GRUBBS v. MILLER et al
Filing
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ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART 10 and 12 Motions to Dismiss for Failure to State a Claim. Signed by Chief Magistrate Judge Maureen P. Kelly on 01/16/18. (eca)
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA
PATRICIA GRUBBS,
Plaintiff,
v.
RUSSELL P. MILLER, JR., ALLEN
CLARKE, and SOUTH CONNELLSVILLE
BOROUGH,
Defendants.
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Civil Action No. 17-555
Chief Magistrate Judge Maureen P. Kelly
Re: ECF Nos. 10 and 12
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OPINION AND ORDER
KELLY, Chief Magistrate Judge 1
Plaintiff Patricia Grubbs ("Plaintiff') initiated this action against Defendants Russell P.
Miller, Jr., Allen Clarke, and the South Connellsville Borough (collectively, "Defendants"),
alleging various violations of her constitutional rights as well as a state-law claim for intentional
infliction of emotional distress ("IIED"). ECF No. 1.
Defendants move to dismiss Plaintiffs Complaint for failure to state claims upon which
relief can be granted pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). ECF Nos. 10, 12.
For the reasons that follow and as more fully set forth herein, the Motions to Dismiss will be
denied in part and granted in part, without prejudice and with leave to amend.
1
In accordance with the provisions of28 U.S.C. § 636(c)(l), the parties voluntarily consented to having a United
States Magistrate Judge conduct proceedings in this case, including the entry of a final judgment. ECF Nos. 16, 17
and 22,
1
I.
FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
In the Complaint, Plaintiff alleges the following facts which, in the context of a motion to
dismiss, must be accepted as true. Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 93-94 (2007). This action is
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the result of apparent personal animus between Defendants Russell P. Miller, Jr. ("Miller"),
Allen Clarke ("Clarke"), and Plaintiffs family, who are well known in South Connellsville
Borough (the "Borough") for their active involvement with the Borough's Volunteer Fire
Department. According to Plaintiff, Miller developed a personal vendetta against the Borough's
Volunteer Fire Department and its supporters, which he carried out through the abuse of his
authority as the Borough Chief of Police by fabricating evidence and filing unwarranted charges.
ECF No. 1 at 3, 8. In pursuit of this vendetta, Miller failed to enforce a Protection for Abuse
Order ("PFA") obtained by Plaintiffs daughter against Clarke, her ex-boyfriend, and failed to
act on Plaintiffs repeated reports of Clarke's violations of the PF A. Plaintiff alleges Clarke and
Miller "began meeting and conspiring to formulate a plan to violate Plaintiffs civil liberties ....
Miller wanted to continue his crusade in harassing individuals affiliated with the South
·Connellsville Volunteer Fire Department and the Grubbs family. Clarke wanted to seek revenge
against the family of Miss Pazicni for filing a PFA against him." Id. at 5.
According to Plaintiff, "Miller, at Clarke's urging" filed three criminal charges against
her, one for "Terroristic Threats with the Intent to Terrorize Another," one for disorderly
conduct, and one for harassment. Id. at 6. The Affidavit of Probable Cause alleges that Plaintiff
drove past Clarke's residence yelling a verbal threat and "causing alarm to the residents," and on
another occasion, threatened to "blow [Clarke's] head off with a gun." Id. Plaintiff states that the
events alleged in the criminal complaint were.completely fabricated by both Miller and Clarke.
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As a result of the criminal charges, Plaintiff was subject to an unsecured bond in the
amount of $5,000, to assure her attendance at scheduled judicial proceedings. Approximately six
months later, the Fayette County District Attorney filed a motion for nolle prosequi. In the
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intervening months, Miller was charged by the District Attorney with official oppression relative
to charges filed against another borough resident who is also affiliated with the Volunteer Fire
Department. Following his arrest, the Borough placed Miller on restricted duty. ECF No. 1, ~ 3133.
