Clark v. Clawson et al

Filing 24

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION: The Magistrate Judge RECOMMENDS that Defendants' motion to dismiss (Doc. No. 4 ) be GRANTED and that Corey Clark's motion to amend (Doc. No. 20 ) be DENIED. Signed by Magistrate Judge Alistair Newbern on 1/5/2021. (xc:Pro se party by regular mail. ) (DOCKET TEXT SUMMARY ONLY-ATTORNEYS MUST OPEN THE PDF AND READ THE ORDER.)(vh)

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF TENNESSEE
NASHVILLE DIVISION

COREY CLARK,
Plaintiff,

Case No. 3:20-cv-00230

v.

Chief Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw, Jr.
Magistrate Judge Alistair E. Newbern

REMINGTON CLAWSON et al.,
Defendants.

To:

The Honorable Waverly D. Crenshaw, Jr., Chief District Judge
REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION
This civil rights action arises out of pro se Plaintiff Corey Clark’s arrest and detention in

the Wilson County Jail in Lebanon, Tennessee. (Doc. No. 3-1.) Defendants Wilson County
Sheriff’s Deputy Remington Clawson; Wilson County, Tennessee; and the City of Lebanon,
Tennessee, have filed a motion to dismiss Clark’s complaint under Federal Rule of Civil
Procedure 12(b)(6). (Doc. No. 4.) Defendants argue that Clark’s complaint is untimely and fails to
state any claims for which relief can be granted. (Doc. No. 5.) Clark has responded in opposition
to the motion to dismiss (Doc. No. 21), and Defendants have filed a reply (Doc. No. 23). Clark has
also filed a motion for leave to amend his complaint under Rule 15(a)(2) and a proposed amended
complaint. (Doc. Nos. 20, 20-1.) Defendants oppose Clark’s motion to amend, arguing that the
proposed amendments are futile because Clark’s claims are still untimely and would not survive a
motion to dismiss. (Doc. No. 22.) For the reasons that follow, the Magistrate Judge will
recommend that Defendants’ motion to dismiss be granted and that Clark’s motion to amend be
denied.

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Factual and Procedural Background 1

I.

Clark initiated this action on February 13, 2020, by filing a complaint in the Chancery
Court of Wilson County, Tennessee. (Doc. No. 3-1.) Clark’s complaint alleges that, in the early
morning hours of Sunday, February 10, 2019, he was driving near his home in Mount Juliet,
Tennessee, when Defendant Clawson pulled him over. (Id.) Clark gave Clawson his driver’s
license and registration, as requested, and asked “to know [Clawson’s] probable cause for”
stopping him. (Id. at PageID# 20.) Clawson “stat[ed] that he had pulled [Clark] over for a ‘Light
Law Violation’.” (Id.) Clark states that “both [f]ront [h]eadlights on his automobile were
completely operational and in working condition and, just days before, [he] had purchased bulbs
for the automobile[’]s rear brake lights . . . [and] replace[d] the older rear bulbs with the newly
purchased bulbs on the same date of purchase.” (Id.) Clark “provided [Clawson] with the receipt
from the local Auto Zone reflecting this recent purchase[,]” and Clawson “looked at the receipt
and[ ] handed it back to [Clark] stating, ‘ok just hang tight for me and I’ll be right back’.” (Id.)
Clawson returned and “asked [Clark] if he wanted to get out of the automobile to check the
rear light that [Clawson] alleged was the probable cause for him to [p]ull [Clark] over . . . .” (Id.)
Clark said he would get out and check the lights, then exited his vehicle and took a step towards
the rear of the car where he saw both taillights working. (Doc. No. 3-1.) “Almost simultaneously,
Deputy Clawson grabbed [Clark’s] left wrist” and began patting down Clark’s pockets. (Id. at
PageID# 21.) Clark objected that Clawson did not have his consent to search him, but Clawson
said “he ‘was just making sure for his safety that [Clark] did not have any dangerous weapons on
his person and directed [Clark] to remain still with his legs apart and to outstretch both arms’.”

1

The facts in this section are drawn from Clark’s complaint (Doc. No. 3-1) and taken as true
for purposes of resolving the pending motion to dismiss.

