Williams v. Town of White Hall, Alabama

450 F. Supp. 2d 1300, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 71906, 2006 WL 2802803
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Alabama
DecidedSeptember 29, 2006
DocketCivil Action 2:05cv700-MHT
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 450 F. Supp. 2d 1300 (Williams v. Town of White Hall, Alabama) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Williams v. Town of White Hall, Alabama, 450 F. Supp. 2d 1300, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 71906, 2006 WL 2802803 (M.D. Ala. 2006).

Opinion

OPINION

MYRON H. THOMPSON, District Judge.

Plaintiff Cedric R. Williams, who claims he was unlawfully detained during two incidents in October 2004, filed this lawsuit alleging a violation of his Fourth Amendment rights, as enforced through the Fourteenth Amendment and 42 U.S.C. § 1983, as well as asserting state-law claims for negligent supervision, false arrest and false imprisonment, outrage, and conspiracy. Williams names the following defendants: the Town of White Hall, Alabama; the White Hall Bingo Commission; Sellers Day Care, Inc.; Freedom Trail Ventures, Ltd.; and Chad Dickie. This court has original jurisdiction over the federal claims pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331 and 1343, as well as supplemental jurisdiction over the state-law claims pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1367.

This case is before the court on the defendants’ motions for summary judgment. For the reasons that follow, summary judgment will be granted.

I. STANDARD FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

Summary judgment is appropriate “if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c). Under Rule 56, the party seeking summary judgment must first inform the court of the basis for the motion, at which point the burden then shifts to the non-moving party to demonstrate why summary judgment would not be proper. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986); see also Fitzpatrick v. City of Atlanta, 2 F.3d 1112, 1115-17 (11th Cir.1993) (discussing burden-shifting under Rule 56). The non-moving party must affirmatively set forth specific facts showing a genuine issue for trial and may not rest upon the mere allegations or denials in the pleadings. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(e).

The court’s role at the summary-judgment stage is not to weigh the evidence or to determine the truth of the matter, but rather to determine only whether a genuine issue exists for trial. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 249, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). In doing so, the court must view the evidence in the light most favorable to the non-moving party and draw all reasonable inferences in favor of that party. Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 587, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986).

II. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

This ease arises out of two incidents that occurred in White Hall, Alabama, on the premises of the White Hall Gaming Center. The Gaming Center is an establishment operated by Freedom Trail pursuant to an agreement with Sellers Day Care under a license issued by the Town of White Hall and the White Hall Bingo Commission.

On October 21, 2004, Williams was a patron at the Gaming Center when he was suspected of using a counterfeit $50 bill. The Gaming Center’s security staff notified White Hall police and ejected Williams from the building. Outside the building,the police officers had Williams empty his pockets, questioned him for ten to 15 minutes, and then released him.

The next day, Williams returned to the Gaming Center, and he was again ejected from the building. This time, White Hall police officers handcuffed him and placed him in a police vehicle. Rather than for *1303 mally book him at the police station, the officers called the mayor of White Hall, John Jackson, who directed them to bring Williams to his office at town hall. The police took Williams to Mayor Jackson’s office, Williams was again required to empty his pockets, and Jackson questioned Williams for approximately 30 to 40 minutes before he was released.

Somewhat complicating matters is the fact that several individuals involved in the incidents just described play more than one role in the life of this small town. Jackson is both the mayor of White Hall and executive director of Sellers Day Care, and a number of White Hall police officers are also employed as private security officers at the Gaming Center.

III. DISCUSSION

A. Federal Claims

Williams claims that the October 21 and 22 incidents violated his search-and-seizure rights under the Fourth Amendment, as enforceable in a civil action through 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The court will begin with the § 1983 claim against the town and the commission, and subsequently discuss the § 1983 claim against the private parties. The supplemental state-law claims will be addressed last. Because Williams does not say why the liability of the town and the commission should be considered separately, the court will refer to both entities as simply the Town of White Hall or the town.

1. Town of White Hall

a.

At the outset, the court must reject the Town of White Hall’s argument that the court lacks subject-matter jurisdiction on account of Williams’s failure to file a notice of claim within six months as required under Alabama law. 1975 Ala.Code § 11-47-23. The six-month notice statute does not apply to federal § 1983 actions. Acoff v. Abston, 762 F.2d 1543, 1546 (11th Cir.1985). Accordingly, the court proceeds to the merits of the § 1983 claim.

b.

It is well established that there can be no respondeat superior liability for § 1983 claims. Monell v. Dep’t of Social Servs., 436 U.S. 658, 691, 98 S.Ct. 2018, 56 L.Ed.2d 611 (1978); Holloman v. Harland, 370 F.3d 1252, 1290 (11th Cir.2004). In other words, the named defendant in a § 1983 suit may be held liable only for that defendant’s own unconstitutional conduct, not that of subordinates or employees. Monell, 436 U.S. at 694, 98 S.Ct. 2018. Therefore, the question is whether the Town of White Hall itself violated Williams’s constitutional rights.

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Bluebook (online)
450 F. Supp. 2d 1300, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 71906, 2006 WL 2802803, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/williams-v-town-of-white-hall-alabama-almd-2006.