Bagley v. Santa Clara County et al
Filing
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ORDER by Judge Lucy H. Koh Granting 40 Motion to Dismiss; Granting in Part and Denying in Part 41 Motion to Dismiss. (lhklc1, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 1/24/2017) (Additional attachment(s) added on 1/24/2017: # 1 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE) (ofr, COURT STAFF).
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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SAN JOSE DIVISION
United States District Court
Northern District of California
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LEE SCOTT BAGLEY
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Plaintiff,
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Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF
SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO
DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART
AND DENYING IN PART CITY OF
SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S
MOTION TO DISMISS
v.
CITY OF SUNNYVALE, et al.,
Defendants.
Re: Dkt. Nos. 40, 41
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Plaintiff Lee Scott Bagley (“Plaintiff”) sued the City of Sunnyvale (“Sunnyvale”), Officer
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Jeromy Lima (“Officer Lima”) (collectively, the “Sunnyvale Defendants”), and the County of
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Santa Clara (“Santa Clara”) pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for violation of Plaintiff’s constitutional
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rights. Before the Court are Santa Clara’s Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff’s First Amended
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Complaint, ECF No. 40 (“Santa Clara Mot.”), and the Sunnyvale Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss
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Plaintiff’s First Amended Complaint, ECF No. 41 (“Sunnyvale Mot.”). Having considered the
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submissions of the parties, the relevant law, and the record in this case, the Court GRANTS Santa
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Clara’s Motion to Dismiss and GRANTS IN PART and DENIES IN PART the Sunnyvale
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Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss.
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Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
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I.
BACKGROUND
A. Factual Background
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In the instant suit, Plaintiff brings claims for violation of constitutional rights under 42
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U.S.C. § 1983. Some of Plaintiff’s claims arise from the alleged actions of police officers during
Plaintiff’s arrest on December 22, 2012. The remainder of Plaintiff’s § 1983 claims involve
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alleged misconduct by government officials that occurred subsequent to Plaintiff’s arrest.
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1.
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Plaintiff’s Arrest
On December 22, 2012, Sunnyvale police officers allegedly “came to arrest [Plaintiff]
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without a warrant” at Plaintiff’s and Plaintiff’s father’s house. ECF No. 38, First Amended
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Complaint (“FAC”) ¶ 15. When the police arrived, Plaintiff allegedly called the Sunnyvale Police
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Department and was told that the police “were there to serve a bench warrant.” Id. ¶ 16. Plaintiff
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United States District Court
Northern District of California
states in the FAC that the bench warrant had been issued on the day of Plaintiff’s arrest, but
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Plaintiff alleges that the bench warrant was obtained fraudulently and that, regardless, Plaintiff
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was never shown the bench warrant at the time of the arrest. Id. ¶ 40. The bench warrant was
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issued because Plaintiff had allegedly made false 911 calls. Id. ¶¶ 42; see also Cal. Penal Code
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§ 148.3(a) (“Any individual who reports . . . that an ‘emergency’ exists, knowing that the report is
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false, is guilty of a misdemeanor . . . .”). Criminal charges were brought against Plaintiff in Santa
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Clara County Superior Court for the false 911 calls on December 3, 2012.1
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When the police arrived at Plaintiff’s home, Plaintiff’s father went outside “to see [the]
warrant,” and was allegedly “removed from his own property” by the police. FAC ¶ 17. Plaintiff
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alleges that Plaintiff told the police through the kitchen window, while the police were looking at
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Plaintiff, that Plaintiff was coming out of the house. Id. ¶ 18. Plaintiff then grabbed a sweater and
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Although Plaintiff’s FAC does not specify when charges for the false 911 calls were filed against
Plaintiff, the Court may take judicial notice of proceedings in other courts and publicly filed
documents. See United States v. Black, 482 F.3d 1035, 1041 (9th Cir. 2007) (“[Courts] may take
notice of proceedings in other courts, both within and without the federal judicial system, if those
proceedings have a direct relation to matters at issue.”). Therefore, the Court takes judicial notice
of the proceedings in Santa Clara County Superior Court Criminal Case No. B1263657, in which
charges were filed for the false 911 calls on December 3, 2012.
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Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
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was walking to the front door when the police kicked the front door in, pointed their guns at
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Plaintiff, and screamed “stop resisting, quit resisting.” Id. ¶ 20. Plaintiff allegedly dropped the
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sweater and put his hands up. Id. ¶ 22.
The police then allegedly kicked their K9 police dog in order to get the dog to attack
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Plaintiff. Id. ¶ 24. The police dog allegedly would not attack Plaintiff, so Plaintiff laid on his
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back and “gave the K9 [Plaintiff’s] arm.” Id. ¶ 26. According to the FAC, the police dog put only
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light pressure on Plaintiff’s arm. Id. While Plaintiff was laying on the ground, the officer in
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charge of the police dog still had a gun trained on Plaintiff. Id. ¶ 27. One of the officers then
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kicked Plaintiff in the ribs, and the officer in charge of the police dog kicked the police dog and
yelled at it to bite Plaintiff harder. Id. The other officers held down Plaintiff’s legs and Plaintiff’s
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United States District Court
Northern District of California
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other arm, the arm not in the police dog’s mouth. Id. ¶ 28.
Plaintiff alleges that Officer Lima then entered and checked the rest of the house to make
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sure it was clear. Id. ¶ 29. Officer Lima then allegedly stood over Plaintiff and kicked Plaintiff in
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the face 50 or 60 times. Id. ¶ 30. Officer Lima’s actions allegedly broke four bones in Plaintiff’s
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face, which included “fractures of the left maxillary sinus walls, left orbital floor, nasal bone, and
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zygomatic arch.” Id. ¶¶ 30, 32. Due to Plaintiff’s injuries, Plaintiff was transported by ambulance
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to a hospital. Id. ¶ 30. Allegedly, the Sunnyvale police officers “harassed Plaintiff in [the]
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emergency [room] at the hospital until [the] doctors threatened the Sunnyvale police that they
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would call the Mountain View police.” Id. ¶ 33.
After Plaintiff was arrested, in addition to the criminal charges for false 911 calls, criminal
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charges were brought against Plaintiff for resisting arrest on January 2, 2013.2
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Although Plaintiff’s FAC does not specify when resisting arrest charges were filed against
Plaintiff, as noted above, the Court may take judicial notice of publicly filed documents. See
Black, 482 F.3d at 1041 (“[Courts] may take notice of proceedings in other courts, both within and
without the federal judicial system, if those proceedings have a direct relation to matters at
issue.”). Therefore, the Court takes judicial notice of the complaint in Santa Clara County
Superior Court Criminal Case No. B1364096, in which charges for resisting arrest were filed on
January 2, 2013.
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Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
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2.
Falsification of Evidence
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Plaintiff alleges that Defendants falsified evidence leading up to and during the prosecution
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of Plaintiff for placing false 911 calls. First, Plaintiff alleges that the bench warrant authorizing
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the December 22, 2012 arrest of Plaintiff was insufficient because “there is no proof the warrant
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was served on the date of the incident.” FAC ¶¶ 34, 40. Additionally, Plaintiff alleges that the
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warrant falsely claimed that Plaintiff “made a false 911 call on October 1, 2012.” Id. ¶ 42.
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Second, Plaintiff alleges that the police report concerning the December 22, 2012 arrest
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falsely asserted that Plaintiff resisted arrest. Id. ¶ 84. That police report was allegedly the basis of
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resisting arrest charges filed against Plaintiff on January 2, 2013. Id. ¶ 40.
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Third, Plaintiff alleges that the Santa Clara County District Attorney, at an unspecified
United States District Court
Northern District of California
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time, falsely alleged that Plaintiff had made false 911 calls. Id. ¶ 41. Plaintiff alleges that no such
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false 911 calls were ever placed. Id.
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Finally, Plaintiff alleges that, when Plaintiff asked his public defender why the public
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defender had not performed a background check on Officer Lima, the public defender falsely
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asserted that Officer Lima was not on the scene during Plaintiff’s arrest on December 22, 2012.
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Id. ¶ 43. Additionally, Plaintiff alleges that “[t]he courts and the police said I was mistaken” about
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Officer Lima’s presence during the arrest of Plaintiff on December 22, 2012. Id. ¶ 44.
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3.
Malicious Prosecution
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Plaintiff alleges that he has been “to court numerous times” and has been subject to
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“prosecution overkill.” Id. ¶ 46. Plaintiff alleges that, at a pre-trial conference in the criminal
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proceedings, the prosecutor learned that Plaintiff was planning to sue Defendants and that the
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prosecutor “didn’t like it.” Id. ¶ 47.
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Plaintiff alleges that, while Plaintiff was out on bond and attending all court dates and
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hearings, Plaintiff was forced to be mentally evaluated for competency even though Plaintiff
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“didn’t need it.” Id. ¶ 48. Plaintiff was found incompetent to stand trial, was taken into custody,
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and served 14 months in Santa Clara County jail. Id. ¶¶ 49, 55. Plaintiff alleges that the
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Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
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incompetency proceeding was a “ruse” in order to take Plaintiff into custody, despite his
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compliance with the terms of his bond. Id. ¶ 50. Plaintiff was released from jail on March 18,
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2016. Id. ¶ 56.
