(PS) Allen v. City of Citrus Heights Police Dept.

District Court, E.D. California·Decided October 22, 2021·No. 2:20-cv-01853·Unknown

Opinion

CRAIG DOUGLAS ALLEN, No. 2:20–cv–1853–JAM–KJN PS Plaintiff, FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON MOTION TO DISMISS v. (ECF No. 29.) CITRUS HEIGHTS POLICE DEPT., et al., Defendants. Currently pending before the undersigned1 is defendant Citrus Heights Police Department’s motion to dismiss under Rule2 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim. (ECF No. 29.) The undersigned recommends Citrus Heights’s motion be granted, and leave to amend be denied. The Section 1983 and Penal Code claims against the Citrus Heights Police Department should be dismissed with prejudice, and the court should decline supplemental jurisdiction over the Records Act claim. Additionally, the undersigned recommends the claims against all unserved defendants be dismissed—with prejudice for any Section 1983 and criminal claims, and without prejudice for any state law claims. Alongside these dismissals, the district court should deny as moot any outstanding discovery requests, and should direct the Clerk of the Court to 1 This matter was referred to the undersigned pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(A) and Local Rule 302(c)(21) for the entry of findings and recommendations. See Local Rule 304.

2 Citation to the “Rule(s)” are to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, unless otherwise noted. close this case. I. BACKGROUND3 Plaintiff is a user of an app owned by defendant MediaLab called Whisper, which allows users to communicate anonymously. (ECF No. 24 at 3.) In the past few years, defendant Bert Reed and numerous others allegedly began harassing plaintiff on Whisper. (Id. at 2.) Another defendant, Matt Jacobs, allegedly tracked plaintiff to his home via Whisper, then reported to Citrus Heights P.D. that plaintiff had kidnapped someone. (Id.) On September 14 and 15, Citrus Heights P.D. sent officers to plaintiff’s home to investigate. (Id.) The unnamed officers “gain[ed] permission” to search plaintiff’s properties and his cell phones, and detained plaintiff during the search. (Id.) In late 2020, plaintiff filed a complaint in this court, and by spring 2021 paid the filing fee. (ECF Nos. 1, 10, 11.) Plaintiff served defendant Citrus Heights Police Department, and Citrus Heights moved for a more definite statement. (See ECF No. 13.) Plaintiff opposed, and the court held a hearing by video conference on July 29, 2021.4 (ECF Nos. 15, 16, 19.) After some discussion with plaintiff, he agreed he could submit a revised complaint by the end of August to clarify his claims. Thus, court granted Citrus Heights’ motion, provided plaintiff with standards for amendment and citations to relevant case law, and advised him of his continuing duty to serve the unserved defendants and follow all Federal and Local Rules. (ECF No. 22.) Plaintiff filed his first amended complaint (“1AC”) on August 26, 2021, listing his claims against each named defendant and numerous Doe defendants. (ECF No. 24.) Thereafter, Citrus Heights moved to dismiss, and the court took the matter under submission without a hearing, per

3 The facts herein are taken from the first amended complaint (ECF No. 24.), and are construed in the light most favorable to plaintiff—the non-moving party. Faulkner v. ADT Sec. Servs., 706 F.3d 1017, 1019 (9th Cir. 2013). However, any conclusory assertions stated in the complaint are not relied upon in the court’s analysis below. See Paulsen v. CNF Inc., 559 F.3d 1061, 1071 (9th Cir. 2009) (In deciding a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, the court need not rely on “legal conclusions merely because they are cast in the form of factual allegations.”).

4 Plaintiff also filed a motion for early discovery, in order to obtain police reports related to the September 2019 encounters. (ECF No. 17.) At the July 2021 hearing, defendant Citrus Heights agreed to produce an unredacted copy of the report, and did so produce on August 10, 2021. (ECF No. 23.) Plaintiff disputes that the entire report was produced. (ECF No. 25.) Local Rules 230(c) and (g), after plaintiff failed to file opposition. (ECF Nos. 29, 30, 31.) In the 1AC, plaintiff cites to the following sources of law as against the Department: 42 U.S.C. Section 1983 (for alleged violations of his First and Fourth Amendment rights); the California Records Act; and Cal. Penal Code Sections 422 (criminal threats), 236 (false imprisonment), and 118.1 (false reporting). Citrus Heights Police Department, the only defendant to have been served, moves to dismiss all claims against it under Rule 12(b)(6) because:

1. The 1AC clearly indicates the responding officers were motivated to investigate a reported kidnapping, not plaintiff’s alleged political speech; 2. Plaintiff consented to the searches, there otherwise was exigent circumstances to do so without a warrant given the kidnapping report, and his detention was justifiable as incident to the search; 3. Though plaintiff has named the Citrus Heights Police Department, the 1AC fails to state a claim for any unconstitutional policy or custom; 4. There is no right to monetary damages for alleged violations of the Records Act—which only requires a response within 10 days and not production of all records; and 5. Private citizens have no authority to bring claims under criminal statutes.

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(PS) Allen v. City of Citrus Heights Police Dept., (E.D. Cal. 2021).

(PS) Allen v. City of Citrus Heights Police Dept. ((PS) Allen v. City of Citrus Heights Police Dept.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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