Victoria v. City of San Diego

District Court, S.D. California·Decided September 23, 2019·No. 3:17-cv-01837·Unknown

Opinion

ARVAUNTI VICTORIA, Case No.: 17-CV-1837-AJB-NLS

Plaintiff, ORDER: v. (1) GRANTING DEFENDANTS CITY OF SAN DIEGO AND SHELLEY DUNHOFF, individually and in his ZIMMERMAN’S MOTION TO official capacity, et al. DISMISS; Defendants. (2) GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART DAVID DUNHOFF’S MOTION TO DISMISS; (3) GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART JUSTIN DISMISS;

(4) GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART J. JOHNSON’S MOTION TO DISMISS; (5) GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART TIMOTHY COYLE’S MOTION TO DISMISS;

(6) GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART ADAM GEORGE’S MOTION TO DISMISS; AND

(7) GRANTING DAVID WOLFF’S (Doc. Nos. 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56)

Pending before the Court are seven motions: (1) Defendants City of San Diego and Shelley Zimmerman’s motion to dismiss; (2) Defendant Timothy Coyle’s motion to dismiss; (3) Defendant David Dunhoff’s motion to dismiss; (4) Defendant Adam George’s motion to dismiss; (5) Defendant J. Johnson’s motion to dismiss; (6) Defendant Justin Montoya’s motion to dismiss; and (7) Defendant David Wolff’s motion to dismiss. (Doc. Nos. 50, 51 52, 53, 54, 55, and 56.) Plaintiff filed oppositions to all the motions. (Doc. Nos. 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, and 68.) As will be explained in greater detail below, and based on the arguments presented in the papers and presented at the February 13, 2019 hearing on this motion, the Court GRANTS the City of San Diego and Shelley Zimmerman’s motion to dismiss, GRANTS in part and DENIES in part David Dunhoff’s motion to dismiss, GRANTS in part and DENIES in part Justin Montoya’s motion to dismiss, GRANTS in part and DENIES in part J. Johnson’s motion to dismiss, GRANTS in part and DENIES in part Timothy Coyle’s motion to dismiss, GRANTS in part and DENIES in part Adam George’s motion to dismiss, and GRANTS David Wolff’s motion to dismiss. I. BACKGROUND1 The following allegations are taken from Plaintiff Arvaunti Victoria’s third amended complaint (“TAC”). (Doc. No. 46.) This complaint arises out of a traffic stop on September 9, 2016. On September 9, 2016, Plaintiff was riding his motorcycle near Miramar and