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B. Procedural History
Plaintiff filed an administrative tort claim against Sunnyvale on January 13, 2016. Id.
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¶ 57–59. Plaintiff filed an administrative tort claim against Santa Clara on April 24, 2016. Id.
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¶ 58.
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On April 25, 2016, Plaintiff filed the instant suit. ECF No. 1. On May 25, 2016,
Defendant Santa Clara filed a motion to dismiss, ECF No. 14, and the Sunnyvale Defendants filed
a motion to dismiss, ECF No. 15. On June 16, 2016, Santa Clara declined Magistrate Judge
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United States District Court
Northern District of California
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jurisdiction, ECF No. 21, and on the same day, the instant case was reassigned to the undersigned
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judge, ECF No. 23.
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On August 8, 2016, the Court granted Defendants’ motions to dismiss because Plaintiff
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failed to oppose the motions to dismiss. ECF No. 31. The Court provided 30 days, which would
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be September 7, 2016, for Plaintiff to file an amended complaint. Id. After a case management
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conference, the Court extended the time for Plaintiff to file an amended complaint to September
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21, 2016. Id.
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On September 21, 2016, Plaintiff filed the operative first amended complaint. ECF No. 38
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(“FAC”). The FAC alleges various 42 U.S.C. § 1983 claims against Defendants. First, Plaintiff
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alleges unlawful entry and seizure as well as excessive force against Officer Lima alone. FAC
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¶¶ 60–76. Second, Plaintiff alleges that Sunnyvale and Santa Clara have unconstitutional
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“customs, policies, practices, and/or procedures.” Id. ¶ 77–81. Third, against all three defendants,
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Plaintiff alleges deliberate falsification of evidence and malicious prosecution. Id. ¶¶ 82–89.
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On October 11, 2016, Santa Clara filed a motion to dismiss the first amended complaint.
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ECF No. 40 (“Santa Clara Mot.”). On October 12, 2016, the Sunnyvale Defendants filed a motion
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to dismiss the first amended complaint. ECF No. 41 (“Sunnyvale Mot.”).
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Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
On November 29, 2016, Plaintiff filed an opposition to the Sunnyvale Defendants’ motion.
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ECF No. 46 (“Sunnyvale Opp’n). Plaintiff did not file an opposition to Santa Clara’s motion, but
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filed a duplicate copy of Sunnyvale’s motion. ECF No. 47. Although Plaintiff did not file with
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the Court an opposition to Santa Clara’s motion to dismiss, Santa Clara’s counsel has represented
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that an opposition was served on Santa Clara. Santa Clara has provided the Court a copy of the
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opposition. (“Santa Clara Opp’n”). Therefore, the Court considers Plaintiff’s opposition to Santa
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Clara’s motion.
On December 19, 2016, Santa Clara filed a reply. ECF No. 49 (“Santa Clara Reply”). On
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December 21, 2016, the Sunnyvale Defendants filed a reply. ECF No. 50 (“Sunnyvale Reply”).
II.
LEGAL STANDARD
United States District Court
Northern District of California
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A.
Motion to Dismiss Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6)
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Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), a defendant may move to dismiss an
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action for failure to allege “enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Bell
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Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007). “A claim has facial plausibility when the
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plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the
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defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged. The plausibility standard is not akin to a
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‘probability requirement,’ but it asks for more than a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted
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unlawfully.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (internal citations omitted). For
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purposes of ruling on a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, the Court “accept[s] factual allegations in the
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complaint as true and construe[s] the pleadings in the light most favorable to the nonmoving
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party.” Manzarek v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co., 519 F.3d 1025, 1031 (9th Cir. 2008).
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Nonetheless, the Court is not required to “‘assume the truth of legal conclusions merely
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because they are cast in the form of factual allegations.’” Fayer v. Vaughn, 649 F.3d 1061, 1064
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(9th Cir. 2011) (quoting W. Mining Council v. Watt, 643 F.2d 618, 624 (9th Cir. 1981)). Mere
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“conclusory allegations of law and unwarranted inferences are insufficient to defeat a motion to
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dismiss.” Adams v. Johnson, 355 F.3d 1179, 1183 (9th Cir. 2004); accord Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678.
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Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
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Furthermore, “‘a plaintiff may plead [him]self out of court’” if he “plead[s] facts which establish
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that he cannot prevail on his . . . claim.” Weisbuch v. Cty. of L.A., 119 F.3d 778, 783 n.1 (9th Cir.
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1997) (quoting Warzon v. Drew, 60 F.3d 1234, 1239 (7th Cir. 1995)).
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B.
Leave to Amend
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Under Rule 15(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, leave to amend “shall be freely
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granted when justice so requires,” bearing in mind “the underlying purpose of Rule 15 to facilitate
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decision on the merits, rather than on the pleadings or technicalities.” Lopez v. Smith, 203 F.3d
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1122, 1127 (9th Cir. 2000) (en banc) (ellipses omitted). Generally, leave to amend shall be denied
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only if allowing amendment would unduly prejudice the opposing party, cause undue delay, or be
futile, or if the moving party has acted in bad faith. Leadsinger, Inc. v. BMG Music Publ’g, 512
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United States District Court
Northern District of California
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F.3d 522, 532 (9th Cir. 2008).
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III.
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DISCUSSION
Plaintiff’s FAC contains five causes of action: (1) unlawful entry and seizure, (2)
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excessive force, (3) unconstitutional policies, practices, or procedures (“Monell claim”), (4)
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deliberate falsification of evidence (“Devereaux claim”), and (5) malicious prosecution. However,
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Plaintiff does not bring every cause of action against each defendant. Plaintiff brings an unlawful
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entry and seizure claim, an excessive force claim, a Devereaux claim, and a malicious prosecution
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claim against Officer Lima (causes of action 1, 2, 4, and 5). Plaintiff brings a Monell claim, a
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Devereaux claim, and the malicious prosecution claim against Sunnyvale (causes of action 3, 4,
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and 5). Finally, Plaintiff also brings a Monell claim, a Devereaux claim, and a malicious
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prosecution claim against Santa Clara.
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The Court first addresses the claims against Officer Lima, who is a Sunnyvale police
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officer and one of the Sunnyvale Defendants. The Court then addresses the claims against
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Sunnyvale, the city, and the claims against Santa Clara, the county. The Court finally addresses
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Defendants’ arguments that Plaintiff’s prayers for punitive damages and attorney’s fees should be
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dismissed.
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Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
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A.
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Plaintiff brings claims for unlawful entry and seizure, excessive force, Devereaux liability,
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Officer Lima
and malicious prosecution against Officer Lima. The Court addresses each in turn.
1.
Unlawful Entry and Seizure and Excessive Force Claims
a.
Statute of Limitations
The Sunnyvale Defendants argue that the claims for unlawful entry and seizure and
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excessive force are barred by the relevant statute of limitations. Sunnyvale Opp’n at 6–8.
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“Section 1983 does not contain its own statute of limitations.” Butler v. Nat’l Cmty. Renaissance
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of Cal., 766 F.3d 1191, 1198 (9th Cir. 2014). Instead, “federal courts apply the forum state’s
statute of limitations for personal injury actions, along with the forum state’s law regarding
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United States District Court
Northern District of California
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tolling, including equitable tolling, except to the extent any of these laws is inconsistent with
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federal law.” Id. (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). California’s statute of
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limitations for personal injury claims is two years. See Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 335.1 (“Within two
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years: An action for assault, battery, or injury to, or for the death of, an individual caused by the
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wrongful act or neglect of another.”). The Court may grant a motion to dismiss based on a statute
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of limitations if it is “apparent on the face of the complaint” that the limitations period has expired.
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Cervantes v. Countrywide Home Loans, Inc., 656 F.3d 1034, 1045 (9th Cir. 2011).
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Plaintiff bases his claim for unlawful entry and seizure and excessive force on the events
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surrounding Plaintiff’s arrest on December 22, 2012. Therefore, under California’s two-year
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statute of limitations, Plaintiff needed to file the instant suit against Officer Lima by December 22,
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2014. However, Plaintiff filed the instant suit on April 25, 2016, approximately 1.5 years after the
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expiration of the statute of limitations. Therefore, unless tolling applies, the claims for unlawful
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entry and seizure and excessive force are untimely.
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With respect to tolling, California Government Code § 945.3 states that:
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No person charged by indictment, information, complaint, or other accusatory
pleading charging a criminal offense may bring a civil action for money or
damages against a peace officer or the public entity employing a peace officer
based upon conduct of the peace officer relating to the offense for which the
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Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
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accused is charged, including an act or omission in investigating or reporting the
offense or arresting or detaining the accused, while the charges against the
accused are pending before a superior court.
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Any applicable statute of limitations for filing and prosecuting these actions shall
be tolled during the period that the charges are pending before a superior court.
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Cal. Gov’t Code § 945.3. The Ninth Circuit has held that § 945.3’s prohibition of filing suit
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during the pendency of criminal charges does not apply to § 1983 claims. Harding v. Galceran,
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889 F.2d 906, 908 (9th Cir. 1989) (finding a prohibition on filing § 1983 claims invalid under the
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Supremacy Clause). However, “section 945.3’s tolling provision may still apply to toll the
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limitations period [for § 1983 claims] while criminal actions are pending against the potential
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plaintiff.” Id. However, as described in § 945.3, tolling only applies if the civil claim “relat[es] to
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the [criminal] offense for which the accused is charged.” Cal. Gov’t Code § 945.3.
