Miller v. Gettel

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Michigan
DecidedJune 8, 2022
Docket2:21-cv-10175
StatusUnknown

This text of Miller v. Gettel (Miller v. Gettel) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Miller v. Gettel, (E.D. Mich. 2022).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN SOUTHERN DIVISION

KERRY MILLER,

Plaintiff, Case No. 21-cv-10175

v.

U.S. DISTRICT COURT JUDGE GINA GETTEL, et al., GERSHWIN A. DRAIN

Defendants. / OPINION AND ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR FED. R. CIV. P. 54(b) CERTIFICATION (ECF NO. 51) I. INTRODUCTION Plaintiff Kerry Miller initiated this civil rights action on January 26, 2021 against Defendants Sergeant Gina Gettel, former Sergeant Perry Curtis, W. Mark Fondren, Intoximeters, Inc. (“Intoximeters”), and three Doe Intoximeters employees. ECF No. 1. Miller alleges Defendants violated his due process rights by fabricating breathalyzer evidence against him, using said evidence to initiate criminal proceedings against him and obtain a guilty plea, and failing to train or supervise. Id. at PageID.2. On May 4, 2021, the Court entered a stipulated order dismissing Defendant Curtis without prejudice. ECF No. 38. Subsequently, on December 16, 2021, the 1 Court issued an Opinion and Order Granting in Part and Denying in Part Defendants Fondren and Gettel’s Motion to Dismiss (ECF No. 31) and Granting Defendant

Intoximeters’ Motion to Dismiss (ECF No. 33). ECF No. 45. Presently before the Court is Plaintiff’s Motion for Fed. R. Civ. P. 54(b) Certification (ECF No. 51). Defendant Intoximeters takes no position on Plaintiff’s

Motion. ECF No. 54. Neither do Defendants Gettel and Fondren. ECF No. 55. Accordingly, the Court concludes that oral argument will not aid in the disposition of this matter and will resolve the Motion on Plaintiff’s brief. See E.D. Mich. LR § 7.1(f)(2). For the following reasons, the Court will GRANT Plaintiff’s Motion for

Fed. R. Civ. P. 54(b) Certification (ECF No. 51). II. PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Plaintiff brings several claims. Specifically, he alleges all Defendants violated his Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights by fabricating evidence (Count I), violated his Fourteenth Amendment rights by withholding and

suppressing evidence (Count II), violated his Fourteenth Amendment rights by failing to intervene (Count III), were negligent (Count V), and engaged in fraud and misrepresentation (Count VI). ECF No. 1. He further alleges Defendants Gettel,

2 Fondren, and Intoximeters violated his Fourteenth Amendment rights by failing to train and supervise (Count IV).1 Id. at PageID.17.

In its December 16, 2021 Opinion and Order, the Court found it was “inappropriate to grant qualified immunity to the [Michigan State Police] Defendants at th[at] time.” Id. at PageID.590 (citation and internal quotation marks

omitted). The Court also found they were not entitled to governmental immunity. Id. at PageID.599. Nevertheless, the Court concluded Miller had not plausibly pleaded several claims against Defendants Fondren and Gettel that were subsequently dismissed: his Fourth Amendment fabrication of evidence (Count I),

Fourteenth Amendment failure to train and supervise (Count IV), and fraud and misrepresentation (Count VI) claim. Id. at PageID.595-97, PageID.603. Furthermore, the Court determined Miller had not plausibly pleaded that

Intoximeters is a state actor, id. at PageID.608, or owed him a duty of care, id. at PageID.611, and thus dismissed all claims as to that Defendant. Accordingly, the remaining claims in this case are fabrication of evidence in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment (Count I), withholding and suppression of evidence in

violation of the Fourteenth Amendment (Count II), failure to intervene in violation

1 Defendant Curtis was also included in this claim, but as stated supra, she was dismissed from the case in May 2021. 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment (Count III), and negligence (Count V) all brough against Defendants Gettel and Fondren.

Defendants Gettel and Fondren appealed. ECF No. 47. Miller also filed a notice of appeal, ECF No. 49, and subsequently filed the instant motion for a certificate of appealability, ECF No. 51.

Miller concedes Defendants Gettel and Fondren are permitted to take an interlocutory appeal as of right. Id. at PageID.649 (citing Mitchell v. Forsyth, 472 U.S. 511 (1985)). However, Miller argues “further advancement towards the resolution of this case, either by settlement or trial on the merits, is stalled” while

that appeal in pending. Id. Therefore, Miller requests that the Court certify its December 16, 2021 Opinion and Order as final and appealable as of right so he can also appeal the Court’s Opinion. Id. Specifically, Miller seeks to appeal the

dismissal of claims against Defendants Gettel and Fondren as well as the dismissal of Defendant Intoximeters. Id. at PageID.649-50.

III. LAW & ANALYSIS A. Legal Standard Appellate jurisdiction is generally reserved for final judgments. Buccina v. Grimsby, 889 F.3d 256, 258 (6th Cir. 2018). However, the final judgment rule

allows for certain “safety valves,” including Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 54(b). 4 Page Plus of Atlanta, Inc. v. Owl Wireless, LLC, 733 F.3d 658, 660 (6th Cir. 2013). Rule 54(b) provides in relevant part that

[w]hen an action presents more than one claim for relief . . . or when multiple parties are involved, the court may direct entry of a final judgment as to one or more, but fewer than all, claims or parties only if the court expressly determines that there is no just reason for delay.

Fed. R. Civ. P. 54(b). Accordingly, district courts may certify an issue for interlocutory appeal prior to the ultimate decision in a case. See Lowery v. Fed. Express Corp., 426 F.3d 817, 820–21 (6th Cir. 2005). In the Sixth Circuit, certification requires two steps: (1) “the district court must expressly direct the entry of final judgment as to one or more but fewer than all the claims or parties in a case[,]” and (2) “the district court must expressly determine that there is no just reason to delay appellate review.” In re Fifth Third Early Access Cash Advance Litig., 925 F.3d 265, 273 (6th Cir. 2019) (quoting Gen.

Acquisition, Inc. v. GenCorp, Inc., 23 F.3d 1022, 1026 (6th Cir. 1994)). However, “Rule 54(b) is not to be used routinely, or as a courtesy or accommodation to counsel.” Carpenter v. Liberty Ins. Corp., 850 F. App’x 351, 355 (6th Cir. 2021)

(quoting Corrosioneering, Inc. v. Thyssen Env’t Sys., Inc., 807 F.2d 1279, 1282–83 (6th Cir. 1986)). Rather, “Rule 54(b) represents an exception to ‘the historic federal policy against piecemeal appeals.’” In re Fifth Third, 925 F.3d at 273 (quoting

5 Sears, Roebuck & Co. v. Mackey, 351 U.S. 427, 438 (1956)).

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