Spriestersbach v. State of Hawaii

District Court, D. Hawaii·Decided September 10, 2024·No. 1:21-cv-00456·Unknown

Opinion

ppUNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

DISTRICT OF HAWAII

JOSHUA SPRIESTERSBACH, CIV. NO. 21-00456 LEK-RT

Plaintiff,

vs.

STATE OF HAWAII, CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU, OFFICER ABRAHAM K. BRUHN, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC DEFENDER, NIETZSCHE LYNN TOLAN, MICHELLE MURAOKA, LESLIE MALOIAN, JACQUELINE ESSER, JASON BAKER, MERLINDA GARMA, SETH PATEK, DR. JOHN COMPTON, DR. MELISSA VARGO, DR. SHARON TISZA, HAWAII STATE HOSPITAL, DR. ALLISON GARRETT, JOHN/JANE DOES 1-20,

Defendants.

ORDER GRANTING THE PD DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR PARTIAL DISMISSAL OF PLAINTIFF JOSHUA SPRIESTERSBACH’S THIRD AMENDED COMPLAINT FILED ON AUGUST 19, 2024 AND ORDERING PLAINTIFF’S COUNSEL TO SHOW CAUSE WHY THEY SHOULD NOT BE SANCTIONED

On August 30, 2024, Defendants Office of the Public Defender (“OPD”), Nietzsche Lynn Tolan, Michele Muraoka, Lesley Maloian, Jason Baker, and Seth Patek (collectively “PD Defendants”) filed their Motion for Partial Dismissal of Plaintiff Joshua Spriestersbach’s Third Amended Complaint Filed on August 19, 2024 (“Motion”). [Dkt. no. 558.] Plaintiff Joshua Spriestersbach (“Spriestersbach” or “Plaintiff”) filed a statement of non-opposition to the Motion (“Response”) on September 3, 2024. [Dkt. no. 559.] This Court finds the Motion suitable for disposition without a hearing pursuant to Rule LR7.1(c) of the Local Rules of Practice for the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii (“Local Rules”). The PD Defendants’ Motion is hereby granted insofar as

Spriestersbach’s legal malpractice claim against OPD is stricken. Further, Spriestersbach’s counsel are ordered to show cause why they should not be sanctioned for their willful violation of this Court’s prior orders regarding the legal malpractice claim against OPD. BACKGROUND Spriestersbach filed his original Complaint on November 21, 2021, and he filed his First Amended Complaint on October 18, 2023. [Dkt. nos. 1, 250.] Spriestersbach’s legal malpractice claim against OPD was dismissed with prejudice in the instant case, but without prejudice to an attempt to assert the claim in state court. See Order Granting in Part and Denying

in Part the PD Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff Joshua Spriestersbach’s First Amended Complaint Filed on October 18, 2023, filed 3/15/24 (dkt. no. 351) (“3/15/24 PD Defendants Order”), at 12.1

1 The 3/15/24 PD Defendants Order is also available at 2024 WL 1142830. On March 29, 2024, Spriestersbach filed his Second Amended Complaint. [Dkt. no. 362.] The Second Amended Complaint included a legal malpractice claim against all of the PD Defendants. See id. at ¶¶ 346-53. This Court struck the portion of the legal malpractice claim alleged against OPD, citing the

3/15/24 PD Defendants Order. See Minute Order - EO: Court Order Granting in Part and Denying in Part the PD Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff Joshua Spriestersbach’s Second Amended Complaint Filed on March 29, 2024, filed 4/22/24 (dkt. no. 388) (“4/22/24 EO”), at PageID.4946. The PD Defendants’ motion for judgment on the pleadings or for summary judgment, [filed 5/28/24 (dkt. no. 455),] which addresses the Second Amended Complaint, remains pending before this Court and is not affected by the instant Order. On July 19, 2024, Spriestersbach was granted leave to file a third amended complaint. See Order Granting in Part and Denying in Part the State Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss or in

the Alternative for Judgment on the Pleadings, filed 7/19/24 (dkt. no. 518) (“7/19/24 Order”), at 24.2 Spriestersbach filed his Third Amended Complaint on August 19, 2024. [Dkt. no. 551.]