United States District Court
Northern District of California
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Here, the FAC refers to two criminal charges that are potentially related to the civil claims
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for unlawful entry and seizure and excessive force. First, Plaintiff was charged with making false
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911 calls. Second, Plaintiff was charged with resisting arrest. FAC ¶ 40, 46. The Court first
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addresses whether these two criminal charges are related to the claims for unlawful entry and
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seizure and excessive force within the meaning of § 945.3. The Court then addresses whether
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those charges were pending for a sufficient amount of time to make Plaintiff’s civil claims timely.
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For the reasons below, the Court finds that the charges for resisting arrest and the false 911
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calls are related to Plaintiff’s unlawful entry and seizure and excessive force claims. First, with
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respect to the resisting arrest charge, Plaintiff’s § 1983 claims for unlawful entry and seizure and
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excessive force are based on the events that occurred during Plaintiff’s December 22, 2012 arrest,
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and the resisting arrest charge against Plaintiff arises out of the same events. The Ninth Circuit
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has held that charges for “resisting and obstructing an officer” are related to civil claims arising
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out of the arrest in which the criminal defendant allegedly resisted, and can therefore toll the
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statute of limitations. Torres v. City of Santa Ana, 108 F.3d 224, 225 (9th Cir. 1997). As in
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Torres, the criminal charges for resisting arrest here are related to Plaintiff’s unlawful entry and
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seizure and excessive force claims and can toll the statute of limitations for the time that those
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Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
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charges were pending.
Second, the false 911 call charge is also related to the civil claim for unlawful entry and
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seizure and excessive force within the meaning of § 945.3 based on the explicit statutory language
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of § 945.3. Section 945.3 states that a civil claim is related to criminal charges where the civil
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cause of action arises from “an act or omission in . . . arresting or detaining the” party accused of
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the criminal offense. Cal. Gov’t Code § 945.3. Here, Plaintiff was arrested on December 22,
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2012 as the result of a bench warrant issued for the false 911 call offense, and Plaintiff’s civil
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claims for unlawful entry and seizure and excessive force arise from that arrest. Therefore,
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because Plaintiff’s unlawful entry and seizure and excessive force claims arise from “an act or
omission in . . . arresting” Plaintiff for the false 911 calls, the false 911 call charge is related to the
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United States District Court
Northern District of California
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unlawful entry and seizure and excessive force claims. See Hill v. City of L.A., 2009 WL
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2601250, at *4 (C.D. Cal. Aug. 21, 2009) (finding excessive force claim to be related to the crime
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for which the accused was arrested, possession of narcotics). Accordingly, the false 911 charge
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can toll the statute of limitations for the amount of time it was pending.
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The Court next turns to whether § 945.3 tolls the statute of limitations for an adequate
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amount of time. The record in the instant case does not indicate whether the charges against
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Plaintiff are still pending in the Superior Court. Nonetheless, the criminal charges may make
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Plaintiff’s claims for unlawful entry and seizure and excessive force timely if they were pending
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for a sufficient amount of time. As noted above, Plaintiff’s claims for unlawful entry and seizure
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and excessive force accrued on December 22, 2012, the day Plaintiff was arrested. The charges
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for the false 911 calls were already pending at the time of the arrest, and the charges for resisting
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arrest were filed on January 2, 2013. According to the FAC, both of these criminal charges were
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pending against Plaintiff at least until January 3, 2015 when Plaintiff was allegedly remanded to
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state court custody for mental incompetence. Thus, applying § 945.3 tolling, the two-year statute
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of limitations began to run on January 3, 2015, which means that Plaintiff needed to file his civil
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claims arising from his December 22, 2012 arrest on or before January 3, 2017. Plaintiff met this
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Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
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new deadline by filing the civil case on April 25, 2016. Therefore, based on the facts alleged in
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the FAC, Plaintiff’s claims arising from Plaintiff’s December 22, 2012 arrest are timely.
The Sunnyvale Defendants argue that the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Torres v. City of
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Santa Ana, 108 F.3d 224, prevents tolling based on the false 911 charges. However, Sunnyvale
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fails to discuss the charge against Plaintiff for resisting arrest. In fact, as discussed above, Torres
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explicitly holds that a charge for “resisting and obstructing an officer” can toll the statute of
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limitations for a civil claim arising out of the arrest in which the criminal defendant allegedly
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resisted. Torres, 108 F.3d at 225. Therefore, Torres does not prevent, and in fact supports, tolling
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based on the charge for resisting arrest.
Additionally, Torres does not prevent tolling based on the false 911 call charge either. In
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United States District Court
Northern District of California
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Torres, the criminal defendant was arrested in 1994 for “prowling” and “resisting and obstructing
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an officer.” Id. The criminal defendant was charged for the crimes for which he was arrested. Id.
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The criminal defendant was also given notice that he was being charged for violating the terms of
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his probation, which had been imposed in 1991 after he pled guilty to robbery. Id. In 1995, the
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criminal defendant sued the City of Santa Ana and individual officers for excessive force during
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the course of his arrest. Id.
The Ninth Circuit held that under § 945.3, the civil cause of action could be tolled by the
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charges filed for prowling and resisting and obstructing an officer because the cause of action
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arose from the arrest for those crimes. Id. at 226–27. However, the Ninth Circuit held that the
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charge for violation of probation did not toll the statute of limitations for the civil action. Id. at
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228. The Court reached this conclusion because “a ‘probation revocation hearing arises as a
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continuing consequence of the probationer’s original conviction.’” Id. (citation omitted). Thus,
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the Court held that although the arrest triggered the probation revocation hearing, it did not relate
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to it.
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Here, in contrast, the specific issues arising with probation revocation hearings are not at
issue. Plaintiff’s criminal charge for the false 911 call was not simply “triggered” by the arrest,
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Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
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but was the reason the arrest occurred. Therefore, because the instant case does not involve the
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specific legal principles involved in probation hearings, Torres does not prevent application of the
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plain language of § 945.3, which states that criminal charges are related to civil claims that arise
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out of “an act or omission in . . . arresting” the accused. Accordingly, the false 911 call charge
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and the civil claims are related and § 945.3 tolling applies to toll Plaintiff’s § 1983 claims for
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unlawful entry and seizure and excessive force.
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Therefore, Plaintiff’s criminal charges for making false 911 calls and resisting arrest tolled
8
the statute of limitations for Plaintiff’s civil claims for unlawful entry and seizure and excessive
9
force. Thus, these civil claims are timely.
10
United States District Court
Northern District of California
11
b.
Unlawful Entry and Seizure Claim Against Officer Lima
The Sunnyvale Defendants argue that the claim for unlawful entry and seizure should be
12
dismissed because “[t]he allegations show that officers entered and searched plaintiff’s home and
13
detained him pursuant to a facially valid [bench] warrant, notwithstanding [Plaintiff’s] claims that
14
[the bench warrant] was issued based on false information.” Sunnyvale Mot. at 9. Additionally,
15
the Sunnyvale Defendants argue that Officer Lima cannot be held liable for the acts and omissions
16
of the other officers. Id. at 10.
17
An officer does not violate the United States Constitution by acting pursuant to a facially
18
valid bench warrant. Erdman v. Cochise Cty., 926 F.2d 877, 882 (9th Cir. 1991) (“The second
19
arrest alone was not a constitutional violation because it was pursuant to a facially valid bench
20
warrant.”). Additionally, “[i]t is well established that, in an action for unlawful arrest pursuant to
21
a facially valid warrant, a police officer is entitled to qualified immunity unless ‘no officer of
22
reasonable competence would have requested the warrant.’” Case v. Kitsap Cty. Sheriff’s Dep’t,
23
249 F.3d 921, 926 (9th Cir. 2001) (quoting Malley v. Briggs, 475 U.S. 335, 341 (1986)); see also
24
Barlow v. Ground, 943 F.2d 1132, 1139 (9th Cir. 1991) (“A police officer generally has qualified
25
immunity for conducting an unconstitutional search if he is acting on the basis of a facially valid
26
warrant.”); Mills v. Graves, 930 F.2d 729, 731 (9th Cir. 1991) (noting that “immunity will be lost
27
28
12
Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
1
only where the warrant application is so lacking in indicia of probable cause as to render official
2
belief in its existence unreasonable”).
Here, Plaintiff alleges that (1) the officers had no physical proof of a warrant in their
3
4
possession when they arrested Plaintiff, and (2) the warrant was obtained by fraudulent means.
5
FAC ¶ 38, 40. As discussed below, these two allegations do not prevent dismissal of the first
6
claim of the FAC.
As to Plaintiff’s allegation that the officers were required to show Plaintiff the warrant,
7
Plaintiff is incorrect. “The United States Supreme Court has not interpreted the Fourth
9
Amendment to the United States Constitution as requiring the officer executing the search warrant
10
to display the warrant or provide defendant a copy of it.” People v. Calabrese, 101 Cal. App. 4th
11
United States District Court
Northern District of California
8
79, 84 (2002). Indeed, the Court is unaware of any decision finding a constitutional violation
12
based on an officer’s failure to present a physical copy of a warrant during an arrest. See United
13
States v. Buckner, 717 F.2d 297, 301 (6th Cir. 1983) (“The fact that the officers did not have the
14
arrest warrant in hand is of no consequence.”). Moreover, Plaintiff pleads that he called the
15
Sunnyvale Police Department and was told that the officers “were there to serve a bench warrant.”