Plaintiff alleges that Miller's conduct of fabricating evidence and maliciously prosecuting
individuals occurred with sufficient frequency to constitute a pattern of conduct throughout his
term as Police Chief. In this regard, Plaintiff points to the filing of charges against four other
individuals, each of whom has also filed suit against Miller and the Borough. As to the
Borough's alleged responsibility for Miller's conduct, Plaintiff broadly contends that the
Borough Council and its President support Miller "as evidenced by statements made to the
media" by the Borough Council President after Miller's criminal citation, wherein she stated that
"the Borough has a ,'very good police department' and that she looks forward to Miller being
'vindicated and back at work."' Id. at 9. Plaintiff alleges that Clarke has been granted "certain
privileges" by Miller and the Council President, and continues to harass and threaten both her
and her daughter with impunity.
Plaintiff filed this suit on April 4, 2017, alleging claims for malicious prosecution and
I
fabrication of evidence against Miller and Clarke (Counts I and II), municipal liability, failure to
train, failure to supervise and failure to investigate against the Borough (Counts III, IV, V, and
VI), civil conspiracy and IIED against Miller and Clarke (Counts VII and VIII).· ECF No. 1. The
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pending Motions to Dismiss have been fully brief by the parties, and are ripe for disposition.
ECF Nos. 10, 11, 12, 13, 19, 21.
Il.
STANDARD OF REVIEW
In assessing the sufficiency of the complaint pursuant to a motion to dismiss under
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), the Court must accept as true all material allegations in
the complaint and all reasonable factual inferences must be viewed in the light most favorable to
the plaintiff Odd v. Malone, 538 F.3d 202, 205 (3d Cir. 2008). While a complaint does not
need detailed factual allegations to survive the motion to dismiss, a complaint must provide more
than labels and conclusions. Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007). A
"formulaic recitation of the elements,of a cause of action will not do." Id. (citing Papasan v.
Allain, 478 U.S. 265, 286 (1986)). "Factual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief
above the speculative level" and sufficient "to state a claim for relief that is plausible 'on its
face." Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 570.
"The plausibility standard is not akin to a 'probability requirement,' but it asks for more
than a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully .... Where a complaint pleads facts
that are 'merely consistent with' a defendant's liability, it 'stops short of the line between
possibility and plausibility of 'entitlement to relief."' Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009)
(quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 557).
In other words, at the motion to dismiss stage, a plaintiff is required to make "a showing'
rather than a blanket assertion of an entitlement to relief." Phillips v. County of Allegheny, 515
F.3d 224, 232 (3d Cir. 2008). "This 'does not impose a probability requirement at the pleading
stage,' but instead 'simply calls for enough facts to raise a reasonable expectation that discovery
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will reveal evidence of the necessary element."' Id. at 234, quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 556 n.
3.
III.
DISCUSSION
A. Count I - Malicious Prosecution
In Count I, Plaintiff sets forth a Fourth Amendment claim for malicious prosecution
against Miller and Clarke pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Miller seeks dismissal of the claim,
contending that Plaintiff has failed to plead that she suffered a deprivation of liberty, which
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Miller argues is required to establish a § 1983 malicious prosecution claim. Clarke seeks
dismissal on similar grounds, but also contends that he cannot be held liable to Plaintiff because
he is neither a state actor, as required for a § 1983 claim, nor did he initiate a criminal proceeding
against her.
As a preliminary matter, Plaintiff has brought her claims pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983
("Section
198~~'),
which "provides remedies for deprivations of rights established in the
Constitution or federal laws. It does not, by its own terms, create substantive rights." Kaucher v.
County of Bucks, 455 F.3d 418, 423 (3d Cir. 2006), citing Baker v. McCollan, 443 U.S. 137, 145 .
n. 3 (1979) (footnote omitted). Thus, in order to state a claim for relief under Section 1983, the
plaintiff must allege facts from which it could be inferred that "the defendant, acting under color
of state law, deprived him or her of a right secured by the Constitution or the laws of the United
States." Id.
To prevail on a Fourth Amendment claim of malicious prosecution under§ 1983, a
plaintiff must establish that: (1) defendant initiated a criminal proceeding; (2) the proceeding was
initiated without probable cause; (3) the criminal proceeding ended in plaintiffs favor; (4)
defendant acted maliciously or for a purpose other than: bringing the plaintiff to justice; and (5)
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plaintiff suffered deprivation of liberty consistent with the concept of seizure as a consequence of
a legal proceeding. See Kossler v. Crisanti, 564 F.3d 181, 186 (3d Cir. 2009) (emphasis added).
