Tanique, Inc. v. State Ex Rel. Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics & Dangerous Drugs

2004 OK CIV APP 73, 99 P.3d 1209, 75 O.B.A.J. 2706, 2004 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 53, 2004 WL 2158602
CourtCourt of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedAugust 31, 2004
Docket99,091
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 2004 OK CIV APP 73 (Tanique, Inc. v. State Ex Rel. Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics & Dangerous Drugs) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tanique, Inc. v. State Ex Rel. Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics & Dangerous Drugs, 2004 OK CIV APP 73, 99 P.3d 1209, 75 O.B.A.J. 2706, 2004 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 53, 2004 WL 2158602 (Okla. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

Opinion by

JOHN F. REIF, Presiding Judge.

1 This appeal arises from a suit in which Tanique, Inc., and its employee, Rob Collings, allege that state law enforcement agents violated the plaintiffs' civil rights and committed various torts in obtaining and serving a search warrant for the business premises of Tanique, Inc. The plaintiffs' claims were largely based on (1) alleged falsehoods in the affidavit for search warrant, (2) alleged false statements made by the agents to customers of Tanique, Inc., and the news media concerning the products seized from the business premises of Tanique, Inc., and (8) alleged false statements that Mr. Collins was an "owner" of Tanique, Inc. Plaintiffs admit that the products named in the search warrant were on the business premises and were seized along with twenty-three, 100-count bottles of ephedrine tablets, a precursor controlled substance.

I 2 The district attorney charged Mr. Collins alone. In the course of the criminal proceeding, Mr. Collins moved to suppress the evidence obtained in executing the search warrant on the basis of alleged falsehoods in the affidavit for search warrant. However, Mr. Collins did not pursue this challenge to the warrant and, instead, accepted a plea bargain. He pled nolo contendere to a misdemeanor charge relating to the ephedrine that was openly displayed on the business premises. Mr. Collins did not appeal the judgment and sentence entered on the nolo contendere plea, nor seek habeas corpus relief to invalidate the conviction for the alleged falsehoods in the affidavit for search warrant.

13 Citing Mr. Colling' failure to pursue direct remedies of appeal or habeas corpus to invalidate his conviction, the State of Oklahoma sought a partial summary adjudication on his civil rights claim to the extent it was based on alleged falsehoods in the affidavit for search warrant. Citing Heck v. Humphrey, 512 US. 477, 114 S.Ct. 2364, 129 L.Ed.2d 383 (1994), the State argued that an action based on 42 U.S.C. § 1983 does not lie, if it would constitute a collateral attack on a final conviction. The trial court agreed and granted the State's request for partial summary adjudication in this regard.

I 4 Thereafter, the State sought a second summary adjudication that it was immune from liability for any civil rights claims by either Tanique, Inc., or Mr. Collins, as well as for the particular tort claims pled. In response to this request for summary adjudication both Tanique, Inc., and Mr. Collins conceded that the State was immune from liability on the civil rights claims, but argued that material issues of fact precluded summary adjudication of the tort claims. The *1213 trial court granted summary adjudication in favor of the State on both the civil rights - claims and the tort claims. This appeal followed. r

5 In their petition in error, Tanique, Inc., and Mr. Collins set forth only two issues for review on appeal:

, 1. Whether trial court erred in granting Summary Judgment on Plaintiff's cause of action grounded upon 42 U.S.C. § 1988.
2. Whether the trial court erred in granting the Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment on all "state" causes of action when many substantive facts were in dispute. .

We understand the first issue to refer to the first summary adjudication that foreclosed Mr. Collins from proceeding under § 1983 to the extent that such an action would amount to a collateral attack on the validity of his conviction. We understand the second issue to refer to the second summary adjudication finding that the State had immunity on the tort causes of action pled.

I.

16 We find it unnecessary to decide the first issue because it deals with an interlocutory order that ruled Mr. Collins could not assert a civil rights claim against the State of Oklahoma as a collateral attack on, the validity of his conviction. Any question about the correctness of this interlocutory order became moot when Tanique, Inc., and Mr. Collins (1) represented to the trial court that "only [their] Fifth-Cause of Action is one predicated upon civil rights violations" and (2) conceded that "their Fifth Cause of Action against the State of Oklahoma should be dismissed."

IL.

T7 To decide the second issue concerning the propriety of the summary judgment dismissal of plaintiffs' tort causes of action, we must examine each cause of action. The propriety of the summary judgment dismissal of a particular cause of action will depend upon whether the cause of action as pled constitutes a cognizable wrong and, if so, whether the State is liable for such a wrong under the Governmental Tort Claims Act, 51 0.$.2001 §§ 151 through 200.

T8 The "First Cause of Action" was asserted by both plaintiffs. No particular wrong or cognizable tort was identified in the caption of the "First Cause of Action." However, in their response to the State's second motion for summary adjudication, the plaintiffs stated, "the First Cause of Action is predicated in Fraud not Civil Rights Violations." Plaintiffs characterized the wrong as "fraud upon the court."

T9 The second and fourth claims for relief were asserted by Rob Collins only, and seek damages for intentional infliction of emotional distress, defamation and false light publicity. The third claim for relief was asserted by Tanique, Inc., and sought damages for tortious interference with contract.. The sixth claim for relief was asserted by both | plaintiffs and alleged civil conspiracy. As previously noted, the plaintiffs agreed to the dismissal of their fifth claim for relief alleging civil rights violations.

T10 Review of these claims reveals that each asserts liability against the State of Oklahoma and the John Doe Agents individually. However, only the liability of the State of Oklahoma is at issue on appeal in light of the plaintiffs' failure to name and serve any individual agents prior to the summary judgment below and the dismissal of the John Doe agents from this suit at the initial stages of this appeal.

T11 The case of Fehring v. State Insurance Fund, 2001 OK 11, ¶ 23, 19 P.3d 276, 283, addressed the scope of liability of the State of Oklahoma under the Governmental Tort Claims Act for torts by state employees. The court noted that the Governmental Tort Claims Act affirmed the State's sovereign - immunity and waives such immunity only to the extent and in the manner provided in the Act. The court further observed that the legislature had expressly provided that the state shall not be Hable for any act or omission of an employee acting outside the scope of employment. Under the Act, to be within the seope of employment, an employee must be acting in good faith. Id.

*1214 {12 The Oklahoma Supreme Court concluded that the State incurs liability only when State employees are acting in good faith and retains immunity on a tort claim "when, in order to prevail on the particular tort claim sued upon, a plaintiff is required, as a matter of law, to show conduct on the part of a governmental employee that would mandate a determination the employee was not acting in good faith." Id. (citations omitted).

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Bluebook (online)
2004 OK CIV APP 73, 99 P.3d 1209, 75 O.B.A.J. 2706, 2004 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 53, 2004 WL 2158602, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tanique-inc-v-state-ex-rel-oklahoma-bureau-of-narcotics-dangerous-oklacivapp-2004.