16
FAC ¶ 16. Additionally, Plaintiff was provided the warrant “at a later date.” Id. ¶ 38. Therefore,
17
the officer’s failure to show the arrest warrant to Plaintiff does not create a constitutional violation
18
cognizable under § 1983.
19
The Court next discusses whether the arrest was a constitutional violation because the
20
warrant for Plaintiff’s arrest was allegedly fraudulent, and thus invalid. Plaintiff was arrested
21
pursuant to a bench warrant for making a false 911 call on October 1, 2012, a misdemeanor. FAC
22
¶ 40–42. Plaintiff, however, alleges that “[t]his call never happened the way it was stated” and
23
that “[i]n order to grant a warrant[,] it was under [sic] perjury.” Id. ¶ 42. However, the bench
24
warrant itself, which the Court considers pursuant to the Sunnyvale Defendants’ request for
25
judicial notice,3 above, was signed by a magistrate and was issued approximately 11 days before
26
27
28
3
As noted in footnotes 2 and 3, above, the Court may take judicial notice of publicly filed
13
Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
1
the arrest. ECF No. 41-1. Moreover, the FAC contains no factual allegation to indicate that
2
Officer Lima believed that the bench warrant was invalid, or connecting Officer Lima to the
3
alleged perjury used to obtain the bench warrant. As discussed further below, even though
4
Plaintiff brings a falsification of evidence claim against Officer Lima, Plaintiff has not alleged any
5
facts that indicate that Officer Lima was involved in obtaining the warrant or was aware that the
6
police report on which it was based was false. Thus, it appears that Officer Lima was acting
7
“pursuant to a facially valid warrant.” Erdman, 926 F.2d at 882. Therefore, the Court GRANTS
8
the Sunnyvale Defendants’ motion to dismiss. The Court provides leave to amend because
9
Plaintiff may be able to allege facts that establish a false arrest claim.
10
Plaintiff also requests leave to amend the FAC to add the other officers that were allegedly
United States District Court
Northern District of California
11
involved in the unlawful arrest. Plaintiff asserts that he will add allegations concerning “Officers
12
Kassel, Himenes, Wilkes, Gottfred, and Winkleman.” Sunnyvale Opp’n at 5. In response, the
13
Sunnyvale Defendants argue that such an amendment would be futile based on the statute of
14
limitations and because the arrest warrant was facially valid. Sunnyvale Reply at 6.
15
“The Court should freely give leave when justice so requires.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 15(a)(2).
16
Generally, leave to amend shall be denied only if allowing amendment would unduly prejudice the
17
opposing party, cause undue delay, or be futile, or if the moving party has acted in bad faith.
18
Leadsinger, 512 F.3d at 532. “This liberality in granting leave to amend is not dependent on
19
whether the amendment will add causes of action or parties.” DCD Programs, Ltd. v. Leighton,
20
833 F.2d 183, 186 (9th Cir. 1987). Here, Sunnyvale has not argued that it would suffer undue
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
documents. See, e.g., Black, 482 F.3d at 1041 (“[Courts] may take notice of proceedings in other
courts, both within and without the federal judicial system, if those proceedings have a direct
relation to matters at issue.”). Therefore, the Court takes judicial notice of the warrant for
Plaintiff’s arrest arising from the false 911 calls, which was filed in Santa Clara County Superior
Court Criminal Case No. B1263657. ECF No. 41-1 (noting that warrant was filed in state court).
However, to the extent any of the facts in the warrant are disputed, the Court does not take judicial
notice of those facts. See Lee v. City of L.A., 250 F.3d 668, 689 (9th Cir. 2001) (“A court may
take judicial notice of matters of public record . . . But a court may not take judicial notice of a fact
that is subject to reasonable dispute.”) (internal quotation marks omitted), overruled on other
grounds by Galbraith v. Cty. of Santa Clara, 307 F.3d 1119 (9th Cir. 2002).
14
Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
1
prejudice through the addition of additional defendants. Indeed, the Court has stayed discovery in
2
the instant case. Compare Kaplan v. Rose, 49 F.3d 1363, 1370 (9th Cir. 1994) (finding prejudice
3
where the “parties have engaged in voluminous and protracted discovery”). Additionally, the
4
Court cannot conclude that such amendment would be futile because, as discussed above, the
5
statute of limitations was tolled in the instant suit and allegations may be made that the officers at
6
issue knew the arrest warrant was invalid.
c.
7
8
Excessive Force Claim Against Officer Lima
The Sunnyvale Defendants do not argue that Plaintiff has insufficiently pled an excessive
force cause of action against Officer Lima. Indeed, the FAC alleges that Officer Lima kicked
10
Plaintiff in the face 50 or 60 times. FAC ¶ 30. Instead, the Sunnyvale Defendants argue that
11
United States District Court
Northern District of California
9
Officer Lima cannot be held liable for the acts and omissions of the other officers present during
12
Plaintiff’s December 22, 2012 arrest. However, the FAC does not allege that Officer Lima is
13
responsible for the actions of all of the other officers. The FAC simply provides factual context
14
which includes the actions of other officers. Therefore, this argument does not provide a basis to
15
grant the Sunnyvale Defendants’ motion to dismiss.
16
Accordingly, the Court DENIES the Sunnyvale Defendants’ motion to dismiss with
17
respect to the excessive force claim against Officer Lima. As with the first cause of action for
18
unlawful entry and seizure, Plaintiff requests to add the other officers in an amended complaint.
19
Sunnyvale Opp’n at 6. The Sunnyvale Defendants argue that such amendment would be futile
20
because the claim is time-barred, but they do not argue that Sunnyvale would be prejudiced.
21
Sunnyvale Reply at 7. For the same reasons that the Court provided leave to add additional officer
22
defendants on the unlawful arrest claim, the Court grants Plaintiff’s request to add additional
23
officer defendants.
24
25
26
27
28
2.
Devereaux Claim Against Officer Lima
Plaintiff alleges a Devereaux claim against Officer Lima. “A Devereaux claim is a claim
that the government violated the plaintiff’s due process rights by subjecting the plaintiff to
15
Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
1
criminal charges based on deliberately-fabricated evidence.” Bradford v. Scherschligt, 803 F.3d
2
382, 386 (9th Cir. 2015) (citing Devereaux v. Abbey, 263 F.3d 1070, 1074–75 (9th Cir. 2001) (en
3
banc)). “To state a plausible claim for deliberate fabrication of evidence under [Devereaux], the
4
plaintiff must: (1) identify the evidence alleged to have been fabricated; and (2) state facts to show
5
that the fabrication was deliberate.” Trulove v. City & Cty. of S.F., 2016 WL 5930634, at *5 (N.D.
6
Cal. Oct. 12, 2016) (citing Bradford, 803 F.3d at 386).
“[T]here are two circumstantial methods of proving that the falsification was deliberate.”
7
8
Bradford, 803 F.3d at 386 (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). First, a defendant’s
9
deliberate intent can be shown if “the defendant continued his investigation of the plaintiff even
though he knew or should have known that the plaintiff was innocent.” Id. (citation omitted).
11
United States District Court
Northern District of California
10
Second, a plaintiff can establish deliberate intent by showing that the defendant used
12
“investigative techniques that were so coercive and abusive that [he] knew or should have known
13
that those techniques would yield false information.” Id. (alteration in original)
Plaintiff’s Devereaux claim is based on (1) the use of “false information” to secure the
14
15
warrant for Plaintiff’s arrest, (2) false information in the police reports about Plaintiff’s arrest, and
16
(3) the use of “investigative techniques that were so coercive and abusive that [Defendants] knew
17
or should have known that those techniques would yield false information.” FAC ¶¶ 82–85. The
18
Sunnyvale Defendants argue that “plaintiff fails to state facts showing that Officer Lima provided
19
false information to secure the warrant, or at all, and Officer Lima is not liable for the alleged
20
conduct of others.” Sunnyvale Mot. at 14. The Court addresses Plaintiff’s three allegations in
21
turn.
22
First, with respect to the arrest warrant, Plaintiff alleges that “Defendants and Sunnyvale
23
police officers provided false information to secure the warrant for Plaintiff’s alleged offense”
24
involving a false 911 call. FAC ¶ 83. The FAC then specifies that “[t]he warrant was issued as
25
the result of Sunnyvale Police Report 12-8257,” which stated that Plaintiff “made repeated calls to
26
Sunnyvale DPS and Santa Clara Police reporting false non-emergency incidents.” Id. ¶ 83.
27
28
16
Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
Plaintiff pleads no facts that show that Officer Lima, as opposed to any other officer,
1
2
“provided false information to secure the warrant.” Id. ¶ 83. Indeed, in the subsequent sentence,
3
which clarifies that the false arrest warrant was obtained through the submission of an allegedly
4
false police report, there is no allegation that Officer Lima had any involvement with the creation
5
of the allegedly false police report. Even if the police report that served as the basis of the warrant
6
were false, Plaintiff alleges no facts to indicate that Officer Lima, or any other officer involved
7
with Plaintiff’s arrest, knew that the police report was false. Therefore, Plaintiff has not alleged
8
the existence of evidence that would show that any falsification was “deliberate,” or that any
9
officer “knew or should have known” that Plaintiff was innocent. Trulove, 2016 WL 5930634 at
*5. Thus, Plaintiff fails to “plead[] factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable
11
United States District Court
Northern District of California
10
inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678.