1 The following allegations are taken from the TAC and are construed as true for the limited purpose of Kearney Mesa Roads. (Doc. No. 46 ¶ 16.) Despite not having a decibel meter, the officers claimed they stopped Plaintiff for having loud pipes and no license plate. (Id.) On September 9, 2016, Defendant Coyle and Officer Harper were surveilling the Off Base Bar for an assault that occurred on September 4, 2016. (Id. ¶¶ 16, 17.) The officers observed Plaintiff arrive on a motorcycle and don a vest containing the emblem of the “Chosen Few.” (Id. ¶ 18.) When Plaintiff left the bar, the officers followed him. (Id. ¶ 19.) Defendants George and Johnson pulled over Plaintiff. (Id.) Defendant George informed Plaintiff that the reason for the stop was that Plaintiff had loud pipes. (Id.) Then either Defendant George or Defendant Johnson noticed Plaintiff’s motorcycle did not have a license plate or a registration tag. (Id.) Plaintiff explained to the officers that the pipes were stock pipes and complied with all California emissions and volume standards. (Id. ¶ 20.) None of the six defendant officers had a decibel meter or any type of device that would measure the sound of the exhaust pipes. (Id. ¶ 21.) After the initial stop, several more officers appeared. (Id. ¶ 22.) Defendant Montoya conducted a search of Plaintiff’s saddlebags by stating the search could be done “the easy way or the hard way.” (Id.) After that comment, Plaintiff consented to the search. (Id.) Defendants Coyle and Johnson conducted the search. (Id.) One of the officers discovered the vest for the “Chosen Few.” (Id.) Plaintiff was also wearing several large rings on his hand. (Id. ¶ 23.) Plaintiff was then arrested and charged with possession of metal knuckles. (Id.) Plaintiff’s cell phone was also seized. (Id. ¶ 24.) Defendant Montoya demanded Plaintiff provide him with the password for the phone. (Id.) Defendant Montoya told Plaintiff that if he did not provide the cell phone password Defendant Montoya would order Plaintiff’s motorcycle impounded. (Id.) After this statement, Plaintiff provided Defendant Montoya with his cell phone password. (Id.) However, Defendant Montoya was unable to unlock the phone and ordered the motorcycle to be impounded. (Id.) Plaintiff was then placed in a police car to be transported to jail. (Id.) On the way to jail, Defendant Dunhoff gave Plaintiff “a second chance” to unlock his phone. (Id.) Defendant Dunhoff stated that if Plaintiff provided Defendant Dunhoff access to his phone, someone could pick up the motorcycle instead of it being impounded. (Id.) Plaintiff unlocked the phone himself this time. (Id.) Defendant Wolff then signed a sworn affidavit to obtain a search warrant for Plaintiff’s cell phone. (Id. ¶ 41.) Defendant Wolff was not present at Plaintiff’s arrest, but the events in the affidavit were relayed to him by Defendant Coyle. (Id.) After Plaintiff’s arrest, he paid $8,000 for bail as a result of the incident. (Id. ¶ 49.) The charges against Plaintiff were ultimately dismissed. (Id. ¶ 55.) However, Plaintiff claims he continues to suffer from mental and emotional distress from the incident. Thus, Plaintiff alleges the following causes of action: (1) violations of 42 U.S.C. § 1983— violation of his Fourth Amendment right—illegal detention against all individual Defendants; (2) false arrest against all individual Defendants; (3) illegal search against individual Defendants; (4) deliberate indifference against all Defendants; (5) deliberate indifference in regards to the purported custom and policies of the San Diego Police Department; (6) violation of the California Constitution Article I, § 13 against Defendants Coyle, Montoya, Dunhoff, Johnson, and George; (7) violation of California Civil Code § 52.1 against Defendants Montoya and Dunhoff; (8) injunctive relief pursuant to the Bane Act—California Civil Code § 52.1—against Defendants Montoya and Dunhoff; and (9) infliction of emotional distress against all individual Officer Defendants. (See generally Doc. No. 46.) Plaintiff filed his complaint on September 11, 2017. (Doc. No. 1.) On September 21, 2017, Plaintiff amended his complaint. (Doc. No. 3.) On November 17, 2017, a joint motion to amend/correct the complaint was filed, (Doc. No. 15), which was granted on November 20, 2017, (Doc. No. 16). On January 5, 2018, the two motions to dismiss were filed. (Doc. Nos. 23, 24.) On September 5, 2018, the Court granted the City Defendants’ motion to dismiss, granted in part and denied in part officer Defendants’ motion to dismiss and granted Plaintiff leave to amend. (Doc. No. 44.) On September 19, 2018, Plaintiff filed his third amended complaint (“TAC”). (Doc. No. 46.) On October 30, 2018, the seven motions to dismiss were filed. (Doc. Nos. 50, 51, 52, 53, 55, 56.) A motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6) tests the legal sufficiency of the pleadings and allows a court to dismiss a complaint upon a finding that the plaintiff has failed to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. Navarro v. Block, 250 F.3d 729, 732 (9th Cir. 2001). The court may dismiss a complaint as a matter of law for: “(1) lack of a cognizable legal theory or (2) insufficient facts under a cognizable legal claim.” SmileCare Dental Grp. v. Delta Dental Plan of Cal., Inc., 88 F.3d 780, 783 (9th Cir. 1996) (citation omitted). However, a complaint survives a motion to dismiss if it contains “enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007). Notwiths

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Victoria v. City of San Diego, (S.D. Cal. 2019).

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