Roy v. County of Los Angeles

114 F. Supp. 3d 1030, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 93577, 2015 WL 4275391
CourtDistrict Court, C.D. California
DecidedJuly 9, 2015
DocketCase No. CV 12-09012 BRO (FFMx)
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 114 F. Supp. 3d 1030 (Roy v. County of Los Angeles) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Roy v. County of Los Angeles, 114 F. Supp. 3d 1030, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 93577, 2015 WL 4275391 (C.D. Cal. 2015).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR JUDGMENT ON THE PLEADINGS [71]

The Honorable BEVERLY REID' O’CONNELL, United States District Judge

I. INTRODUCTION

Pending before the Court is a Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings filed by Defendants County of Los Angeles (the “County”) and Sheriff Leroy D. Baca.1 (Dkt. No. 71.) Defendants seek to dismiss Plaintiffs’ third through eighth claims for relief, all of which arise under state law. After considering the papers filed in support of and in opposition to the instant, motion, the Court deems this matter appropriate for resolution without oral argument of counsel. Fed. R. Civ. P. 78; C.D. Cal. L.R. 7-15. For. the following reasons, Defendants’, motion is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part.

II. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Plaintiffs are a group of individuals who were or are currently in the custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department (the “Sheriffs Department”) and who were denied either bail or release on the basis of an immigration hold. Duncan Roy (“Mr. Roy”) is a British citizen who was allegedly detained for eighty-nine days pursuant to an immigration hold and Defendants’ subsequent refusal to allow him to post bail. (Compl. ¶ 9.) Alain Martinez-Perez (“Mr. Martinez-Perez”) is a Mexican citizen who was detained for six days after Defendants denied him bail and the.district attorney declined to file criminal charges. (Compl. ¶ 10.) Annika Alliksoo (“Ms. Alliksoo”) is an Estonian citizen who was detained for a total of. eighteen days and held for three days after a state court judge ordered her release. (Comph ¶ 11.) Clemente De La Cerda (“Mr. De La Cer-da”) is a Mexican citizen’ and a lawful permanent resident. (Compl. ¶ 12.) As of the date of filing, Mr. De La Cerda was still currently 'in the Sheriffs Department’s custody pursuant to an immigration hold. (Compl. ¶ 12.)2

Plaintiffs initiated this putative class action on behalf of themselves and others similarly situated.3 Collectively, Plaintiffs challenge the legality of the Sheriffs Department’s practice of detaining individuals [1034]*1034solely on the basis of immigration holds placed by the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”), agency. (Compl. ¶ 18.) Immigration holds essentially advise local law. enforcement agencies that the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) seeks to arrest or detain an alien in the agency’s custody. (Compl. ¶¶ 21-22.) According to Plaintiffs, 'immigration holds are voluntary administrative requests that are not accompanied by the same procedural protections as a criminal detainer or: hold. (Compl. ¶¶ 33-34.) Lor example, ICE agents may assign an immigration hold without probable cause to believe that a person is removable and without a warrant or court order authorizing a person’s deportation. (Compl. ¶¶ 26-27.) Plaintiffs allege that the Sheriff’s Department’s practice of honoring immigration holds has resulted in numerous and widespread unlawful detentions, as the issuance of an immigration hold “does not ensure that ICE will assume custody over the detainee or that ICE will take any action against the detainee.” (Compl. ¶ 37.)

Plaintiffs challenge two of the Sheriff’s Department practices related to immigration holds. First, Plaintiffs assert that the Sheriffs Department has engaged in a pattern and practice of unlawfully denying bail to inmates subject to an immigration hold, thereby preventing these individuals from securing their release pending resolution ' of the charges against them. (Compl. ¶¶ 1, 38-47.) Pursuant to . this practice, the Sheriffs Department allegedly codes the record of every individual subject to a hold with a “no bail” notation, regardless of the individual’s bail eligibility under state law. (Compl. ¶ 40.) Plaintiffs allege that the Sheriffs Department has “routinely turned away and refused to accept lawfully-tendered bail bonds from bail bondsmen,. family members and others when they attempt to lawfully post bail for an inmate.” (Compl. ¶ 41.)

Plaintiffs also contest the Sheriffs Department’s practice of detaining individuals solely on the basis of an immigration hold and beyond the time or authority permitted under state law to hold an inmate in custody.. (Compl. ¶¶ 2, 48-50.) To that end, Plaintiffs allege that the Sheriffs Department continues to detain inmates subject to immigration holds even when no charges have been filed against them, they have served their sentence, they have posted bail, they are ordered released on their own recognizance, or a jury has acquitted them. (Compl. ¶ 49.) According to Plaintiffs, ICE does not permit local law enforcement agencies to hold an alien for more than forty-eight hours beyond the time he or she would otherwise be released from custody: (Compl. If 23.) Plaintiffs allege that the Sheriff’s Department nevertheless “regularly” detains individuals beyond-this forty-eight hour time frame. (Compl. ¶ 49.)

Plaintiffs initiated this action on October 19, 2012, alleging that these two practices violate federal and California state law. (Dkt. No. 1.) Plaintiffs’ first and second claims allege Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment violations under 42 U.'S.C. § 1983. The instant, motion does not challenge these claims. ‘ Rather, Defendants seek to dismiss Plaintiffs’ third through eighth claims, all of which arise under California state law. (Dkt. No. 71.) Plaintiffs’ third and fourth claims allege violations of' the California Constitution; the fifth and seventh claims allege false imprisonment and negligence per se; and Plaintiffs’ sixth and eighth claims -allege violations of the California Government Code and California Civil Code.4 Plaintiffs [1035]*1035have opposed Defendants’ Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings, (Dkt. No. 80), and Defendants timely replied, (Dkt. No. 83).

III. LEGAL STANDARD

After the pleadings are closed but early enough not to delay trial, any party may move for judgment on the pleadings. Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(c). “A dismissal on the pleadings for failure to state a claim is proper only if ‘the movant clearly establishes that no material issue of fact remains to be resolved and that he is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.’ ” McGlinchy v. Shell Chem. Co., 845 F.2d 802, 810 (9th Cir.1988) (quoting Doleman v. Meiji Mut. Life Ins. Co., 727 F.2d 1480, 1482 (9th Cir.1984)). The standard applied to Rule 12(c) motions is fundamentally similar to that applied to Rule .12(b)(6) motions. “All allegations of fact by the party opposing the motion are accepted as true,” and the complaint is construed in the light most favorable to the non-moving party. Id. “[C]onclusory allegations without more” are insufficient to defeat a motion for judgment on the pleadings. Id.

As with Rule 12(b)(6) motions, a district, court generally may not consider material beyond the pleadings in ruling on a Rule 12(c) motion. Hal Roach Studios, Inc. v. Richard Feiner & Co., 896 F.2d 1542, 1555 n. 19 (9th Cir.1990).

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Bluebook (online)
114 F. Supp. 3d 1030, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 93577, 2015 WL 4275391, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/roy-v-county-of-los-angeles-cacd-2015.