Second, Plaintiff alleges that “Defendants and Sunnyvale police officers provided false
12
13
information in the police report detailing” Plaintiff’s December 22, 2012 arrest. FAC ¶ 84. The
14
FAC alleges that the “Police Canine Report” states that Plaintiff “was wanted for an outstanding
15
arrest warrant,” that “a police canine was used to apprehend” Defendant, and that Defendant “fled
16
from police and physically fought with arresting officers.” Id. Plaintiff alleges this report is false
17
because “Plaintiff did not flee or fight the arresting officers and Plaintiff did not resist his arrest.”
18
Id.
19
However, as with the allegations concerning the arrest warrant, the FAC contains no
20
allegation that Officer Lima, as opposed to other officers, made the allegedly false statements that
21
were used in the police report. In fact, Plaintiff alleges that the police report at issue was the
22
“Police Canine Report,” which implies that the police report was actually written by the officer in
23
charge of the police dog that was present during Plaintiff’s arrest. Id. There is no allegation of
24
facts indicating that Officer Lima took part in writing or provided any false statements for the
25
writing of the Police Canine Report.
26
27
28
Finally, Plaintiff alleges that Defendants used “investigative techniques that were so
17
Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
1
coercive and abusive that [Defendants] knew or should have known that those techniques would
2
yield false information” by using physical force to arrest Plaintiff, restraining Plaintiff at the
3
hospital, and remanding Plaintiff to jail. Id. ¶ 85. However, none of these three alleged actions
4
were techniques that “yield[ed]” information, let alone false information. Therefore, these
5
“investigative techniques” cannot be the basis of Plaintiff’s Devereaux claim.
6
Therefore, the Court GRANTS the Sunnyvale Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss as to the
7
claim against Officer Lima for falsification of evidence under Devereaux. The Court provides
8
leave to amend because Plaintiff may be able to allege facts that actually connect Officer Lima to
9
the falsifications that Plaintiff alleges.
10
United States District Court
Northern District of California
11
3.
Malicious Prosecution Claim Against Officer Lima
“[T]he general rule is that a claim of malicious prosecution is not cognizable under 42
12
U.S.C. § 1983 if process is available within the state judicial system to provide a remedy.” Usher
13
v. City of L.A., 828 F.2d 556, 562 (9th Cir. 1987). “However, ‘an exception exists to the general
14
rule when a malicious prosecution is conducted with the intent to deprive a person of equal
15
protection of the laws or is otherwise intended to subject a person to a denial of constitutional
16
rights.’” Id. (citations omitted).
17
The Ninth Circuit “look[s] to California law” when analyzing § 1983 claims for malicious
18
prosecution “because [the Ninth Circuit] ha[s] incorporated the relevant elements of the common
19
law tort of malicious prosecution into our analysis under § 1983.” Awabdy v. City of Adelanto,
20
368 F.3d 1062, 1068 (9th Cir. 2004). “In California, the elements of malicious prosecution are
21
(1) the initiation of criminal prosecution, (2) malicious motivation, and (3) lack of probable
22
cause.” Usher, 828 F.2d at 562.
23
In addition, “[a]n individual seeking to bring a malicious prosecution claim must generally
24
establish that the prior proceedings terminated in such a manner as to indicate his innocence.”
25
Awabdy, 368 F.3d at 1068. For the termination of a proceeding to be considered favorable, it
26
generally must involve a “determination on the merits.” Jaisinghani v. Byrne, 120 F. App’x 47,
27
28
18
Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
1
49 (9th Cir. 2005) (citing Villa v. Cole, 4 Cal. App. 4th 1327, 1336 (1992)). However, a
2
termination “short of a complete trial on the merits” may serve as a favorable termination “if it
3
reflects the opinion of the prosecuting party or the court that the action lacked merit or would
4
result in a decision in favor of the defendant.” Awabdy, 368 F.3d at 1068 (citations omitted).
5
Here, Plaintiff asserts a malicious prosecution claim against Officer Lima. However,
6
Plaintiff has not made allegations that indicate that the “prior proceedings terminated in such a
7
manner as to indicate [Plaintiff’s] innocence.” Id. at 1068. Plaintiff alleges that, after a mental
8
competency evaluation, Plaintiff was found to be incompetent and, as a result, served 14 months
9
in Santa Clara County Jail. FAC ¶¶ 48–50. However, Plaintiff does not allege whether the
charges against him have been terminated or whether such termination involved a decision on the
11
United States District Court
Northern District of California
10
merits. Therefore, Plaintiff has insufficiently pled a malicious prosecution claim.
12
Accordingly, the Court GRANTS the Sunnyvale Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss the FAC
13
with respect to the claim for malicious prosecution against Officer Lima. The Court provides
14
leave to amend because Plaintiff may be able to allege facts to support a theory that Officer Lima
15
took actions that satisfy the requirements of malicious prosecution as described in Awabdy.
16
B.
17
As discussed above, Plaintiff brings Monell, Devereaux, and malicious prosecution claims
18
against Sunnyvale. A local government may not be sued under a theory of respondeat superior for
19
injuries inflicted by its employees or agents. Monell v. Dep’t of Social Servs. of City of N.Y., 436
20
U.S. 658, 691 (1978). However, “[l]ocal governing bodies . . . can be sued directly under § 1983
21
for monetary, declaratory, or injunctive relief where . . . the action that is alleged to be
22
unconstitutional implements or executes a policy statement, ordinance, regulation, or decision
23
officially adopted and promulgated by that body’s officers.” Monell, 436 U.S. at 690.
24
Sunnyvale
Specifically, under Monell, a plaintiff may establish municipal liability by demonstrating
25
that “(1) the constitutional tort was the result of a longstanding practice or custom which
26
constitutes the standard operating procedure of the local government entity; (2) the tortfeasor was
27
28
19
Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
1
an official whose acts fairly represent official policy such that the challenged action constituted
2
official policy; or (3) an official with final policy-making authority delegated that authority to, or
3
ratified the decision of, a subordinate.” Price v. Sery, 513 F.3d 962, 966 (9th Cir. 2008).
4
Additionally, in “limited circumstances,” the failure to train municipal employees can serve as the
5
policy underlying a Monell claim. Bd. of the Cty. Comm’rs v. Brown, 520 U.S. 397, 407 (1997).
6
Moreover, a plaintiff must demonstrate that the government’s official policy or custom was
7
the “moving force” responsible for the infliction of the plaintiff’s injuries. Monell, 436 U.S. at
8
694. “A policy or custom is considered a ‘moving force’ behind a constitutional violation if both
9
causation-in-fact and proximate causation can be established.” Palm v. L.A. Dep’t of Water &
Power, 2015 WL 4065087, at *2 (C.D. Cal. July 2, 2015) (citing Harper v. City of L.A., 533 F.3d
11
United States District Court
Northern District of California
10
1010, 1026 (9th Cir. 2008)).
12
However, even if a policy involving constitutional violations exist, “[i]f a person has
13
suffered no constitutional injury at the hands of the individual police officer, the fact that the
14
departmental regulations might have authorized the [constitutional violation] is quite beside the
15
point.” City of L.A. v. Heller, 475 U.S. 796, 799 (1986); see also Yousefian v. City of Glendale,
16
779 F.3d 1010, 1016 (9th Cir. 2015) (“[M]unicipalities cannot be held liable when the individual
17
police officer has inflicted no constitutional injury.”).
18
Previously, the Ninth Circuit held that “[i]n this circuit, a claim of municipal liability under
19
§ 1983 is sufficient to withstand a motion to dismiss even if the claim is based on nothing more
20
than a bare allegation that the individual officers’ conduct conformed to official policy, custom, or
21
practice.” A.E. ex rel. Hernandez v. Cty. of Tulare, 666 F.3d 631, 636 (9th Cir. 2012). However,
22
“[t]he Ninth Circuit has made clear that claims of Monell liability must now comply with the basic
23
principles set forth in Twombly and Iqbal: (1) the complaint “may not simply recite the elements
24
of a cause of action, but must contain sufficient allegations of underlying facts to give fair notice
25
and to enable the opposing party to defend itself effectively;” and (2) the “factual allegations that
26
are taken as true must plausibly suggest an entitlement to relief, such that it is not unfair to require
27
28
20
Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
1
the opposing party to be subjected to the expense of discovery and continued litigation.” A.E., 666
2
F.3d at 636–37 (9th Cir. 2012) (quoting Starr v. Baca, 652 F.3d 1202, 1216 (9th Cir. 2011)).
3
4
5
6
The Court first discusses Plaintiff’s Devereaux claim, then discusses Plaintiff’s malicious
prosecution claim, and finally discusses the general claim for Monell liability.
1.