2 The 7/19/24 Order is also available at 2024 WL 3488365. Spriestersbach’s Third Amended Complaint again alleges a legal malpractice claim against all of the PD Defendants.3 See Third Amended Complaint at ¶¶ 347-54. In the instant Motion, the PD Defendants ask this Court to dismiss the Third Amended Complaint’s legal malpractice claim against OPD because, in

light of this Court’s prior orders, that claim fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. See Motion, Mem. in Supp. at 8. DISCUSSION It is undisputed that Spriestersbach’s legal malpractice claim against OPD has been dismissed with prejudice in the instant case. See 3/15/24 PD Defendants Order, 2024 WL 1142830, at *5. Spriestersbach states the inclusion of that claim in the Third Amended Complaint was not intended to be a request for reconsideration of the dismissal.4 See Response at 1.

3 The 7/19/24 Order also permitted Spriestersbach to file a motion seeking an amendment of the scheduling order and seeking leave to file a fourth amended complaint. See 7/19/24 Order, 2024 WL 3488365, at *8. On July 29, 2024, Spriestersbach filed the motion permitted by the 7/19/24 Order (“Motion to Amend”). [Dkt. no. 531.] The Proposed Fourth Amended Complaint submitted with the Motion to Amend also includes a legal malpractice claim against all of the PD Defendants. See id., Exh. 2 (Proposed Fourth Amended Complaint) at ¶¶ 326-33. 4 Even if Spriestersbach’s inclusion of a legal malpractice claim against OPD in the Third Amended Complaint was an attempt to seek reconsideration of the dismissal of the claim, the attempt would be improper and untimely. A motion for reconsideration based on “[m]anifest error of law or fact” had to be filed within fourteen days after the 3/15/24 PD Defendants (. . . continued) This Court therefore grants the PD Defendants’ Motion insofar as Spriestersbach’s legal malpractice claim against OPD is stricken from the Third Amended Complaint. Although the Motion does not request sanctions, this Court sua sponte considers whether an award of sanctions is

warranted under the circumstances presented here. “Federal courts possess certain ‘inherent powers,’ not conferred by rule or statute, ‘to manage their own affairs so as to achieve the orderly and expeditious disposition of cases.’” Goodyear [Tire & Rubber Co. v. Haeger, 581 U.S. 101, 107], 137 S. Ct. [1178,] 1186 [(2017)] (quoting Link v. Wabash R. Co., 370 U.S. 626, 630–31, 82 S. Ct. 1386, 8 L. Ed. 2d 734 (1962)). “That authority includes ‘the ability to fashion an appropriate sanction for conduct which abuses the judicial process.’” Id. (quoting Chambers [v. NASCO, Inc.], 501 U.S. [32,] 44–45, 111 S. Ct. 2123 [(1991)]). . . .

Am. Unites for Kids v. Rousseau, 985 F.3d 1075, 1088 (9th Cir. 2021). The possible sanctions include dismissal, the exclusion of witnesses or other evidence, an award of attorney’s fees, and/or a fine. Id. “To protect against abuse and to ensure parties receive due process, individuals subject to sanction are afforded procedural protections, the nature of which varies depending upon the violation, and the type and magnitude of the sanction.” F.J. Hanshaw [Enters., Inc. v. Emerald River Dev., Inc.], 244 F.3d [1128,] 1137 [(9th Cir. 2001)]. “The more punitive the nature of the sanction, the greater the protection to which an individual is entitled.” Id. Thus, when a court

order was issued. See Local Rule LR60.1(c). In short, there is no justifiable basis to include this claim. is considering using its inherent authority to impose sanctions, the first step is to determine whether the potential sanctions that may be imposed are compensatory, punitive, or both. The answer to this question will affect both the procedural requirements and the substantive limitations that apply.

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