Robinson v. Allstate

584 F. Supp. 2d 617, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 90438, 2008 WL 4823608
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. New York
DecidedNovember 6, 2008
Docket07-CV-6431L
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 584 F. Supp. 2d 617 (Robinson v. Allstate) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Robinson v. Allstate, 584 F. Supp. 2d 617, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 90438, 2008 WL 4823608 (W.D.N.Y. 2008).

Opinion

DECISION AND ORDER

DAVID G. LARIMER, District Judge.

INTRODUCTION

Plaintiff David W. Robinson (“Robinson”) brings this action against the New York State Insurance Department, its Fraud Bureau (collectively the “Department”), Fraud Bureau Director Charles Bardong (“Bardong”), the County of Yates, Yates County Sheriff Ronald G. Spike, Senior Investigator Michael C. Christensen, the Village of Penn Yan (the “Village”), Penn Yan Police Chief Gene Mitchell, and Allstate Insurance Company. Robinson alleges that the defendants acted, both separately and in concert, to violate his constitutional rights with respect to an insurance claim.

*619 Defendants, the Department and Bar-dong, now move to dismiss Robinson’s claims against them, as well as codefen-dant the Village’s cross claim against them, pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. Proc. 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6). The moving defendants contend that these claims are barred by sovereign immunity, are insufficiently stated, and/or untimely. For the reasons set forth below, the Department and Bar-dong’s motion to dismiss (Dkt.# 8) is granted.

FACTS

Plaintiffs allegations are lengthy and complicated, and will not be fully set forth here. As relevant to the instant motion, the gravamen of plaintiffs claims is that after a barn housing plaintiffs valuable motorcycle collection was destroyed by fire, the moving defendants acted in concert with the local government, sheriffs department and plaintiffs insurance company to violate plaintiffs constitutional rights by using improper and even criminal investigative tactics, and ultimately effecting the denial of insurance coverage on the loss.

DISCUSSION

I. Standard on Motions to Dismiss Pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. Proc. 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6)

In considering a motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. Proc. 12(b)(1), the Court may consider the pleadings, as well as other evidence, such as affidavits, to determine any disputed jurisdictional issues of fact. See Antares Aircraft v. Federal Republic of Nigeria, 948 F.2d 90, 96 (2d Cir.1991), vacated on other grounds, 505 U.S. 1215, 112 S.Ct. 3020, 120 L.Ed.2d 892 (1992).

In deciding a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim under Fed. R. Civ. Proc. 12(b)(6), the court’s review is limited to the complaint, as well as those documents attached to the complaint or incorporated therein by reference. See Newman & Schwartz v. Asplundh Tree Expert Co., 102 F.3d 660, 662 (2d Cir.1996). While the Court must “accept the allegations contained in the complaint as true, and draw all reasonable inferences in favor of the nonmovant,” Sheppard v. Beerman, 18 F.3d 147, 150 (2d Cir.1994), “bald assertions and conclusions of law will not suffice” to defeat a motion to dismiss. See Reddington v. Staten Island Univ. Hosp., 511 F.3d 126, 126 (2d Cir.2007). “[A] plaintiffs obligation ... requires more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do. Factual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level.” Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 127 S.Ct. 1955 at 1964-1965, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) (citations omitted). See also Ashcroft v. Dept. of Corrections, 2007 WL 1989265, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 49079 (W.D.N.Y. 2007) (discussing and applying the Twom-bly standard). Thus, where a plaintiff “ha[s] not nudged [his] claims across the line from conceivable to plausible, [his] complaint must be dismissed.” Twombly, 127 S.Ct. at 1974.

II. Plaintiffs Claims

Plaintiff alleges two causes of action against the moving defendants. Plaintiffs first cause of action, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1985 and the Fourteenth Amendment, alleges that the defendants conspired to violate plaintiffs right to equal protection by arbitrarily and maliciously singling him out for investigation and prosecution, in order to deny him the insurance proceeds to which he was entitled. Plaintiffs third cause of action and the Village’s cross claim collectively allege that the moving defendants maintained a custom and policy of investigating suspected criminal activity *620 in a manner that violated plaintiffs constitutional rights pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, and/or negligently failed to be aware that a Fraud Bureau investigator, William King, was committing crimes against plaintiff and his relatives.

These claims are subject to dismissal on multiple grounds.

With respect to the sufficiency of plaintiffs complaint, the Second Circuit has cautioned that, “complaints relying on the civil rights statutes are insufficient unless they contain some specific allegations of fact indicating a deprivation of rights, instead of a litany of general conclusions that shock but have no meaning.” Barr v. Abrams, 810 F.2d 358, 363 (2d Cir.1987).

Where, as here, a plaintiff asserts that defendants have conspired to violate his constitutional rights under 42 U.S.C. § 1985, the “[pjlaintiff must provide some factual basis supporting a meeting of the minds, such that defendants entered into an agreement, express or tacit, to achieve the unlawful end.” Webb v. Goord, 340 F.3d 105, 110 (2d Cir.2003) (internal quotations omitted). Vague or conclusory allegations of a conspiracy are insufficient. Id. See also Rodenhouse v. Palmyra-Macedon Sch. Dist., 2008 WL 2331314, *5, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43363 at *15 (W.D.N.Y.2008); Duryea v. County of Livingston, 2007 WL 1232228, *5, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30908 at *16 (W.D.N.Y.2007).

Here, plaintiffs first cause of action does not allege any acts by the Department, “the Fraud Bureau or Bardong which would support the alleged meeting of the minds” between them and/or the other defendants. Plaintiffs allegations of a conspiracy between the defendants are wholly conclusory.

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584 F. Supp. 2d 617, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 90438, 2008 WL 4823608, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/robinson-v-allstate-nywd-2008.