Devereaux Claim Against Sunnyvale
Plaintiff alleges that Sunnyvale is liable under Devereaux because Sunnyvale police
7
officers allegedly (1) used “false information” to secure the warrant for Plaintiff’s arrest, (2) used
8
false information in the police reports about Plaintiff’s arrest, and (3) used “investigative
9
techniques that were so coercive and abusive that [Defendants] knew or should have known that
those techniques would yield false information.” FAC ¶¶ 82–85. Thus, Plaintiff seeks to hold
11
United States District Court
Northern District of California
10
Sunnyvale liable for the actions of its employees. However, claims based on employee actions are
12
barred unless Plaintiff can establish Monell liability. Monell, 436 U.S. at 691 (“[A] municipality
13
cannot be held liable under § 1983 on a respondeat superior theory.”). As noted in the prior
14
section, Monell liability only attaches where (1) the tort resulted from a custom, policy, or
15
practice, (2) the tortfeasor was an official who “fairly represent[s] official policy,” (3) an official
16
with policymaking authority ratified the tortfeasor’s actions, or (4) the municipality failed to
17
adequately train the tortfeasors. Price, 513 F.3d at 966. Additionally, to establish Monell liability,
18
an individual employee must have committed a constitutional violation. Heller, 475 U.S. at 799
19
(“If a person has suffered no constitutional injury at the hands of the individual police officer, the
20
fact that the departmental regulations might have authorized the [constitutional violation] is quite
21
beside the point.”).
22
Here, the Court held in the section concerning Officer Lima’s Devereaux liability, above,
23
that Plaintiff has inadequately alleged a Devereaux claim against Officer Lima, the only officer
24
that Plaintiff has accused of a constitutional violation in the FAC. Under Heller, an individual
25
officer must have committed a constitutional violation to bring a claim against the municipality
26
employing that officer. Heller, 475 U.S. at 799. Therefore, because the Devereaux claim against
27
28
21
Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
1
Officer Lima fails, Plaintiff cannot establish Monell liability, and Plaintiff’s Devereaux claim
2
against Sunnyvale also fails.
3
Accordingly, the Court GRANTS the Sunnyvale Defendant’s motion to dismiss as to
4
Plaintiff’s claims for Devereaux liability against Sunnyvale. The Court provides leave to amend
5
because Plaintiff may be able to allege facts indicating a constitutional violation by Officer Lima
6
and a Sunnyvale policy that caused that violation.
7
8
9
2.
Malicious Prosecution Claim Against Sunnyvale
With respect to Plaintiff’s malicious prosecution claim, Plaintiff alleges that “Defendants
made false police reports and provided false and/or misleading information that directly resulted in
the detention, arrest, imprisonment and malicious prosecution of Plaintiff based on fabricated
11
United States District Court
Northern District of California
10
and/or misleading statements.” FAC ¶ 86. Plaintiff also alleges that “Defendants . . . made
12
deliberately false statements or recklessly disregarded the truth in the affidavit prepared to secure[]
13
the bench warrant and those falsifications were material to the finding of probable cause and the
14
issuance of the alleged warrant.” Id. ¶ 87. As with the Devereaux claim, Sunnyvale can only be
15
held liable under a Monell theory of liability. Monell, 436 U.S. at 691 (“[A] municipality cannot
16
be held liable under § 1983 on a respondeat superior theory.”). To establish Monell liability, an
17
individual employee must have committed a constitutional violation. Heller, 475 U.S. at 799 (“If
18
a person has suffered no constitutional injury at the hands of the individual police officer, the fact
19
that the departmental regulations might have authorized the [constitutional violation] is quite
20
beside the point.”).
21
In the section concerning Officer Lima, the Court held that Plaintiff has failed to state a
22
claim for malicious prosecution against Officer Lima because Plaintiff failed to allege that the
23
“prior proceedings terminated in such a manner as to indicate his innocence.” Usher, 828 F.2d at
24
562. Under Heller, Plaintiff’s failure to adequately plead a claim against Officer Lima means that
25
that there is no underlying constitutional violation for which Sunnyvale can be held liable under
26
Monell. See Heller, 475 U.S. at 799 (requiring that Plaintiff suffered a “constitutional injury at the
27
28
22
Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
1
hands of the individual police officer” for Monell liability to attach).
2
Accordingly, the Court GRANTS the Sunnyvale Defendant’s motion to dismiss as to
3
Plaintiff’s claims for malicious prosecution against Sunnyvale. The Court provides leave to
4
amend because Plaintiff may be able to allege facts indicating a constitutional violation by Officer
5
Lima and a Sunnyvale policy that caused that violation.
6
7
3.
Monell Claim Against Sunnyvale
In addition to Plaintiff’s claims for Devereaux liability and malicious prosecution, Plaintiff
8
also brings a separate Monell claim. Plaintiff brings his Monell claim for excessive force,
9
unlawful arrest, and falsification of evidence. FAC ¶ 78. As an initial matter, Plaintiff’s claim for
Monell liability based on falsification of evidence against Sunnyvale fails for the same reason as
11
United States District Court
Northern District of California
10
Plaintiff’s Devereaux and malicious prosecution claims against Sunnyvale. For both the
12
Devereaux claim and the malicious prosecution claim, the Court held that Monell liability was not
13
available. Specifically, in the prior two sections, the Court noted that, under Heller, a Plaintiff
14
must establish that an individual officer committed a constitutional violation to establish Monell
15
liability. Heller, 475 U.S. at 799. The Court then held that because Plaintiff failed to state a claim
16
under Devereaux or for malicious prosecution against Officer Lima, Plaintiff could not establish
17
Monell liability for the Devereaux claim or malicious prosecution claim against Sunnyvale.
18
For the Monell claim in this section based on falsification of evidence, the same principle
19
applies. The only constitutional violations that have been alleged against an individual officer in
20
the FAC that involve “falsification of evidence” are the Devereaux claim and malicious
21
prosecution claim against Officer Lima. Thus, under Heller, because Plaintiff fails to establish
22
that an individual officer committed a constitutional violation involving falsification of evidence,
23
Plaintiff’s separate claim under Monell for falsification of evidence also fails.
24
25
26
27
28
The Court next addresses the Monell claim based on alleged policies involving excessive
force and unlawful arrest.
Plaintiff pleads that the “actions and/or omissions of Defendants[] were pursuant to
23
Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
1
customs, policies, practices, and/or procedures of [Sunnyvale and Santa Clara] . . . which were
2
directed, encouraged, allowed, and/or ratified by policy making officers for [Sunnyvale and Santa
3
Clara].” FAC ¶ 78. Plaintiff alleges that Sunnyvale has the custom, policy, or practice (1) “[t]o
4
use or tolerate the use of excessive and/or unjustified force;” (2) “[t]o unlawfully arrest individuals
5
without probable cause;” and (3) “[t]o cover up violations of constitutional rights.” Id. ¶ 78. The
6
third “custom, policy, or practice” is composed of the cover up of “violations of constitutional
7
rights . . . by failing to properly investigate and/or evaluate complaints or incidents of excessive
8
and unreasonable force and unlawful seizures; [and] by ignoring and/or failing to properly and
9
adequately investigate and/or investigate and discipline unconstitutional or unlawful law
10
enforcement activity.” Id.
With respect to causation, Plaintiff alleges that the “aforementioned customs, policies,
United States District Court
Northern District of California
11
12
practices and procedures . . . were a moving force and/or proximate cause of deprivations of
13
Plaintiff’s clearly established and well-settled constitutional rights.” Id. ¶ 79.
As discussed above, Monell liability only attaches if the policy at issue is (1) the moving
14
15
force behind the violation, and (2) one of the four theories of Monell liability are present. For the
16
four Monell liability theories, Plaintiff must plead that (1) the tort resulted from a custom, policy,
17
or practice, (2) the tortfeasor was an official who “fairly represent[s] official policy,” (3) an
18
official with policymaking authority ratified the tortfeasor’s actions, or (4) the municipality failed
19
to adequately train the tortfeasors. Price, 513 F.3d at 966; Brown, 520 U.S. at 400 (failure to
20
train).
21
The Court first addresses causation, then addresses whether Plaintiff has adequately
22
alleged a “longstanding practice or custom” for which Sunnyvale can be held liable, then discusses
23
whether a “failure to train” theory has been adequately alleged, and finally addresses whether the
24
tortfeasor was an official who fairly represents official policy or whether an official with
25
policymaking authority ratified the tortfeasor’s actions.
26
27
28
a.
Causation
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Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
As discussed above, Plaintiff must adequately allege that the government’s official policy
2
or custom was the “moving force” behind Plaintiff’s injuries. Monell, 436 U.S. at 694. Although
3
Plaintiff recites this element in his FAC, he provides no facts that indicate that any of the officer’s
4
actions were caused by the alleged customs, policies, and practices. In Dougherty v. City of
5
Covina, 654 F.3d 892 (9th Cir. 2011), the Ninth Circuit held that it was insufficient to allege that
6
“Defendant CITY’s policies and/or customs caused the specific violations of Plaintiff’s
7
constitutional rights at issue in this case.” Id. at 900. Here, Plaintiff solely alleges that the
8
“aforementioned customs, policies, practices and procedures . . . were a moving force and/or
9
proximate cause of deprivations of Plaintiff’s clearly established and well-settled constitutional
10
rights.” FAC ¶ 79. As in Covina, Plaintiff’s allegations of causation are conclusory and do not
11
United States District Court
Northern District of California
1
make a causal connection between the custom, policy, or practice at issue and any particular
12
violation of a constitutional right. Therefore, Plaintiff has insufficiently alleged the causation
13
necessary to establish Monell liability.
