Marvasi v. Shorty

70 F.R.D. 14, 1976 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17129
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedJanuary 19, 1976
DocketCiv. A. No. 73-2860
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 70 F.R.D. 14 (Marvasi v. Shorty) 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
Marvasi v. Shorty, 70 F.R.D. 14, 1976 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17129 (E.D. Pa. 1976).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

BRODERICK, District Judge.

This is a civil rights action brought by Vincent Marvasi, a former member of the Philadelphia Fire Department against the following defendants in their individual and official capacities: Earl Shorty, a former police officer of the City of Philadelphia; Joseph O’Neill, Police Commissioner of the City of Philadelphia; the City of Philadelphia; Joseph Rizzo, Fire Commissioner of the City of Philadelphia; William McNulty, Personnel Officer of the Philadelphia Fire Department; Harry Kite, Deputy Fire Commissioner; Joseph Cody, Assistant Chief of the Philadelphia Fire Department; John Lawlor, Chief Surgeon of the Philadelphia Fire Department; the Philadelphia Civil Service Commission (Civil Service Commission); George Bucher, Leonard Ettinger and Harrison Trapp, Commissioners of the Civil Service Commission; Frank Rizzo, Mayor of the City of Philadelphia; and Hillel Levinson, Managing Director of the City of Philadelphia. The plaintiff seeks damages and declaratory and injunctive relief under 42 U.S.C. §§ 1983, 1985 and 1988, and 28 U.S.C. §§ 2201 and 2202 asserting jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331 and 1343. Plaintiff further invokes the pendent jurisdiction of this Court to consider claims arising under state and municipal law, and asserts the amount in controversy to be in excess of $10,000.00. The plaintiff in his original complaint alleges that on June 28, 1972 he was stopped while driving his car by a policeman, defendant Shorty, taken to the 17th Police District and, without provocation or justification, was beaten by defendant Shorty while confined in a small, locked room, causing severe injuries. Plaintiff was on duty and in uniform at the time and was returning to his firehouse with sandwiches he had purchased for several of the firemen, allegedly with the permission of his commanding officer.

The plaintiff alleges that he was unable to work for six months as a result of the beating. Plaintiff further alleges that in connection with said beating, defendant Shorty was suspended from the police force for thirty days after a hearing before the Police Board of Inquiry and convicted of aggravated assault and battery in the Municipal Court of Phila[17]*17delphia. It is also alleged that this beating was the culmination of an incident which occurred on January 1, 1972, involving defendant Shorty, the plaintiff and other firemen concerning which the Police Board of Inquiry held a hearing in March of 1972 at which the plaintiff testified. In connection with the January 1, 1972 incident, the defendant Shorty was suspended for five days. On December 19, 1973, the plaintiff filed the original complaint in this action solely against the defendant Shorty, Commissioner O’Neill and the City of Philadelphia. The plaintiff amended his original complaint adding the additional defendants and alleging that all the defendants conspired to and did in fact deprive him of his fireman’s pension and medical benefits and ultimately fired him as an act of retaliation for the filing of the original complaint in this lawsuit.

Presently before this Court are motions for summary judgment filed by the City of Philadelphia and Commissioner O’Neill and a motion to dismiss filed by all the other defendants, except Shorty. We will consider each motion separately.

1. Motion of the City for Summary Judgment.

The plaintiff is seeking relief against the City of Philadelphia for an alleged deprivation of his constitutional rights and jurisdiction is asserted against the City pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1343 and 28 U.S.C. § 1331. This claim is predicated on the alleged arrest and beating of the plaintiff by an employee of the City, defendant Shorty, and the alleged discontinuance of the plaintiff’s pension and medical benefits and his firing. The plaintiff is also seeking relief against the City on the basis of pendent state law claims. It would appear that the pendent state law claims against the City consist of the following: an action against the City based on the doctrine of respondeat superior, for the actions of policeman Shorty; an action against the City for negligence in failing to take necessary reasonable protective or precautionary measures for the plaintiff’s safety with regard to defendant Shorty’s conduct; and an action against the City for the denial of plaintiff’s pension and medical benefits in violation of Pennsylvania law. The City has moved for summary judgment on the claims set forth in the plaintiff’s original complaint only.

The primary purpose of a motion for summary judgment under Rule 56 is to avoid a useless trial. 6 Moore’s Federal Practice ¶ 56.02[10], Functionally, the theory underlying a motion for summary judgment is essentially the same as a motion for directed verdict. The crux of both motions is that there is no genuine issue of material fact to be determined by the trier of the facts, and that on the law applicable to the evidence presented, the movant is entitled to judgment. The party moving for summary judgment has the burden of demonstrating that no genuine issue exists as to any material fact, and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. In this case the City does not take the position that there is “no genuine issue as to any material fact.” The City bottoms its motion for summary judgment solely on the basis of the pleadings. A motion for summary judgment “may be made solely on the pleadings” and if this is done “it is functionally the same as a motion to dismiss or a motion for judgment on the pleadings.” 6 Moore’s Federal Practice ¶ 56.02[3]. Therefore, the City’s motion will be treated as the equivalent of a motion to dismiss. In re Penn Central Securities Litigation, 347 F.Supp. 1327 (E.D.Pa.1972).

The City contends that this Court does not have jurisdiction over it. Although a City may not be sued under § 1983 since it is not a “person” within the meaning of that section, a City is subject to suit pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1331. City of Kenosha v. Bruno, 412 U.S. 507, 93 S.Ct. 2222, 37 L.Ed.2d 109 (1973). The plaintiff in this case has [18]*18sued the City pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1331 and has alleged the requisite $10,000.00 jurisdictional amount together with a substantial federal question. Therefore, this Court has jurisdiction over the City pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1331

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Bluebook (online)
70 F.R.D. 14, 1976 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17129, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/marvasi-v-shorty-paed-1976.