2
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(Id.) Clark continued to object that Clawson did not have his consent to search him. Clawson then
handcuffed Clark’s wrists behind his back and told him he was under arrest. (Doc. No. 3-1.)
Clawson said that, “after running [his] name through a national database on [Clawson’s] computer,
it appeared that [Clark] had a warrant for his arrest out of Yuma, Arizona for alleged intimidation.”
(Id. at PageID# 21.) Clawson “stated that he ‘thought the warrant looked odd . . .’” and “stated
multiple times that ‘he had never seen such a warrant before and it was very generic in form and
substance’.” (Id.) Clark told Clawson that he had paperwork with him from an Arizona court,
signed by the local Arizona sheriff’s office, stating that the warrant Clawson found was void. (Doc.
No. 3-1.) But “Clawson did not want to look at [the] paperwork” and told Clark that, no matter
what it said, “‘[h]e was still obligated to take [Clark] to jail because [Clark’s] name showed up in
his computer’.” (Id. at PageID# 23.) At Clark’s request, Clawson called a supervisor who “directed
[him] . . . to bring [Clark] in to the Wilson County Jail anyway, in spite of the [p]aperwork [Clark]
continued to offer [Clawson] . . . .” (Id.)
Clawson transported Clark to the Wilson County Jail in Lebanon. (Doc. No. 3-1.) Clark
“was charged with one count of being a Fugitive from Justice under T.C.A. [§] 40-9-103.” (Id. at
PageID# 26.) He was booked into the jail, had his possessions taken from him, was strip searched,
and was confined in a dirty cell with blood and feces on the walls, ceiling, and door. (Doc. No. 31.) Clark states that he “was in jail from 2:00 A.M. Sunday [m]orning . . . [t]hrough all day and
night Monday and was not allowed to see a [j]udge until sometime early Tuesday [a]fternoon.”
(Id. at PageID# 27.) On Tuesday, February 12, 2019, following a hearing in Wilson County Court,
the charge against Clark was dropped and he was released from jail. (Doc. No. 3-1.)

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Clark’s complaint alleges violations of federal and Tennessee laws arising from his arrest
and detention. (Id.) Specifically, Clark states that his complaint is filed under 42 U.S.C. § 1983
and Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 8-8-302 and 8-19-301. (Id.) He seeks $100,000.00 in damages. (Id.)
Defendants removed the action to this Court on March 16, 2020. (Doc. No. 1.) Defendants
then filed a motion to dismiss Clark’s complaint under Rule 12(b)(6) and a supporting
memorandum of law. (Doc. Nos. 4, 5.) Defendants argue that all of Clark’s claims are subject to a
one-year statute of limitations and that his complaint is untimely because Clark filed it after the
limitations period had passed. (Doc. No. 5.) They further argue that Clark lacks any cause of action
under Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-19-301 and that he has failed to state any federal claims against Wilson
County and the City of Lebanon. (Id.) Clark argues that his complaint was timely filed, that its
allegations are sufficient to withstand a motion to dismiss, and, if the allegations are insufficient,
that he should be granted leave to amend under Rule 15(a). (Doc. No. 21.) Defendants reply that
Clark filed his complaint at least one day late, that he has not adequately pleaded the majority of
his claims, and that any amendments would be futile because Clark’s claims remain time-barred.
(Doc. No. 23.)
On the same day he filed his response in opposition to Defendants’ motion to dismiss,
Clark filed a motion for leave to amend his complaint under Rule 15(a)(2) and a proposed amended
complaint. (Doc. Nos. 20, 20-1.) The proposed amended complaint adds three defendants and
several legal claims arising out of the same alleged events, including claims asserted under
18 U.S.C. §§ 241 and 242, and 42 U.S.C. §§ 1985 and 1986. (Doc. No. 20-1.) Defendants argue
that Clark’s motion to amend should be denied as futile because, among other reasons, neither
§ 241 nor § 242 provides a private cause of action and the remaining proposed claims in the

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amended complaint are subject to one-year limitations periods that Defendants argue Clark did not
meet. (Doc. No. 22.) Clark did not file an optional reply in support of his motion to amend.
II.