14
15
b.
Custom, Policy, and Practice
Even if causation were sufficiently alleged, the Court would find, as discussed below, that
16
Plaintiff has insufficiently alleged a custom, policy, or practice to establish Monell liability. The
17
analysis to determine whether an unconstitutional “policy” as opposed to an unconstitutional
18
“custom” or “practice” differs under Monell. “Liability for improper custom may not be
19
predicated on isolated or sporadic incidents; it must be founded upon practices of sufficient
20
duration, frequency and consistency that the conduct has become a traditional method of carrying
21
out policy.” Trevino v. Gates, 99 F.3d 911, 918 (9th Cir. 1996). However, with respect to an
22
adopted municipal policy, a single incident can serve as the basis of a Monell claim so long as
23
“proof of the incident includes proof that it was caused by an existing, unconstitutional municipal
24
policy, which policy can be attributed to a municipal policymaker.” City of Okla. City v. Tuttle,
25
471 U.S. 808, 823–24 (1985).
26
27
28
The Court first discusses whether a custom or practice has been adequately alleged. With
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Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
1
respect to all of the alleged customs at issue here, Plaintiff only pleads actions related to his own
2
arrest and prosecution. Plaintiff does not allege any facts that indicate that the Sunnyvale police
3
force is regularly taking actions involving excessive force or unlawful arrests. Thus, Plaintiff fails
4
to allege that the customs, policies, and practices are “founded upon practices of sufficient
5
duration, frequency and consistency that the conduct has become a traditional method of carrying
6
out policy.” Trevino, 99 F.3d at 918. Accordingly, Plaintiff fails to adequately allege a “custom”
7
or “practice.”
8
9
The Court next turns to whether Plaintiff has adequately alleged Monell liability based on a
municipal “policy” that has been officially adopted. Since A.E. and Starr, the allegations
concerning the existence of a policy must satisfy the requirements of Iqbal. As discussed above,
11
United States District Court
Northern District of California
10
the complaint “may not simply recite the elements of a cause of action, but must contain sufficient
12
allegations of underlying facts to give fair notice and to enable the opposing party to defend itself
13
effectively,” and the “factual allegations that are taken as true must plausibly suggest an
14
entitlement to relief, such that it is not unfair to require the opposing party to be subjected to the
15
expense of discovery and continued litigation.” A.E., 666 F.3d at 636–37 (quoting Starr, 652 F.3d
16
at 1216).
17
Multiple courts have applied this standard in the Monell context and found vague
18
assertions of municipal policies to be insufficient. For example, in A.E., the Ninth Circuit found
19
that the plaintiff had inadequately alleged a municipal policy because Plaintiff merely alleged that
20
the county was liable under Monell because the officer “performed all acts and omissions . . .
21
under the ordinances, regulations, customs, and practices of [the county]” and the county
22
“maintained or permitted an official policy, custom, or practice of knowingly permitting the
23
occurrence of the type of wrongs” alleged elsewhere in the complaint. Id. at 637; see also Mendy
24
v. City of Fremont, 2014 WL 574599, at *3 (N.D. Cal. Feb. 12, 2014) (dismissing municipal
25
liability claim based on unsupported allegation of an “informal custom or policy that tolerates and
26
promotes the continued use of excessive force and cruel and unusual punishment against and
27
28
26
Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
1
violation of civil rights of citizens by City police officers in the manner alleged [elsewhere in the
2
complaint]”).
3
In contrast, multiple district courts have held that a Monell claim has been sufficiently pled
4
where, in addition to pleading causation of an individual officer’s unconstitutional actions, the
5
complaint alleges sufficient detail about the municipal policy at issue. For example, in Mateos–
6
Sandoval v. County of Sonoma, 942 F. Supp. 2d 890 (N.D. Cal. 2013), a court in this district held
7
that the plaintiff adequately pled Monell liability by alleging that the county defendants “routinely
8
enforce” a particular provision of the California Vehicle Code by:
14
seizing and impounding vehicles on the basis that the driver does not have a
current, valid California driver’s license, including when the vehicle was not
presenting a hazard or a threat to public safety; keeping the vehicle [even though]
someone was available to pay the impound fee to date, usually for the 30 day
period specified by [the provision]; seizing and impounding vehicles even though
the driver has previously been licensed, whether in California or a foreign
jurisdiction; failing and refusing to [provide] a hearing on the justification for
impounding the vehicle for 30 days; failing and refusing to provide notice of the
reason for impounding the vehicle for 30 days; and, on information and belief,
charging an above-cost administrative fee.
15
Id. at 899–900 (alterations in original). The court distinguished A.E. by observing that, unlike the
16
threadbare allegation in A.E., this allegation “specif[ies] the content of the policies, customs, or
17
practices the execution of which gave rise to [their] Constitutional injuries.” Id. at 899; see also
18
La v. San Mateo Cty. Transit Dist., 2014 WL 4632224, at *7–8 (N.D. Cal. Sept. 16, 2014) (finding
19
allegation of policy sufficient because the plaintiff did “not merely allege that [the defendant] has
20
a policy or custom of performing various wrongs alleged elsewhere in her complaint,” but rather
21
indicated that the defendant “has a policy or custom of performing a specific adverse employment
22
action (termination) against a particular subset of employees (those who report internal
23
misconduct)”).
9
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United States District Court
Northern District of California
11
12
13
24
Here, the policy allegations are not sufficiently specific to plead a Monell claim. The
25
Court addresses each alleged policy in turn. First, Plaintiff’s allegation that Sunnyvale has a
26
policy “[t]o use or tolerate the use of excessive and/or unjustified force” is too vague to
27
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Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
1
sufficiently allege a policy under A.E. Indeed, because Plaintiff has brought an excessive force
2
claim, Plaintiff is essentially alleging that Sunnyvale has an “official policy, custom, or practice of
3
knowingly permitting the occurrence of the type of wrongs” alleged elsewhere in the complaint.
4
A.E., 666 F.3d at 637; see also Mendy, 2014 WL 574599 at *3 (finding Monell claim insufficiently
5
pled where plaintiff alleged that defendant had an “informal custom or policy that tolerates and
6
promotes the continued use of excessive force and cruel and unusual punishment against and
7
violation of civil rights of citizens by City police officers in the manner alleged [elsewhere in the
8
complaint]”).
9
Second, Plaintiff alleges that Sunnyvale has the policy of “unlawfully arrest[ing]
individuals without probable cause.” FAC ¶ 78. As with the allegation concerning excessive
11
United States District Court
Northern District of California
10
force, Plaintiff has simply taken the unlawful entry and seizure cause of action and alleged,
12
without supporting factual contentions, that Sunnyvale has a policy of engaging in such illegal
13
activity. Plaintiff has provided insufficient detail under A.E. to state a claim based on this policy.
14
Finally, Plaintiff alleges that Sunnyvale has a policy to cover up unconstitutional actions
15
“by failing to properly investigate and/or evaluate complaints or incidents of excessive and
16
unreasonable force and unlawful seizures; [and] by ignoring and/or failing to properly and
17
adequately investigate and/or investigate and discipline unconstitutional or unlawful law
18
enforcement activity.” Id. ¶ 78. Once again, these allegations are vague and are insufficiently
19
detailed to sufficiently allege the policy at issue. Sandoval, 942 F. Supp. 2d at 899 (requiring the
20
complaint to “specify the content of the policies, customs, or practices”). As in Mendy, Plaintiff
21
essentially alleges that Sunnyvale has a policy of “tolerat[ing] and promot[ing] the continued use
22
of excessive force” and unlawful arrests. Mendy, 2014 WL 574599 at *3.
23
Accordingly, because Plaintiff fails to sufficiently allege Sunnyvale’s policies that
24
allegedly caused the constitutional violations at issue in the instant case, Plaintiff has failed to
25
establish Monell liability based on a custom, policy, or practice.
26
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c.
Failure to Train
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Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
1
The Court next turns to whether any liability arises based on Plaintiff’s failure to train the
2
officers at issue in the instant case. In order to establish that a municipality is liable under Monell
3
for failure to train, Plaintiffs must show that a particular training deficiency was so egregious that
4
it “amount[ed] to deliberate indifference to the rights of persons with whom the police come into
5
contact.” City of Canton v. Harris, 489 U.S. 378, 388 (1989). Here, the FAC contains no
6
allegations concerning Sunnyvale’s alleged failure to train. The FAC does not allege what
7
training the Sunnyvale police officers received, does not indicate that any Sunnyvale policymaker
8
was aware that the training was deficient, and, in fact, makes no mention of the Sunnyvale police
9
officers’ training at all. Therefore, Plaintiff has insufficiently alleged a “failure to train” theory of
10
Monell liability.
d.
