motion to dismiss on October 24, 2019. At the time the Court issued its first Opinion in this matter on May 20, 2020, the MVC had never appeared in the action, Plaintiff had failed to file proof of service for any Defendant, and Plaintiff had failed to file an opposition to Defendants’ motion or otherwise communicate with the Court since his initial filing. As set forth below, since then Plaintiff has minimally appeared in this action, he has again failed to opposed the Magnolia Defendants’ motion, and he has failed to respond substantively to the Court’s Order to Show Cause. Defendants have moved for summary judgment in their favor. Defendants argue that the amended complaint is almost identical to Plaintiff’s original complaint, and the limited additional

facts pleaded in the amended complaint do not cure any of the deficiencies identified in Plaintiff’s original complaint.2 Plaintiff has not opposed Defendants’ motion. For the reasons expressed below, the Court will grant the Magnolia Defendants’ motion for summary judgment, and dismiss Plaintiff’s claims against MVC. BACKGROUND According to Defendants’ statement of undisputed material facts (“SMF” Docket No. 9),3 Plaintiff’s New Jersey driving

2 The Magnolia Defendants explain that the First (Borough of Magnolia and its agents), Second (New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission), Third (Emotional and Physical Distress), Sixth (Fifth Amendment Violations), Seventh (Fourteenth Amendment Violations), and Ninth (Monell Violations) Counts are identical to Plaintiff’s original complaint. The Magnolia Defendants further explain that the new Fourth Count appears to be an amalgamation of the original complaint’s Fourth (Negligent Hiring) and Fifth (Fourth Amendment Violations) Counts. The Eighth Count (Violations of 1983) includes one additional clause from the previous complaint: “Plaintiff believes, and there[fore] avers that the actions of the Defendants as a direct result of Plaintiff having been defendant’s counsel on other criminal matters where both Judge McCrink (not a defendant by reason of Judicial Immunity) and Defendant Cheryl Cohen [was the municipal prosecutor] in Camden County and had interactions with Plaintiff that resulted in embarrassment and scorn directed at their fellow prosecutors.” (Docket No. 6 ¶ 62.)

3 In circumstances where a nonmoving party fails to oppose a motion for summary judgment, a court may: (1) give an opportunity to properly support or address the fact; (2) privileges were suspended on February 15, 2019, after he failed to appear at a court date in the Hamilton Township Municipal Court in Mercer County, New Jersey. (SMF ¶ 1.) On February 22,

2019, Plaintiff’s vehicle registration was suspended due to his failure to present proof of liability insurance coverage for a motor vehicle he owned at the time. (SMF ¶ 2.) By way of the same notice, he was advised that his vehicle registration privileges could be restored by paying a $100 restoration fee and presenting proof that either he had insurance for the vehicle or that he no longer owned the vehicle, in which case he would need to surrender the vehicle license plates. He was further advised at the same time that his driving privileges were scheduled to be suspended as of March 24, 2019 if he did not comply with the above referenced requirements. (SMF ¶ 2.)

consider the fact undisputed for purposes of the motion; (3) grant summary judgment if the motion and supporting materials — including the facts considered undisputed — show that the movant is entitled to it; or (4) issue any other appropriate order. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(e). Plaintiff has mostly failed to appear and pursue his claims. Although he participated in a couple of telephone status conferences, Plaintiff failed to oppose Defendants’ motion to dismiss, and even though he responded to the Court’s order of dismissal by filing an amended complaint, he then failed to appear at the initial conference held via telephone, he failed to respond to Defendants’ motion for summary judgment, and he failed to appear at the subsequent, and final, telephonic status conference. The Court additionally notes that Plaintiff relates in his amended complaint that he was a practicing attorney until April 2003. For all of these reasons, this Court will deem the facts presented in Defendants’ L. Civ. R. 56.1 statement of undisputed material facts as undisputed. While a restoration fee was paid on February 25, 2019, neither Plaintiff’s vehicle registration nor his driving privileges were immediately restored. (SMF ¶ 3.) On March 12,

2019, while his driver’s license and vehicle registration were still suspended, Plaintiff was pulled over by Lt. Joseph Vadurro of the Magnolia Police Department. (SMF ¶ 4.) As a result of that stop, Plaintiff was issued three tickets as follows: Summons Number E19- 000429 for a violation of 39:3-40, Driving with a Suspended Driver’s License; Summons Number E19-000430, for a violation of 39:5-35, Failure to Surrender a Suspended Driver’s License/License Plates on a Vehicle with a Suspended Registration; and Summons Number MC-012129, for a violation of 39:3-40.1, Driving With a Suspended Registration. (SMF ¶ 5.) On March 24, 2019, Plaintiff’s driving privileges were again suspended, consistent with the previous schedule of

suspension. This was done administratively by the NJMVC notwithstanding that his driving privileges has already been suspended by court order on February 15, 2019 and had yet to be restored as of March 12, 2019. (SMF ¶ 6.) On April 9, 2019, Plaintiff paid another restoration fee. His registration and driving privileges were then restored the same day.

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MALAT v. BOROUGH OF MAGNOLIA, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/malat-v-borough-of-magnolia-njd-2021.