YOUNG v. CASTEN

CourtDistrict Court, D. New Jersey
DecidedSeptember 2, 2025
Docket3:25-cv-14857
StatusUnknown

This text of YOUNG v. CASTEN (YOUNG v. CASTEN) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. New Jersey primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
YOUNG v. CASTEN, (D.N.J. 2025).

Opinion

NOT FOR PUBLICATION

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY

ANDREW YOUNG, Plaintiff, Civil Action No. 25-14857 (RK) IBD) v. HON. KIMBERLY S. CASTEN, in her MEMORANDUM ORDER individual capacity, Defendant. KIRSCH, District Judge THIS MATTER comes before the Court upon an application to proceed in forma pauperis, (“IFP,” ECF No. 1-2)!, filed by pro se Plaintiff Andrew Young (“Plaintiff”), along with a Complaint, (“Compl.,” ECF No. 5). Plaintiff has also filed two ex parte Emergency Motions seeking the same relief as that in his Complaint. (ECF Nos. 4, 6.) For the reasons set forth below, the Court DENIES Plaintiff's application to proceed in forma pauperis, DISMISSES the Complaint, and DENIES Plaintiff's two Emergency Motions. I. BACKGROUND Plaintiff has brought suit against the Honorable Kimberly S. Casten, J.S.C. (“Judge Casten’’)—-who is presiding over ongoing state court domestic violence litigation between Plaintiff and his wife—for a litany of purported constitutional violations he believes have occurred throughout the litigation. See Rosemarie Tupper v. Andrew Young, No. FV-15-000212-26 (N.J.

' Plaintiff filed his initial pleading and in forma pauperis application on August 22, 2025. (ECF No. 1, 1- 2.) On August 27, 2025, Plaintiff re-filed an identical in forma pauperis application seeking an “immediate decision” on his application. (ECF No. 8.) * Prior to this Court screening Plaintiff’s original pleading pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a), Plaintiff filed an amended pleading on August 26, 2025. ECF No. 5.) The Court will treat the amended pleading as the operative Complaint in this case for screening purposes.

Super. Ct., Ch. Div.) (the “DV Litigation’). Of most concern to Plaintiff, a Temporary Restraining Order (the “State TRO”) was entered against him on August 4, 2025 which barred Plaintiff from accessing his family’s home in Manahawkin, New Jersey.* (Compl. §{{ 12-13, 30; ECF No. 1-6 at 3 (State TRO signed by the Honorable Charles Bauer, J.S.C.).) The State TRO also precluded Plaintiff from accessing his “Cavalier Kennels” dog breeding business, which appears to operate out of the Manahawkin home.* (Compl. {ff 12, 31.) Subsequent to the issuance of the State TRO, it appears Judge Casten has been responsible for granting continuances to Plaintiff's wife prior to the Final Restraining Order Hearing, which Plaintiff alleges has unconstitutionally prolonged the State TRO’s restrictions.° (Compl. □□□ 27-29; see, e.g., ECF No. 1-6 at 12-13.) Plaintiff takes issue with at least eight aspects of his still-ongoing DV Litigation. First, Plaintiff alleges that his wife has vacated the Manahawkin home and thus the State TRO precluding him from entering the home serves no purpose. (Compl. {| 15-18.) Second, Plaintiff contests Judge Casten’s denial of his request for appointed counsel during the DV Litigation. Ud. | 19.) Third, Plaintiff argues Judge Casten is applying an “inadequate 51% evidence standard” during

