Paulin v. Figlia

916 F. Supp. 2d 524, 2013 WL 120167, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4292
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedJanuary 10, 2013
DocketNo. 11 CV 9634 VB
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 916 F. Supp. 2d 524 (Paulin v. Figlia) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Paulin v. Figlia, 916 F. Supp. 2d 524, 2013 WL 120167, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4292 (S.D.N.Y. 2013).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION

BRICCETTI, District Judge.

Plaintiff Rakim Paulin, proceeding pro se, brings various Section 1983 claims alleging violations of his constitutional rights, arising from an arrest and subsequent events that occurred on January 9, 2009.

Specifically, plaintiff alleges (1) City of Beacon police officers Joseph Conti and Thomas Figlia falsely arrested plaintiff; (2) Conti and Figlia used excessive force in effecting plaintiffs arrest; (3) Figlia used excessive force after plaintiffs arrest; (4) Figlia unreasonably strip searched plaintiff, without probable cause, during intake at the Beacon Police Department; (5) Figlia and Sergeant Gary Fredericks denied plaintiff medical care after his arrest; (6) Conti, Figlia, and Fredericks maliciously prosecuted plaintiff; (7) Fredericks is subject to supervisory liability for Conti’s and Figlia’s conduct; and (8) Conti, Figlia, and Fredericks engaged in a criminal conspiracy, under 18 U.S.C. §§ 241-42.

Defendants move to dismiss all claims in plaintiffs amended complaint, except his excessive force claims against Figlia. (Doc. # 19).

Defendants’ motion is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part.

The Court has jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1331.

BACKGROUND

For purposes of ruling on the motion to dismiss, the Court accepts all well-pleaded allegations of the amended complaint as true. The Court does not consider the arrest report of January 9, 2009, on a [529]*529motion to dismiss because plaintiff did not rely on it in preparing the amended complaint. See Chambers v. Time Warner, 282 F.3d 147, 152-53 & n. 3 (2d Cir.2002).

According to the amended complaint, on January 9, 2009, at approximately 1000 a.m., Figlia and Conti stopped a vehicle being driven by Kimberly Lent. Plaintiff had been asleep in the rear seat of Lent’s vehicle, and woke up at some point during the stop. Once plaintiff observed the officers arresting Lent, he “exited the vehicle and began to walk away.”

Figlia pursued plaintiff, without saying anything, and knocked him to the ground. There, Figlia “immediately jumped on plaintiffs back, and began to beat the plaintiff about the ribs, head and back multiple times,” while Conti held plaintiffs legs. After the officers secured plaintiff in handcuffs, plaintiff asserts Conti “punched [him] in the ribs and back several times” while Figlia twice “banged plaintiffs head on the [sidewalk curb,] ... scraped it along the ground,” and placed plaintiff in an arm-choke hold until plaintiff lost consciousness.

Once plaintiff came to, the officers placed him in Figlia’s squad car and departed for the Beacon police station. During the trip, plaintiff requested medical attention from Figlia “due to being beat[en], manhandled, daze[d], and confused.” Figlia told plaintiff to “shut the fuck-up” and continued driving. Upon arriving at the station, plaintiff again requested medical attention from Figlia and other officers, including Fredericks, whom plaintiff “recognized” as the shift supervisor. After plaintiff told Fredericks about the pain in his ribs, back, and head, Fredericks “observed” plaintiffs external injuries and told him medical care would be provided at the Dutchess County Jail.

A short time later, Figlia escorted plaintiff to a holding cell. There, plaintiff alleges Figlia “punched [him] in the face and threatened [him] not to ask for any medical attention.” Figlia then commenced a strip search of plaintiff, directing him to “bend over so [Figlia] could view the inside of plaintiffs rectum.” After the search, Figlia instructed plaintiff to remain quiet and lay down on a bench in the holding cell. Soon after, plaintiff “ ‘threw up’ and began to experience dizziness coupled with severe pain and disorientation.” He sought medical attention from “various other officers,” but they either denied his requests or told him he would receive care at the Dutchess County Jail.

Plaintiff was transferred to the jail approximately ten hours later. A nurse assessed his injuries, gave him “pain medication, [an] ice pack, bandaids, and A & D ointment,” and scheduled plaintiff to see a doctor at the facility. After various tests, plaintiff avers the incident left him with a permanent back injury, a permanent lump on his head, chronic headaches, and periods of dizziness. For these symptoms, plaintiff takes ibuprofen, cyclobenzaprine, and meclizine daily.1

Plaintiff was subsequently charged with obstruction of governmental administration, criminal impersonation, and resisting arrest. On April 9, 2009, all charges were dismissed in the interest of justice.

[530]*530On December 15, 2011, plaintiff filed a complaint against Figlia, Fredericks, and a “John Doe” defendant. After the Court ordered the City of Beacon to identify the “John Doe” defendant, plaintiff amended his complaint to name Conti instead of “John Doe.”

DISCUSSION

I. Standard of Review

The function of a motion to dismiss is “merely to assess the legal feasibility of the complaint, not to assay the weight of the evidence which might be offered in support thereof.” Ryder Energy Distrib. v. Merrill Lynch Commodities, Inc., 748 F.2d 774, 779 (2d Cir.1984) (internal quotation marks omitted). In deciding a motion to dismiss pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), the Court evaluates the sufficiency of the amended complaint under the “two-pronged approach” suggested by the Supreme Court in Ashcroft v. Iqbal. See 556 U.S. 662, 679, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009). First, “[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements,” are not entitled to the assumption of truth and are thus not sufficient to withstand a motion to dismiss. Id. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937; Hayden v. Paterson, 594 F.3d 150, 161 (2d Cir.2010). Second, “[w]hen there are well-pleaded factual allegations, a court should assume their veracity and then determine whether they plausibly give rise to an entitlement to relief.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 679, 129 S.Ct. 1937.

To survive a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss, the allegations in the amended complaint must meet a standard of “plausibility.” Id. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937; Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 564, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007). A claim is facially plausible “when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937. “The plausibility standard is not akin to a ‘probability requirement,’ but it asks for more than a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully.” Id. (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. at 556, 127 S.Ct. 1955).

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Bluebook (online)
916 F. Supp. 2d 524, 2013 WL 120167, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4292, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/paulin-v-figlia-nysd-2013.