Patrick Jeffers v. Perry Lyons, Jr.

Filing

UNPUBLISHED PER CURIAM OPINION filed. Motion disposition in opinion--granting Motion to file an amended informal brief [999540785-2]. Originating case number: 1:14-cv-01390-AJT-TCB. Copies to all parties and the district court. [999594287]. Mailed to: Patrick Timothy Jeffers. [15-6023]

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UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

No. 15-6023

PATRICK TIMOTHY JEFFERS,
Plaintiff – Appellant,
v.
PERRY T. LYONS, JR., Police Investigator; AUSTIN MOON,
Middlesex County, Va. Police Officer; DREW BLAKE, Middlesex
County, Va. Police Officer,
Defendants - Appellees.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern
District of Virginia, at Alexandria.
Anthony J. Trenga,
District Judge. (1:14-cv-01390-AJT-TCB)

Submitted:

May 28, 2015

Decided:

June 2, 2015

Before AGEE, WYNN, and DIAZ, Circuit Judges.

Affirmed in part, vacated in part, and remanded by unpublished
per curiam opinion.

Patrick Timothy Jeffers, Appellant Pro Se.

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.

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PER CURIAM:
Patrick

Timothy

Jeffers

appeals

the

district

dismissal of his 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (2012) complaint.

court’s
Jeffers

claims on appeal that the district court erred in finding his
Fourth Amendment claim barred by collateral estoppel. 1
challenges

the

court’s

decision

not

to

exercise

jurisdiction over his state law claims.

He also

supplemental

We affirm in part,

vacate in part, and remand for further proceedings.
Jeffers

alleged

that

three

Virginia

police

officers

conducted a warrantless search of his home, which led to his
arrest for possession of child pornography.

Jeffers moved in

state court to suppress the seized evidence on Fourth Amendment
grounds.

Although

the

Virginia

court

held,

during

criminal

proceedings, that the officers should have obtained a warrant,
it denied Jeffers’ suppression motion, finding that the officers
had

acted

in

good

faith.

Jeffers

pleaded

guilty

and

is

currently serving a state prison sentence.
Jeffers
alleged

violations

Amendments,
law.

filed

and

this
of

§ 1983
the

asserting

action

Fourth,

related

seeking

Fifth,

tort

and

claims

damages

for

Fourteenth

under

Virginia

The district court determined that collateral estoppel

1

We

grant

Jeffers’

motion

brief.

2

to

file

an

amended

informal

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barred

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Jeffers’

Fourth

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Amendment

claim

because

criminal court had denied his motion to suppress.

the

state

The district

court also held that Jeffers had failed to state a Fifth or
Fourteenth Amendment claim. 2

In the absence of a federal claim,

the court declined to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over
Jeffers’ state law claims.
Although

collateral

estoppel

can

bar

a

§ 1983

plaintiff

from relitigating a Fourth Amendment claim that a state criminal
court decided against him, see Allen v. McCurry, 449 U.S. 90,
102-04

(1980),

we

look

to

Virginia

law

to

determine

preclusive effect of the Virginia court’s judgment.

the

Heck v.

Humphrey, 512 U.S. 477, 480 n.2 (1994); see 28 U.S.C. § 1738
(2012); Allen, 449 U.S. at 96.

“In Virginia, the settled rule

is that ‘a judgment of conviction or acquittal in a criminal
prosecution does not establish in a subsequent civil action the
truth of the facts on which it was rendered’ and ‘such judgment
of conviction or acquittal is not admissible in evidence’ in the
civil case.”

Selected Risks Ins. Co. v. Dean, 355 S.E.2d 579,

579 (Va. 1987) (quoting Smith v. New Dixie Lines, Inc., 111
S.E.2d 434, 438 (Va. 1959)); see also Kane v. Hargis, 987 F.2d

2

Because Jeffers does not challenge this portion of the
district court’s ruling in his amended informal brief, he has
forfeited appellate review of these claims.
See 4th Cir. R.
34(b).

3

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1005,

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1008

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(4th

Cir.

1993)

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(recognizing

this

rule);

United

States v. Turner, 933 F.2d 240, 243 n.2 (4th Cir. 1991) (same).
Because Jeffers’ criminal judgment would have no preclusive
effect in a subsequent civil matter in a Virginia court, it can
have no such effect in federal court.

Accordingly, we conclude

that the Virginia court’s denial of Jeffers’ motion to suppress
does not collaterally estop him from raising a Fourth Amendment
claim for damages in a § 1983 action.
We

therefore

Jeffers’

Fourth

proceedings.

vacate

the

Amendment

district

claim

court’s

and

remand

dismissal
for

of

further

We further vacate the dismissal of Jeffers’ state

law claims and remand for the district court’s consideration of
whether

the

appropriate.

exercise

of

supplemental

jurisdiction

See 28 U.S.C. § 1367 (2012).

would

be

Finally, we affirm

the remainder of the district court’s judgment.

We dispense

with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are
adequately

presented

in

the

materials

before

this

court

and

argument would not aid the decisional process.
AFFIRMED IN PART,
VACATED IN PART,
AND REMANDED

4