Harris v. City of Henderson et al
Filing
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ORDER Granting 39 Motion to Dismiss Complaint. FURTHER ORDERED that Plaintiff shall file his second amended complaint by 7/5/2016. Signed by Chief Judge Gloria M. Navarro on 6/20/16. (Copies have been distributed pursuant to the NEF - JM)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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DISTRICT OF NEVADA
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HARVESTER HARRIS,
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Plaintiff,
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vs.
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CITY OF HENDERSON, a political
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subdivision of the State of Nevada; LAS
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VEGAS METROPOLITAN POLICE
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DEPARTMENT, a political subdivision of the )
State of Nevada; SHERIFF DOUG
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GILLESPIE, individually; CHIEF PATRICK )
MOERS, individually; OFFICER SCOTT
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NIELSON, P#4408, individually;
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DETECTIVE PERDUE, individually; DOE
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OFFICERS III-X; and JOHN DOES I-X,
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inclusive,
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Defendants.
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Case No.: 2:15-cv-00337-GMN-PAL
ORDER
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Pending before the Court is the Motion to Dismiss (ECF No. 39) filed by Defendants
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City of Henderson (“Henderson”), Chief Patrick Moers (“Chief Moers”), and Detective Perdue
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(collectively, “Henderson Defendants”). Plaintiff Harvester Harris (“Plaintiff”) filed a
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Response (ECF No. 40), and Defendants filed a Reply (ECF No. 41).
I.
BACKGROUND
This case arises out of a traffic stop involving Plaintiff and Defendants Officer Scott
Nielson (“Officer Nielson”) and Detective Perdue. Plaintiff was working as a cab driver on
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March 8, 2013, when “he was stopped by an unmarked SUV with Officer Nielson and
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Detective Perdue.” (Am. Compl. ¶ 20, ECF No. 28). Plaintiff further alleges that “Officer
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Nielson and Detective Perdue … identified themselves by badge as police officers.” (Id. ¶ 21).
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Moreover, Plaintiff alleges that “[b]oth Officer Nielson and Detective Perdue were in plain
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clothes and not acting as traffic officers,” yelled profanities at Plaintiff, and “Officer Nielson []
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grabbed [Plaintiff’s] hands and maliciously pulled his finger to inflict pain.” (Id. ¶ 23).
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Furthermore, Plaintiff alleges that, “[a]s a result of Defendants’ use of force, and choice not to
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prevent the use of excessive force, Plaintiff has suffered permanent injuries to his right middle
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finger.” (Id. ¶ 25). Additionally, Plaintiff alleges that he was unreasonably seized by Officer
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Nielson and Detective Perdue. (Id. ¶ 26).
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Plaintiff filed the instant action on February 25, 2015. (See Compl., ECF No. 1). On
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July 31, 2015, the parties filed a Stipulation to Amend Complaint (ECF No. 25), and on August
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10, 2015, Plaintiff filed his First Amended Complaint (ECF No. 28). Plaintiff’s Amended
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Complaint alleges the following causes of action: (1) 42 U.S.C. § 1983 violations against
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Defendant Officer Nielson and Detective Perdue; (2) 42 U.S.C. § 1983 violations against
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Defendant Gillespie, Defendant Moers and Doe Defendants III-X; (3) Monell claim against
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LVMPD and Henderson (“Henderson”); (4) false arrest/false imprisonment against all
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defendants; (5) intentional infliction of emotional distress against all defendants; and (6)
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negligence against all defendants. (Am. Compl. ¶¶ 28–72).
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II.
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LEGAL STANDARD
Dismissal is appropriate under Rule 12(b)(6) where a pleader fails to state a claim upon
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which relief can be granted. Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6); Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544,
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555 (2007). A pleading must give fair notice of a legally cognizable claim and the grounds on
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which it rests, and although a court must take all factual allegations as true, legal conclusions
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couched as a factual allegation are insufficient. Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555. Accordingly, Rule
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12(b)(6) requires “more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements
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of a cause of action will not do.” Id.