Miller contends that dismissal is warranted because Plaintiff fails to plead that she suffered a
deprivation of liberty, and instead alleges only that she was required to post unsecured bail to
ensure her attendance at court dates. ECF No. 11 at 5.
Miller's motion, primarily resting upon nonbinding case law from outside this
jurisdiction, is readily disposed of in favor of Plaintiff. In Black v. Montgomery County, 83 5
F.3d 358, 365-67 (3d Cir. 2016), the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
reiterated its previous conclusion that "[p]re-trial restrictions of liberty aimed at securing a
suspect' s court attendance are all 'seizures' . . . [because] the difference between detention in jail,
release on bond, and release subject to compliance with other conditions is in the degree of
restriction on the individual's liberty, not in the kind ofrestriction." Id., quoting Schneyder v.
Smith, 653 F.3d 313, 320 (3d Cir. 2011) (emphasis in original). In contrast, a plaintiff is not
seized when he or she is only issued a summons, never arrested, never posts bail and is free to
travel. DiBella v. Borough of Beachwood, 407 F.3d 599, 603 (3d Cir. 2005).
Plaintiff alleges she was charged with serious crimes, and was subject to a significant
bond to guarantee her presence at future court hearings; therefore her ability to travel at will was
limited. In addition, as reflected in the docket appended to her Complaint, Plaintiff was required
to appear to be fingerprinted iri conjunction with her charges. ECF No. 1-1 at 7. Under these
circumstancys, Plaintiff has set forth a plausible Fourth Amendment malicious prosecution claim
as to Miller and the Motion to Dismiss is denied.
Clarke's Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs malicious prosecution claim is also denied. Clarke
first argues that ~laintiff fails to sufficiently allege that criminal charges were initiated at his
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behest. ECF No. 13 at 6-7. This contention is at odds with the Complaint, wherein Plaintiff
alleges that "Miller, at Clarke's urging, filed three criminal charges against Mrs. Grubbs, all of
which were based on fabricated evidence." ECF No. 6 ~ 25 (italics added). Clarke finds fault
with the Plaintiffs use of the word "urging" as akin to "coaxing" or "cheerleading" and not the
required "initiating" needed to satisfy the first element of a malicious prosecution claim. Despite
Clarke's protests to the contrary, the import of "urging" is clear in the context of the entirety of
Plaintiffs Complaint, which sets forth a plausible claim that at Clarke's behest, and predicated
upon evidence and statements provided by Clarke, criminal charges were filed against Plaintiff.
Id. ~~ 25-30.
Clarke next contends that because he is a private party who did not act under color of
state law, Section 1983 does not apply to him. Section 1983 provides in relevant part:
Every person who, under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or
usage, of any State or Territory or the District of Columbia, subjects, or causes to
be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other person within the
jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges or immunities
secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an
action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress.
42 U.S.C. § 1983. Thus, to set forth a Section 1983 claim, a complaint must allege not only the
violation of a right secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States, but also that the
alleged deprivation was committed by a person acting under color of state law. See Harvey v.
Plains Tp. Police Dept, 635 F.3d 606, 609 (3d Cir. 2011) (citations omitted); see also West v.
Atkins, 487 U.S. 42, 48 (1988). The state action requirement assures "that constitutional
standards are invoked 'when it can be said that the State is responsible for the specific conduct of
which the plaintiff complain$."' Brentwood Academy v. Tennessee Secondary Sch. Athletic
Ass'n, 531 U.S. 288, 295 (2001) (internal citation omitted).
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Plaintiff responds that in an appropriate case, a private person may be found to be a state
actor by virtue of close cooperation with a state agent. One such circumstance is when the
private actor willfully participates in a joint action or conspiracy with the state actor to deprive
theplaintiffofherconstitutionalrights. SeeAbbottv. Latshaw, 164F.3d 141, 147-148 (3dCir.
1998) ("Although not an agent of the state, a private party who willfully participates in a Joint
conspiracy with state officials to deprive a person of a constitutional right acts under color of
state law for purposes of§ 1983.") (internal quotation marks omitted); see also Luck v. Mount
Airy No. 1, LLC, 901 F. Supp.2d 547, 562-63 (M.D. Pa. 2012) (denying a motion to dismiss a
Section 1983 claim where the plaintiff sufficiently alleged that the state troopers and casino
security guards conspired to violate the plaintiff's constitutional rights).