United States District Court
Northern District of California
11
12
Tortfeasor Official or Policymaker Ratification
Plaintiff pleads that the “actions and/or omissions of Defendants[] were pursuant to
13
customs, policies, practices, and/or procedures of [Sunnyvale and Santa Clara] . . . which were
14
directed, encouraged, allowed, and/or ratified by policy making officers for [Sunnyvale and Santa
15
Clara].” FAC ¶ 78. Monell liability can be established if the tortfeasor was an official who “fairly
16
represent[s] official policy” for the municipality or if such an official ratified the tortfeasor’s
17
actions. Price, 513 F.3d at 966. Here, Plaintiff makes no allegation that any of the Sunnyvale
18
police officers who allegedly engaged in excessive force or unlawful seizure had policymaking
19
authority for Sunnyvale. Additionally, Plaintiff does not identify any person with official
20
policymaking authority that ratified the actions of the officers. Therefore, Plaintiff has
21
insufficiently alleged an “official policymaker” or ratification theory of Monell liability.
22
For the above reasons, the Court GRANTS the Sunnyvale Defendant’s motion to dismiss
23
the Monell claim against Sunnyvale. The Court provides leave to amend because Plaintiff may be
24
able to allege a more specific custom, policy, or practice or facts to support one of the other
25
theories of Monell liability.
26
27
28
C.
Santa Clara
29
Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
1
Defendant brings a Monell claim, a Devereaux claim, and a malicious prosecution claim
2
against the County of Santa Clara (“Santa Clara”). As discussed above, a local government may
3
not be sued for injuries inflicted solely by its employees or agents. Monell, 436 U.S. at 691.
4
Accordingly, although Plaintiff brings separate Monell, Devereaux, and malicious prosecution
5
claims against Santa Clara, all three of the claims require Plaintiff to satisfy the requirements of
6
Monell. The Court addresses these claims jointly.
7
Under Monell, to establish municipality liability, Plaintiff must plead either that (1) the tort
resulted from a custom, policy, or practice, (2) the tortfeasor was an official who “fairly
9
represent[s] official policy,” (3) an official with policymaking authority ratified the tortfeasor’s
10
actions, or (4) the municipality failed to adequately train the tortfeasors. Price, 513 F.3d at 966.
11
United States District Court
Northern District of California
8
Moreover, a plaintiff must demonstrate that the government’s official policy or custom was the
12
“moving force” responsible for the infliction of the plaintiff’s injuries. Monell, 436 U.S. at 694.
13
The Court addresses each type of Monell claim in turn.
14
First, with respect to a custom, policy, or practice, Plaintiff alleges customs, policies, and
15
practices involving excessive force, unlawful arrest, and officer falsification of evidence. FAC
16
¶ 78. Each of these alleged customs, policies, or practices relate to actions taken by police
17
officers. Id. However, all of the actions allegedly taken by police officers in the FAC involved
18
Sunnyvale police officers, rather than Santa Clara police officers. Indeed, no Santa Clara police
19
officer is even mentioned in the FAC. Thus, Plaintiff has failed to allege that any of Santa Clara’s
20
alleged customs, policies, or practices caused harm to Plaintiff. Monell, 436 U.S. at 694 (holding
21
that a plaintiff must demonstrate that the municipality’s official policy or custom was the “moving
22
force” responsible for the infliction of the plaintiff’s injuries).
23
Second, Plaintiff has not alleged that any official with policymaking authority for Santa
24
Clara was the tortfeasor responsible for the actions underlying the Monell, Devereaux, or
25
malicious prosecution claims, or that any official with policymaking authority for Santa Clara
26
ratified the tortfeasor’s actions. Plaintiff does allege that the District Attorney, a Santa Clara
27
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Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
1
employee, falsely alleged that Plaintiff engaged in false 911 calls. FAC ¶ 41. However, the
2
District Attorney is not an official with policymaking authority for Santa Clara because the
3
District Attorney is a state rather than county official “for the purpose of investigating and
4
proceeding with criminal prosecutions.” Weiner v. San Diego Cty., 210 F.3d 1025, 1030 (9th Cir.
5
2000). Thus, the District Attorney is not an official with policymaking authority for Santa Clara
6
with respect to the claims here, which solely involve actions he took while “investigating and
7
proceeding with [the] criminal prosecution[].” Id. Additionally, the FAC does not allege facts
8
that would indicate that an official with policymaking authority ratified the District Attorney’s
9
actions.
Plaintiff also alleges that Plaintiff’s public defender made false statements by asserting that
10
United States District Court
Northern District of California
11
Officer Lima was not present during Plaintiff’s December 12, 2012 arrest. FAC ¶ 43. However,
12
Plaintiff makes no allegation that his public defender was an official with policymaking authority
13
for Santa Clara. Moreover, the FAC does not allege that an official with policymaking authority
14
ratified the public defender’s decisions. Accordingly, because the District Attorney and the public
15
defender do not have policymaking authority for Santa Clara, and there is no allegation that an
16
individual with policymaking authority ratified their decisions, their alleged actions do not serve
17
as the basis for Monell liability against Santa Clara.
Third, Plaintiff makes no allegation that Santa Clara failed to train any of its officials.
18
19
Therefore, a failure to train cannot serve as the basis of Santa Clara’s liability under Monell.
Accordingly, the Court GRANTS Santa Clara’s motion to dismiss in its entirety.4 The
20
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27
28
4
In Plaintiff’s response to Santa Clara’s motion to dismiss, Plaintiff responds by raising a number
of factual allegations not present in the FAC. For example, Plaintiff alleges that Santa Clara and
Plaintiff’s public defender conspired with one another, that the presiding judge in Plaintiff’s case
revoked Plaintiff’s bail to cover up the police brutality in the case, that Plaintiff’s public defender
did not adequately investigate the case, and that Plaintiff was mistreated while he was in jail.
Santa Clara Resp. at 2–5. On a motion to dismiss, the Court only considers facts pled in the
complaint. Car Carriers, Inc. v. Ford Motor Co., 745 F.2d 1101, 1107 (7th Cir.1984) (“It is
axiomatic that the complaint may not be amended by briefs in opposition to a motion to
dismiss.”). The facts cited in Plaintiff’s response to Santa Clara are not pled in the FAC and,
therefore, do not prevent dismissal of the FAC.
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Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
1
Court provides leave to amend because Plaintiff may be able to allege Monell liability.
2
D.
Damages
3
The Sunnyvale Defendants argue that the prayer for punitive damages against Sunnyvale
4
and the prayer for attorney’s fees should be dismissed. The United States Supreme Court has held
5
that a “municipality is immune from punitive damages under 42 U.S.C. § 1983.” Newport v. Fact
6
Concerts, 453 U.S. 247, 271 (1981). Accordingly, with respect to the prayer for punitive damages
7
against Sunnyvale, the Court GRANTS the Sunnyvale Defendants’ motion to dismiss with
8
prejudice as to Sunnyvale (but not Officer Lima). The Court does not provide leave to amend
9
because, in accordance with the United States Supreme Court precedent in Newport, amendment
10
would be futile.
With respect to the prayer for attorney’s fees, Plaintiff, who is pro se, will not be eligible
United States District Court
Northern District of California
11
12
for attorney’s fees should he prevail. Kay v. Ehler, 499 U.S. 432, 437–38 (1991) (refusing to
13
award attorney’s fees to a pro se litigant in a § 1983 case). Accordingly, Defendant’s motion to
14
dismiss is GRANTED. However, because Plaintiff may decide to hire an attorney during the
15
course of the instant case, which, if Plaintiff prevails, may allow an award of attorney’s fees for
16
the attorney’s work, see 42 U.S.C. § 1988 (awarding attorney’s fees to “prevailing party”), the
17
dismissal is without prejudice.
18
IV.
19
20
CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, the Court rules as follows:
With respect to Officer Lima, the Court GRANTS with leave to amend the
21
Sunnyvale Defendants’ motion to dismiss as to Plaintiff’s claims for unlawful entry
22
and seizure (Claim 1), deliberate falsification of evidence under Devereaux (Claim
23
4), and malicious prosecution (Claim 5). The Court DENIES the Sunnyvale
24
Defendants’ motion to dismiss as to Plaintiff’s claim for excessive force (Claim 2).
25
The Court GRANTS leave to add additional parties as to Plaintiff’s claims for
26
unlawful entry and seizure (Claim 1) and excessive force (Claim 2).
27
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Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
1
amend their motions to dismiss as to all of Plaintiff’s claims.
2
3
With respect to Sunnyvale and Santa Clara, the Court GRANTS with leave to
With respect to damages, the Court GRANTS with prejudice the Sunnyvale
4
Defendants’ motion to dismiss the prayer for punitive damages against Sunnyvale.
5
The Court GRANTS without prejudice the Sunnyvale Defendants’ motion to
6
dismiss the prayer for attorney’s fees.
7
Should Plaintiff elect to file an amended complaint curing the deficiencies identified
8
herein, Plaintiff shall do so within twenty-one (21) days of the date of this Order. Failure to meet
9
the twenty-one day deadline to file an amended complaint or failure to cure the deficiencies
identified in this Order will result in a dismissal with prejudice of Plaintiff’s claims. Plaintiff may
11
United States District Court
Northern District of California
10
not add new causes of action or parties without leave of the Court or stipulation of the parties
12
pursuant to Rule 15 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
13
IT IS SO ORDERED.
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15
16
17
Dated: January 24, 2017
______________________________________
LUCY H. KOH
United States District Judge
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Case No. 16-CV-02250-LHK
ORDER GRANTING COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING IN PART AND
DENYING IN PART CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND OFFICER LIMA’S MOTION TO DISMISS
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