> Plaintiff attached a number of exhibits to his initial pleading which the Court has reviewed. (ECF Nos. 1- 5-1-8.) Pension Ben. Guar. Corp. v. White Consol. Indus., Inc., 998 F.2d 1192, 1196 □□□ Cir. 1993) (“[C]ourts generally consider only the allegations contained in the complaint, exhibits attached to the complaint and matters of public record.”). These exhibits are primarily comprised of filings in the DV Litigation, including the State TRO (ECF No. 1-6 at 1-5), but also include emails concerning Plaintiff’s rehomed dog and energy bills meant to demonstrate that Plaintiff's wife is no longer residing in the Manahawkin home (see ECF Nos. 1-5 (emails), 1-7 (energy bills).). addition to being precluded from accessing his dog breeding business, Plaintiff also alleges that at least one of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniels he breeds was moved to New York. (Compl. { 33.) The State TRO indicates that Plaintiff's wife rehomed this dog after Plaintiff allegedly threw the dog across a room into a wall. Ud. at 1.) The New Jersey Domestic Violence Procedures Manual indicates that adjournments may be granted for “good cause.” New Jersey Domestic Violence Procedures Manual § IV(G)@) (2022). It appears Judge Casten granted one continuance due to Plaintiff's wife being hospitalized (ECF No. 1-6 at 12) and a second continuance following a request from counsel for Plaintiff's wife (ECF No. 1-6 at 13). The Complaint also alleges that counsel for Plaintiff's wife requested a third continuance. (Compl. J 82-83.) In Plaintiff's subsequent Emergency Motion, he represents that Judge Casten granted this third continuance request. (ECF No. 6 at 2.) Plaintiff's Final Restraining Order Hearing is now set for September 8, 2025. (/d.)

the DV Litigation. Ud. { 20.) Fourth, Plaintiff complains that he cannot access “exculpatory evidence located in his marital home” due to the State TRO. Ud. J 21.) Fifth, Plaintiff argues he should have been provided notice “of federal firearm prohibitions and criminal penalties” upon the issuance of the State TRO.® (ld. J 22.) Sixth, Plaintiff takes issue with three continuances that Judge Casten has granted to Plaintiff's wife. dd. {J 23-25, 27-29.) Seventh, Plaintiff asserts that Judge Casten has provided him with no “constitutional information,” such as “how to call witnesses,” “how to use media to present evidence,” and “how to subpoena evidence.”” (Jd. { 26.) Finally, Plaintiff argues that Judge Casten has violated his constitutional equal protection rights by “appllying] different constitutional standards to domestic violence defendants than to other civil litigants.” (Id. { 38.)° The Complaint is comprised of nine counts alleging 42 U.S.C. § 1983 constitutional violations under the First, Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution (id. {{] 41-62, 71-84), as well as a violation of the Supremacy Clause (id. J] 63-66) and a claim of “bad faith enforcement” (id. J] 67-70). Plaintiff asks this Court for a variety of

° Contrary to Plaintiff's allegation, the State TRO clearly includes the aforementioned notice: Prohibition Against Possession of Weapons: You are prohibited from possessing any and all firearms or other weapons and must immediately surrender these firearms, weapons, permit(s) to carry, application(s) to purchase firearms and firearms purchaser ID card to the officer serving this Court Order. Failure to do so may result in your arrest and incarceration. INCLUDING ANY AND ALL AMMUNITION. (ECF No. 1-6 at 4.) 7 Attached to the Complaint is a pamphlet Plaintiff appears to have been provided in state court entitled “Preparing for a Domestic Violence Final Restraining Order Hearing” that provides in-depth information as to the procedure for the hearing and how Plaintiff could access additional legal resources to assist him in preparing for his case. (ECF No. 1-6 at 6-11.) The pamphlet specifically instructs: “If you have any evidence you wish to present at the hearing .. . you must contact the court prior to the hearing for instructions on providing this evidence.” (Id. at 7.) Throughout his explication of alleged constitutional violations, Plaintiff cites to a series of cases that he describes as “this Court’s precedent” and “this Court’s established constitutional standards.” (See, e.g., Compl. {J 13, 17.) The Court has been unable to locate any of these cases using traditional research methods and indeed is skeptical that any of these cited cases actually exist, let alone stand for the propositions for which they are cited.

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Bluebook (online)
YOUNG v. CASTEN, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/young-v-casten-njd-2025.