Allegations of a conspiracy sufficient to hold a private party accountable as a state actor
for purposes of Section 1983 are set forth when the complaint alleges an agreement, .
understanding, or "meeting of the minds" to violate the plaintiff's rights. Startzell v. City of
Philadelphia, 533 F.3d 183, 205 (3d Cir. 2008) (quoting Adickes v. S.H. Kress & Co., 398 U.S.
144, 158 (1970)). The complaint should contain specific allegations to infer an agreement or
understanding between the private and state actor defendants. See Great Western Mining &
Mineral Co. v. Fox Rothschild LLP, 615 F.3d 159, 179 (3d Cir. 2010). At this preliminary stage
of the litigation, Plaintiff's Complaint sufficiently alleges a plausible claim for conspiracy
between Miller. and Clarke so as to permit her § 1983 claim to proceed as to Clarke. See, ECF
No. 1 ~~ 23 -30. 2
Finally, Miller and Clarke contend that because Plaintiff has alleged a fabrication of
evidence claim, her malicious prosecution claim is duplicative and should be dismissed. At his
2
For these reasons, Defendants' motions to dismiss Count VII (Civil Conspiracy) are denied.
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early stage, The Court
declin~s
to require Plaintiff to choose between a viable Fourth
Amendment malicious prosecution claim and a viable Fourteenth Afi1endment fabrication of
evidence claim, and on this basis the motion is denied.
B. Count II- Fabrication of Evidence
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In Black v. Montgomery County, the United .States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
held "an acquitted criminal defendant may have a stand-alone fabricated evidence claim against
state actors under the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment ifthere is a reasonable
likelihood that, absent that fabricated evidence, the defendant would not have been criminally
charged." 835 F.3d at 371. In defining the contours ofa fabrication claim, the Court of Appeals
stressed that there are "hurdles facing a plaintiff alleging a due process violation for fabrication
of evidence." Id. at 372. First, to present a jury question, a plaintiff must provide "persuasive
evidence" that the evidence in question was fabricated. Id. Specifically, testimony that is
incorrect or simply disputed should not be treated as fabricated merely because it turns out to
have been wrong. Halsey v. Pfeiffer, 750 F.3d 273, 295 (3d Cir. 2014). The plaintiff must also
"demonstrate that the fabricated evidence 'was so significant that it could have affected the
outcome of the criminal case."' Black, 835 F.3d at 372 (quoting Halsey, 750 F.3d at 295).
Defendants Miller and Clarke seek dismissal of Plaintiffs fabrication of evidence claim
because she fails to plead a deprivation of liberty and otherwise insufficiently alleges that, absent
the fabricated e~idence, she would not have been criminally charged. The Court disagrees,
given Plaintiffs straight forward allegation that her arrest was predicated upon a fabricated story
of harassment and intimidation. Similarly, as with Plaintiffs malicious prosecution claim, the
imposition of an unsecured bail requirement alleges a deprivation of liberty sufficient to support
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a plausible claim. While there may be significant hurdles to address at the summary judgment
stage of this action, at this point, Plaintiff has alleged facts sufficient to state a claim.
C. Counts III, IV; V, and VI- Municipal Liability
Because Plaintiff's malicious prosecution and fabrication of evidence claims survive
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dismissal, we tum next to her municipal liability claims against the Borough for its alleged
policy or custom of violating the constitutional rights of supporters and members of the
Volunteer Fire Department, and its failure to train, supervise and/or investigate claims against
the Borough Police Chief. The Borough argues that Plaintiff has failed to allege facts showing
that it directed or participated in a policy or custom to violate the rights of its residents generally,
or that any such policy or custom caused her injuries. ECF No. 11 at 10-11. Further, the Borough
contends that Plaintiff has failed to allege sufficient facts indicating the Borough was on notice
of Miller's unconstitutional conduct so as to give rise to liability for alleged failure to ,superviSe,
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tram or mvest1gate.