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“To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter,
accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556
U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555). “A claim has facial plausibility
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when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference
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that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Id. This standard “asks for more than a
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sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully.” Id.
“Generally, a district court may not consider any material beyond the pleadings in ruling
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on a Rule 12(b)(6) motion.” Hal Roach Studios, Inc. v. Richard Feiner & Co., 896 F.2d 1542,
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1555 n.19 (9th Cir. 1990). “However, material which is properly submitted as part of the
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complaint may be considered.” Id. Similarly, “documents whose contents are alleged in a
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complaint and whose authenticity no party questions, but which are not physically attached to
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the pleading, may be considered in ruling on a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss” without
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converting the motion to dismiss into a motion for summary judgment. Branch v. Tunnell, 14
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F.3d 449, 454 (9th Cir. 1994). On a motion to dismiss, a court may also take judicial notice of
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“matters of public record.” Mack v. S. Bay Beer Distrib., 798 F.2d 1279, 1282 (9th Cir. 1986).
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Otherwise, if a court considers materials outside of the pleadings, the motion to dismiss is
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converted into a motion for summary judgment. Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(d).
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If the court grants a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, leave to amend should
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be granted unless it is clear that the deficiencies of the complaint cannot be cured by
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amendment. DeSoto v. Yellow Freight Sys., Inc., 957 F.2d 655, 658 (9th Cir. 1992). Pursuant
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to Rule 15(a), the court should “freely” give leave to amend “when justice so requires,” and in
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the absence of a reason such as “undue delay, bad faith or dilatory motive on the part of the
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movant, repeated failure to cure deficiencies by amendments previously allowed, undue
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prejudice to the opposing party by virtue of allowance of the amendment, futility of the
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amendment, etc.” Foman v. Davis, 371 U.S. 178, 182 (1962).
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III.
DISCUSSION
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A. Claims Against Detective Perdue
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Plaintiff’s claims against Detective Perdue are premised on the allegations that
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“Detective Perdue failed to intervene in the handcuffing and excessive force used by Officer
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Nielson.” (Am. Compl. ¶ 29). A police officer has “a duty to intercede when [his] fellow
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officers violate the constitutional rights of a suspect or other citizen” and will be liable for the
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deprivation along with his fellow officers if he fails to intercede. Cunningham v. Gates, 229
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F.3d 1271, 1289–90 (9th Cir. 2000) (citing United States v. Koon, 34 F.3d 1416, 1447 n.25 (9th
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Cir. 1994)). However, an officer is liable for failing to intercede only if he had a “realistic
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opportunity” to do so. Id. Here, the allegations related to Detective Perdue’s conduct during
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Officer Nielson’s alleged use of excessive force and handcuffing are sparse. Based on these
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sparse allegations, the Court cannot infer that Detective Perdue had a “realistic opportunity” to
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intercede upon Officer Nielson’s actions and must dismiss Plaintiff’s claims against Detective
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Perdue. However, these claims are dismissed without prejudice. Because the Court cannot find
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that amendment would be futile, the Court grants leave to file a second amended complaint that
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cures the deficiencies identified in this Order.
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B. Section 1983 Claim Against Chief Moers
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Plaintiff’s second cause of action alleges a violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against Chief
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Moers. (Am. Compl. ¶¶ 40–47). Because this claim is premised upon the allegations of
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Detective Perdue’s failure to intercede, this claim is dismissed. Even still, the Court will
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further outline other legal deficiencies regarding this claim.
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“Personal-capacity suits … seek to impose individual liability upon a government officer
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for actions taken under color of state law. Thus, … ‘to establish personal liability in a § 1983
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action, it is enough to show that the official, acting under color of state law, caused the
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deprivation of a federal right.’” Hafer v. Melo, 502 U.S. 21, 25 (citation omitted) (quoting
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Kentucky v. Graham, 473 U.S. 159, 166 (1985)). However, at bottom, “each [g]overnment
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official, his or her title notwithstanding, is only liable for his or her own misconduct.” Iqbal,
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556 U.S. at 677.
