Maynard v. Kear

474 F. Supp. 794, 18 Ohio Op. 3d 274, 1979 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10905
District Court, N.D. Ohio·Decided July 19, 1979·No. C75-256·Published·Cited by 9 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

BATTISTI, Chief Judge.

Plaintiffs have presented a claim for relief pursuant to 42 U.S.C. Secs. 1983, 1985, and 1986, the Fourth, Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, and state common law. Plaintiffs are Thomas Maynard, his wife, Joyce Maynard, and the owners of the apartment building in which the Maynards resided. Defendants are North Olmsted police officers Russ King, Jr., Marion Taylor, and Raymond A. Brow, North Olmsted prosecutor Donald Albenze, the City of North Olmsted, Ohio, and Daniel Kear and Jesse T. Mathusa, who were allegedly employees or agents of the Broderick Bonding Agency, itself a defendant, located in Fair-fax, Virginia. All defendants have moved for summary judgment. Summary judgment is granted for defendants King, Taylor, Brow, Albenze, and the City of North Olmsted. Summary judgment is denied for defendants Kear, Mathusa, and Broderick Bonding Agency.

The gravamen of the complaint is that Kear and Mathusa, aided in part by the other defendants, forcibly entered the Maynards’ apartment in North Olmsted, Ohio, seized and beat Thomas Maynard, and took him forcibly to Virginia in order to secure his appearance before a Virginia court and to avoid forfeiture of a $100 bond posted by Broderick Bonding Agency for Thomas Maynard.

I. Section 1983, Fourth Amendment, and Fourteenth Amendment Claims

In order to establish a violation of 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1983, plaintiffs must establish: 1) that defendants caused plaintiff to be deprived of a right secured by the Constitution or a statute of the United States, and 2) that defendants in so doing acted under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom or usage of a State. The Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments similarly require state action. Adickes v. S. H. Kress & Co., 398 U.S. 144, 90 S.Ct. 1598, 26 L.Ed.2d 142 (1970); Cash v. Williams, 455 F.2d 1227 (6th Cir. 1972).

*798 Common law principles of conspiracy require a meeting of the minds, an understanding, an explicit or implicit agreement or concert of action to demonstrate a conspiracy. Adickes v. S. H. Kress & Co., supra; Croy v. Skinner, 410 F.Supp. 117 (N.D.Ga.1976). The pleadings and discovery material show that no such understanding or agreement was reached between the bondsmen on the one hand and the city prosecutor and city police officers on the other hand. Also, the pleadings and discovery material establish that the city prosecutor and city police officers did not themselves directly violate any Fourth or Fourteenth Amendment right of the plaintiffs. Therefore, the defendant city prosecutor and city police officers are granted summary judgment in connection with the Section 1983, Fourth Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment claims of the plaintiffs.

A. City of North Olmsted

Plaintiffs claim that the City of North Olmsted, Ohio, is liable for failure to provide police protection and is liable vicariously for the actions of the city prosecutor and police officers. In the absence of extraordinary circumstances, under Ohio law a city cannot be held liable for failure to provide police protection. Aldrich v. Youngstown, 106 Ohio St. 342, 140 N.E. 164 (1922); Smith v. Washington Court House, 124 N.E.2d 794 (Fayette County Common Pleas, 1955). The police owed no special duty to protect plaintiffs. Therefore, plaintiffs do not state a claim for relief for failure to provide police protection.

Federal law and Ohio law is clear that a city is not vicariously liable for the acts of its employees. Monell v. Department of Social Services, City of New York, 436 U.S. 658, 98 S.Ct. 2018, 56 L.Ed.2d 611 (1978); Aldrich v. Youngstown, supra. Therefore, the City of North Olmsted is entitled to summary judgment.

B. City Prosecutor

Joyce Maynard telephoned the police for assistance as Kear and Mathusa seized Thomas Maynard and prepared to take him away. After the police officers arrived, Kear and Mathusa, along with Thomas Maynard who was handcuffed in their car, were instructed to accompany the police officers to the police station. The police officer in charge, Brow, telephoned Albenze, the prosecutor, at home around 2 a.m., to explain the situation and to seek advice on whether to charge Kear and Mathusa with a crime. Brow deposition, pp. 11-12. After extensive discussion, Albenze was unable to determine a specific charge on which Kear and Mathusa could be held. Brow then called Taylor, head of the Detective Bureau. Albenze telephoned Brow after Brow talked with Taylor. Since no one could determine a specific charge against Kear and Mathusa, Albenze directed Brow to release them. Brow deposition, p. 15.

On the basis of the pleadings and discovery, it is apparent that Albenze did not act jointly with Kear and Mathusa and reached no agreement with them to deprive plaintiffs of any federal constitutional rights or to violate state law. Albenze merely advised the police officers on the applicable law concerning the situation and decided not to charge Kear and Mathusa with a crime. Therefore, plaintiffs have failed to state a claim for relief against Albenze and summary judgment is appropriate.

Albenze also is entitled to judgment as a matter of law on the basis of absolute immunity. Albenze as prosecutor acted within the scope of his duties in advising the police officers and de'ciding not to charge Kear and Mathusa with a crime. Tyler v. Ryan, 419 F.Supp. 905 (E.D.Mo. 1976); Boyd v. Huffman, 342 F.Supp. 787 (N.D.Ohio 1972). It is well established that such discretionary acts by a prosecutor must be protected from civil liability. Therefore, Albenze is absolutely immune from the plaintiffs’ claim. Imbler v. Pachtman, 424 U.S. 409, 96 S.Ct. 984, 47 L.Ed.2d 128 (1976).

C. City Police Officers

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Maynard v. Kear, 474 F. Supp. 794, 18 Ohio Op. 3d 274, 1979 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10905 (N.D. Ohio 1979).

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