A municipality cannot be held liable for the unconstitutional acts of its employees on a
theory of respondeat superior. Monell v. Department of Social Services of City of New York
436 U.S. 658, 691 (1978). A plaintiffseeking to hold a municipality liable under§ 1983 must
demonstrate that the violation ofrights was caused by the municipality's policy or custom. Id. at
690-91. Liability is imposed "when the policy or custom itself violates the Constitution or when
the policy or custom, while not unconstitutional itself, is the 'moving force' behind the
constitutional tort of one [of] its employees." Colburn v. Upper Darby Twp., 946 F.2d 1017,
1027 (3d Cir. 1991) (quoting Polk County v. Dodson, 454 U.S. 312, 326 (1981).
Where the policy "'concerns a failure to train or supervise municipal employees, liability
under § 1983 requires a showing that the failure amounts to "deliberate indifference" to the
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rights of persons with whom those employees will come into contact.'" Thomas v. Cumberland
County, 749 F.3d 217, 222 (3d Cir. 2014), quoting Carter v. City of Phila., 181F.3d339, 357 (3d
Cir.1999) and City of Canton, Ohio v. Harris, 489 U.S. 378, 388 (1989). "Additionally, 'the
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identified deficiency in a [] training program must be closely related to the ultimate injury;' or in
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other words, 'the deficiency in training [must have] actually caused' the constitutional violation."
Id. quoting Canton, 489 U.S. at 391.
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Therefore, to state a claim under Monell, a plaintiff must establish that the (1) the
municipality had a policy or custom that deprived the plaintiff of her constitutional rights; (2) the
municipality acted deliberately and was the moving force behind the deprivation; and (3) the
plaintiffs injuries were caused by the identified policy or custom. Monell, 436 U.S. at 692-4.
In support of her broad claim of municipality participation or acquiescence, Plaintiff
alleges that Miller fabricated evidence and initiated baseless criminal charges against four other
Borough residents. However, without reaching the questions of whether four otlier contemporaneous instances are sufficient to establish a pattern or custom, Plaintiff does not
allege the Borough's ratification of these activities, or any other circumstances evidencing
knowledge of the incidents, or that the Borough otherwise participated in or directed Miller's
pursuit of what she has classified as a personal vendetta. E<;:F 1 at 14.
See~.
Watson v.
Abington Twp., 478 F.3d 144, 154 (3d Cir. 2007); Kocher v. Larksville Borough, 926 F. Supp.
2d 579, 607 (M.D. Pa.), aff'd, 548.F. App'x 813 (3d Cir. 2013). Accordingly, Plaintiffhas not
alleged facts sufficient to set forth a plausible claim for § 1983 municipal liability either directly
or as a result of the Borough's alleged failure to train, supervise or investigate, and Defendants
motion to dismiss Couµts III (Municipal Liability), IV (Failure to Train), V (Failure to
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Supervise), and VI (Failure to Investigate) will be granted, without prejudice, and with leave to
amend.
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D. Count VII and VIII - Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
Plaintiff alleges a claim against Defendants Miller and Clarke for IIED, stating that
Defendants' conduct in conspiring to fabricate evidence and cause her to be prosecuted was
outrageous and conducted with an intent to inflict serious emotional distress. ECF No. 1 at 2021. As a result, Plaintiff alleges she suffered severe emotional distress, fright, horror, and shock
that manifested in anxiety, emotional trauma, gastrointestinal discomfort, nausea and pain. Id.
Defendants Miller and Clarke seek dismissal of Plaintiffs claim, contending that as alleged in
Plaintiffs complaint, their conduct was not sufficiently outrageous to support an IIED claim.
ECF No. 11 at 16-17; ECF No. 13 at 13-15. Clarke further cites Plaintiffs failure to allege any
specific conduct on his part that supports a finding that resulted in harm.
To plead an intentional infliction of emotional distress claim under Pennsylvania law,
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Plaintiff must allege each Defendant (1) engaged in intentional or reckless conduct; (2) to an
extreme and outrageous level; (3) which actually caused the distress; and (4) the distress is
severe. Regan v. Township of Lower Merion, 36 F. Supp.2d 245, 251 (E.D. Pa. 1999). "In
Pennsylvania, '[l]iability on an intentional infliction of emotional distress claim has been found
only where the conduct has been so outrageous in character, and so
e~treme
in degree, as to go
beyond all possible bounds of decency, and to be regarded as atrocious, and utterly intolerable in
a civilized community."' Kasper v. County of Bucks, 514 F. App'x. 210, 217 (3d Cir. 2013)
(internal citations and quotations omitted). A plaintiff must plead facts demonstrating
outrageous conduct by each defendant. See Kazatsky v. King David Memorial Park, Inc., 527
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A.2d 988, 991 (Pa. 1987) (holding the tort of intentional infliction of emotional distress requires
outrageous conduct on the part of the tortfeasor).