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To adequately plead a local government official’s personal liability, a plaintiff must
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plead facts from which a court could reasonably infer (1) that the official was personally
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involved in the alleged constitutional deprivation, or (2) the existence of a sufficient causal
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connection between the supervisor’s wrongful conduct and the constitutional violation. Hansen
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v. Black, 885 F.2d 642, 645–46 (9th Cir. 1989). Thus, personal, supervisory liability “exists
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even without overt personal participation in the offensive act if supervisory officials implement
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a policy so deficient that the policy itself is a repudiation of constitutional rights and is the
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moving force of the constitutional violation.” Id. (internal quotation marks omitted).
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Here, neither party asserts that Chief Moers was personally involved in, or even present
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during, the alleged incident that resulted in Plaintiff’s injuries. Rather, Plaintiff asserts that he
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suffered the alleged constitutional violations as a result of a series of policies that all
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defendants, including Chief Moers, either implemented or ratified. (Am. Compl. ¶ 49).
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However, Plaintiff’s Complaint lacks any factual allegations specifically linking any of these
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polices or these actions to Chief Moers. Similarly, the Complaint lacks any allegations of
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discrete actions taken by Chief Moers that caused the alleged injuries. Accordingly, because
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Plaintiff has failed to provide anything beyond insufficient conclusory allegations, the Court
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must dismiss this claim against Chief Moers in his personal capacity. See Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678
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(citing Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555) (holding that a formulaic recitation of a cause of action with
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conclusory allegations is not sufficient; a plaintiff must plead facts showing that a violation is
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plausible, not just possible); see also Suever v. Connell, 579 F.3d 1047, 1061–62 (9th Cir.
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2009) (affirming the district court's dismissal of a § 1983 complaint for failing to “differentiate
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at all among the four named defendants” and failing “to tie any particular harm that any
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particular plaintiff allegedly suffered to any discrete action taken by [the government
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official]”).
For these reasons, the Court grants Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss as to Plaintiff’s §
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1983 claim against Chief Moers. However, this cause of action is dismissed without prejudice.
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Because the Court cannot find that amendment would be futile, the Court grants leave to file a
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second amended complaint that cures the deficiencies identified in this Order.
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B. State Law Claims Against Gillespie
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Plaintiff’s fourth, fifth, and sixth causes of action are those for various state torts. (Am.
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Compl. ¶¶ 57–72). Each claim as alleged against Chief Moers fails.
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Nevada law immunizes certain officers and employees of political subdivisions for the
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acts or omissions of other persons. In particular, “[n]o actions may be brought against (a) a
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sheriff or county assessor which is based solely upon any act or omission of a deputy; (b) a
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chief of a police department which is based solely upon any act or omission of an officer of the
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department ...” NRS 41.0335(1)(a)–(b). Plaintiff’s claims for false arrest, false imprisonment,
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and intentional infliction of emotional distress seek to hold Chief Moers liable for Officer
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Nielson and Detective Perdue’s alleged acts, and are therefore barred by Nevada law.
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Plaintiff’s sixth claim seeks to hold Chief Moers liable under a theory of negligent
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hiring, training, supervision, or retention. However, Chief Moers enjoys immunity from such a
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claim under Nevada’s discretionary immunity statute. See NRS 41.032(2); see also Beckwith v.
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Pool, 2013 WL 3049070 at *6–7 (D. Nev. Jun. 17, 2013). Accordingly, the state law claims
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against Chief Moers are dismissed without prejudice. Because the Court cannot find that
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amendment would be futile, the Court grants leave to file a second amended complaint that
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cures the deficiencies identified in this Order.
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C. Monell Claim Against LVMPD
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Plaintiff’s third cause of action alleges Monell claims against Henderson. (Am. Compl.
