Storey v. United States

629 F. Supp. 1174, 1986 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 28281
District Court, N.D. Mississippi·Decided March 12, 1986·No. No. EC-85-510-GD-D·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

DAVIDSON, District Judge.

This cause is presently before the court on the defendant’s motion to dismiss. In the case sub judice the plaintiff, Charles Storey, brought suit against the defendants Charles Garrett, a garage owner, the United States of America and an unnamed Internal Revenue Service agent. In his complaint the plaintiff alleges that in August of 1981, state officials seized a. pickup truck that the plaintiff owned and delivered it to the defendant Garrett without affording the plaintiff notice or a hearing. The complaint alleges that Garrett and the state officials entered a conspiracy that Garrett would continue to withhold the plaintiff’s truck from him without affording the plaintiff any procedural due process in violation of Title 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Storey instituted suit against the state officials in 1984. This action was subsequently settled, and the state officials abandoned any claim they had to the plaintiff’s truck.

Although the state officials abandoned their claim to the truck, the defendant Garrett still refuses to release the truck to the plaintiff. The complaint states that Garrett has asserted that he has a storage lien [1176] against the plaintiffs truck. The complaint further provides that the defendant IRS agent authorized and directed Garrett to continue to deny the plaintiff possession and use of his truck without due process. It is also alleged that the IRS agent had an agreement with Garrett that Garrett would sell the truck to satisfy his storage lien and that the IRS would then receive the proceeds from this sale to satisfy Garrett’s debt to the IRS.

In the motion to dismiss, the defendant alleges four grounds for dismissal. The defendant alleges:

1) That the court lacks jurisdiction over the subject matter of the action because the complaint fails to allege a substantial federal question;

2) That if the complaint does allege a federal question, it is barred by the statute of limitations;

3) That the complaint fails to state a claim upon which relief from this court may be granted because the United States of America has denied any claim to the truck that is the subject of this action;

4) That the court lacks jurisdiction in that no allegations have been made as to the adequacy of any state remedy.

In considering a motion to dismiss, the court must construe the allegations of the complaint liberally, and the allegations must be accepted as true in testing their sufficiency. Cruz v. Beto, 405 U.S. 319, 322, 92 S.Ct. 1079, 1081, 31 L.Ed.2d 263 (1972). A court should not dismiss a complaint unless it is apparent that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts that would entitle him to relief. Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 45-46, 78 S.Ct. 99, 101-102, 2 L.Ed.2d 80 (1957). With these guidelines in mind, the court proceeds to consider each of the grounds for dismissal alleged by the defendant.

LACK OF SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION

In considering whether the court has jurisdiction on a motion to dismiss, the court looks only to the allegations in the pleadings. In the plaintiff’s complaint, he alleges that the United States is a defendant and that a federal official conspired with the private defendant to deprive the plaintiff of constitutionally protected rights. It is settled law that a federal cause of action exists when an individual’s constitutional rights are violated by a federal official acting under color of federal authority. Bivens v. Six Unknown Federal Narcotics Agents, 403 U.S. 388, 389, 91 S.Ct. 1999, 2001, 29 L.Ed.2d 619 (1971); Shelby v. McAdory 781 F.2d 1053 (5th Cir.1986) (per curiam). Because a federal cause of action is alleged against the unnamed IRS agent, this federal district court has jurisdiction over the subject matter. 28 U.S.C. § 1331. Furthermore, this court has jurisdiction over civil actions against the United States that are founded upon the Constitution of the United States. 28 U.S.C. § 1346.

This court also has original jurisdiction over the private defendant in this case. In his complaint, the plaintiff alleges that the defendant, Garrett, a private citizen, conspired with state officials to deprive him of his property without due process of law in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1983. In 1981, the defendant and several state officials allegedly conspired to take and retain the defendant’s truck without any notice or hearing. The defendant still has control of the plaintiff’s truck. Title 42 U.S.C. § 1983 provides that: “[ejvery person” who acts “under color” of state law to deprive another of constitutional rights shall be liable in a suit for damages. In Dennis v. Sparks, 449 U.S. 24, 27-28, 101 S.Ct. 183, 186, 66 L.Ed.2d 185 (1980), the Supreme Court held that a private person may be found to act “under color of” state law when he engages in a conspiracy with a state official to deprive another of his constitutional rights. The court stated that to act under color of state law for § 1983 purposes does not require that the defendant be an officer of the state. It is enough that the defendant is a willful participant in a joint action with an agent of the state. Id. at 27, 101 S.Ct. at 186. “Private persons, jointly en[1177] gaged with state officials in the challenged action, are acting ‘under color’ of state law for purposes of § 1983 actions.” Id. at 28, 101 S.Ct. at 186; see also Adickes v. Kress & Co., 398 U.S. 144, 90 S.Ct. 1598, 26 L.Ed.2d 142 (1970). Since the plaintiff asserts that Garrett acted jointly with state officials in depriving him of his property, a federal question does exist under § 1983 and this court has jurisdiction over the matter. 28 U.S.C. § 1343. See also Lugar v. Edmonson Oil Co., 457 U.S. 922, 927 n. 6, 102 S.Ct. 2744, 2748 n. 6, 73 L.Ed.2d 482 (1982).

STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS

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Storey v. United States, 629 F. Supp. 1174, 1986 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 28281 (N.D. Miss. 1986).

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