In addition, to maintain his claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress, Plaintiff
must allege that she suffered "severe" emotional distress resulting from each Defendant's
actions. "[F]right, horror, grief, shame, humiliation, embarrassment, anger, chagrin,
disappointment, worry and nausea" all indicate "severe" emotional distress. Lane v. Cole, 88 F.
Supp.2d 402, 407 (E.D. Pa. 2000) (quoting Kazatsky v. King David Memorial Park, Inc., 527 at
991 (quoting Restatement (Second) of Torts§ 46 cmt. d)). In Lane, the party alleged she
"continue[d] to suffer 'fear, anxiety, stress, anger, headaches, nightmares, humiliation,
embarrassment, emotional distress [and] mental anguish"' which the court found sufficient to
raise an inference of severe emotional distress.
Whether false allegations of criminal wrongdoing are sufficient to state a claim of IIED
under Pennsylvania's exacting standard requires the development of evidence as to the
underlying claims and the r~sulting injury, if any. See, e.g., Martin v. Finley, 2016 WL
8257720, at *9 (M.D. Pa. Aug. 17, 2016), report and recommendation adopted in part, overruled
in part, 2017 WL 626752 (M.D. Pa. Feb. 15, 2017) (reviewing cases and determining that
resolution is dependent upon fact-specific nature of claim asserted). Accordingly, at the pleading
stage, Plaintiff has asserted sufficient well-pleaded facts for this claim to proceed forward, and
Defendants' Motion to Dismiss at to Counts VII and VIII is denied. See also Watson v. Witmer,
183 F. Supp. 3d 607, 617 (M.D. Pa. 2016).
E. Punitive Damages
Defendants Borough and Miller seek dismissal of Plaintiffs demands for punitive
damages as to Miller in his official capacity and as to the Borough. ECF No. 11 at 17. Plaintiff
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acknowledges that she has not asserted any claims against Miller in his official capacity, and
appears to concede that punitive damages are not recoverable against the Borough. ECF No. 19
at 19-20. Accordingly, the Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs demands for punitive damages against
Miller, in his official capacity only, 'and against the Borough, is granted and the claims are
dismissed with prejudice.
IV.
CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, the Motions to Dismiss filed on behalf ~f Defendants
Miller, Clarke, and South Connellsville Borough are properly granted in part and denied in part.
Accordingly, the following Order is entered:
ORDER
AND NOW, this J/1.IJ:;:;;::.uary 2018, itis hereby ORDERED that for the reasons
stated in the foregoing Opinion, Defendants' Motions to Dismiss, ECF Nos. 10 and 12, are
GRANTED in part and DENIED in part as follows:
(1) The Motions to Dismiss Count I (Malicious Prosecution) and Count II (Fabrication of
1
Evidence) against Defendants Miller and Clarke are DENIED;
(2) The Motion to Dismiss Count III (Municipal Liability under Monell), Count IV
(Failure to Train), Count V (Failure to Supervise), and Count VI (Failure to
Investigate) against Defendant Borough o~ South Connellsville is GRANTED and
these Counts are DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE and with leave to amend;
(3) The Motions to Dismiss Count VII for Civil Conspiracy and Count VIII for
Intentional Infliction of Emotion Distress against Defendants Miller and Clarke are
DENIED;
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(4) The Motion to Dismiss demands for punitive damages against Defendant Borough of
South Connellsville and Defendant Miller in his official capacity only is GRANTED
and such claims are DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE.
Plai~tiff is
granted thirty (30) days from the date of this Order to file an Amended Complaint or a
notice of Plaintiffs decision to not file a Second Amended Complaint. Defendants' responses as
to remaining claiming shall be filed within thirty (30) days after such filing.
MAUREENP.
L
CHIEF UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE
cc:
All counsel of record via CM/ECF
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