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¶¶ 48–56). Pursuant to Monell, municipalities can be sued directly under § 1983 for violations
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of constitutional rights. See Monell v. New York City Dep't of Soc. Servs., 436 U.S. 658, 690
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(1978). To bring a claim for the deprivation of a constitutional right by a local governmental
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entity, Plaintiff “must establish: (1) that he possessed a constitutional right of which he was
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deprived; (2) that the municipality had a policy; (3) that this policy ‘amounts to deliberate
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indifference’ to the [P]laintiff’s constitutional right; and (4) that the policy is the ‘moving force
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behind the constitutional violation.’” Oviatt By & Through Waugh v. Pearce, 954 F.2d 1470,
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1474 (9th Cir. 1992) (citing City of Canton, Ohio v. Harris, 489 U.S. 378, 389–91 (1989)).
In his Complaint, Plaintiff alleges that Officer Nielson and Detective Perdue’s conduct
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was pursuant to various customs, policies, practices, and/or procedures of Henderson, which
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directed, encouraged, allowed, and/or ratified as follows: (1) to arrest and or detain individuals
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for traffic violations by handcuffing citizens and the use of pain compliance techniques on
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traffic stops; (2) to fail to use appropriate and generally accepted law enforcement procedures
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by undercover officers; (3) to fail to use appropriate and generally accepted law enforcement
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procedures in requiring use of force reports to be used where an injury occurs; (4) to cover-up
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violations of constitutional rights; (5) to allow, tolerate, and/or encourage a “code of silence”
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among law enforcement officers and police department personnel; and (6) to tolerate poorly
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performing officers and failing to adequately discipline those officers for misconduct. (Am.
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Compl. ¶ 49). Moreover, Plaintiff alleges that Henderson “maintained de facto policies, and
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organizational customs and cultures to handcuff and use painful holds on citizens in traffic
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stops and to give ‘street justice’ to individuals whom … Henderson officers believed had
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disrespected their authority.” (Id. ¶ 50). Furthermore, Plaintiff alleges that “[t]he
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aforementioned customs, policies, practices, and procedures, were the moving force and/or a
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proximate cause of the deprivations of Plaintiff’s clearly-established and well-settled
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constitutional rights in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1983.” (Id. ¶ 54).
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However, this claim is premised upon the allegations of Detective Perdue’s failure to
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intercede. Accordingly, this claim is dismissed without prejudice. Because the Court cannot
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find that amendment would be futile, the Court grants leave to file a second amended complaint
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that cures the deficiencies identified in this Order.
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D. State Law Claims Against LVMPD
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Plaintiff’s fourth and fifth claims against Henderson do not contain any allegations as to
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Henderson. (Am. Compl. ¶¶ 57–65). Rather, the allegations solely relate to Officer Nielson
and Detective Perdue. Accordingly, the Court dismisses these two claims against Henderson.
Plaintiff’s sixth claim seeks to hold Henderson liable under a theory of negligent hiring,
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training, supervision, or retention. (Am. Compl. ¶¶ 66–72). However, Henderson enjoys
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immunity from such a claim under Nevada’s discretionary immunity statute. See NRS
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41.032(2); see also Beckwith v. Pool, 2013 WL 3049070 at *6–7 (D. Nev. Jun. 17, 2013).
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Accordingly, the state law claims against Henderson are dismissed without prejudice. Because
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the Court cannot find that amendment would be futile, the Court grants leave to file a second
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amended complaint that cures the deficiencies identified in this Order.
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IV.
CONCLUSION
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IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the Henderson Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss (ECF
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No. 39) is GRANTED. Accordingly, Plaintiff’s claims against the Henderson Defendants are
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dismissed without prejudice.
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IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Plaintiff is granted leave to file a second amended
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complaint to cure the deficiencies identified in this Order. Accordingly, Plaintiff shall file his
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second amended complaint by July 5, 2016. Failure to file a second amended complaint by
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this date shall result in the Court dismissing Plaintiff’s claims against the Henderson
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Defendants with prejudice.
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DATED this _____ day of June, 2016.
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Gloria M. Navarro, Chief Judge
United States District Judge
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