Legal Standards
A.

Motion to Dismiss

In deciding a motion to dismiss under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), the Court
must “construe the complaint in the light most favorable to the plaintiff, accept all well-pleaded
factual allegations in the complaint as true, and draw all reasonable inferences in favor of the
plaintiff.” Courtright v. City of Battle Creek, 839 F.3d 513, 518 (6th Cir. 2016). Federal Rule of
Civil Procedure 8(a)(2) requires only that a complaint contain “a short and plain statement of the
claim[.]” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). However, “[t]he factual allegations in the complaint need to be
sufficient to give notice to the defendant as to what claims are alleged, and the plaintiff must plead
‘sufficient factual matter’ to render the legal claim plausible, i.e., more than merely possible.” Fritz
v. Charter Twp. of Comstock, 592 F.3d 718, 722 (6th Cir. 2010) (quoting Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556
U.S. 662, 677 (2009)).
“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.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678 (quoting
Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 556 (2007)). A plaintiff must plead more than “‘labels
and conclusions[,]’” “‘a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action[,]’” or “‘naked
assertion[s]’ devoid of ‘further factual enhancement.’” Id. (third alteration in original) (quoting
Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 557). “A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual
content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the
misconduct alleged.” Id.
Because Clark proceeds pro se, the Court construes his filings “‘liberally’” and holds his
complaint “‘to less stringent standards than formal pleadings drafted by lawyers[.]’” Erickson v.
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Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 94 (2007) (quoting Estelle v. Gamble, 429 U.S. 97, 106 (1976)). There are
limits to liberal construction, however, and “courts are not required to conjure up unpleaded
allegations or guess at the nature of an argument.” Brown v. Cracker Barrel Rest., 22 F. App’x
577, 578 (6th Cir. 2001) (citing Wells v. Brown, 891 F.2d 591, 594 (6th Cir. 1989)).
B.

Motion to Amend

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15(a)(2) provides that district courts should “freely” grant
a motion for leave to amend a pleading “when justice so requires.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 15(a)(2). This
“mandate” flows from the principle that a plaintiff “ought to be afforded an opportunity to test [a]
claim on the merits” where “the underlying facts or circumstances relied upon . . . may be a proper
subject of relief . . . .” Foman v. Davis, 371 U.S. 178, 182 (1962). Thus, absent “any apparent or
declared reason—such as undue delay, bad faith or dilatory motive on the part of the movant,
repeated failure to cure deficiencies by amendments previously allowed, undue prejudice to the
opposing party by virtue of allowance of the amendment, futility of the amendment, etc.—the
leave sought should, as the rules require, be ‘freely given.’” Leary v. Daeschner, 349 F.3d 888,
905 (6th Cir. 2003) (quoting Foman, 371 U.S. at 182). A proposed amendment is futile when it
would not survive a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6). Miller v. Calhoun Cnty., 408 F.3d 803,
817 (6th Cir. 2005); Rose v. Hartford Underwriters Ins. Co., 203 F.3d 417, 420 (6th Cir. 2000).
“A district court’s order denying a Rule 15(a) motion to amend is usually reviewed for an abuse
of discretion.” Riverview Health Inst. LLC v. Med. Mut. of Ohio, 601 F.3d 505, 512 (6th Cir. 2010);
but see id. (reviewing de novo district court’s denial of “motion for leave to amend on the basis of
futility”). Nevertheless, Sixth Circuit case law “manifests ‘liberality in allowing amendments to a
complaint.’” Newberry v. Silverman, 789 F.3d 636, 645 (6th Cir. 2015) (quoting Janikowski v.
Bendix Corp., 823 F.2d 945, 951 (6th Cir. 1987)).

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III.

Analysis
As a threshold matter, the Court finds that Clark’s original complaint fails to state a claim
for relief under Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-19-301 because this statute, which addresses the obligations
of the principal and sureties to official bonds, “does not create a separate cause of liability . . . .”
Ledbetter v. Knox Cnty., No. 3:05-CV-248, 2006 WL 354200, at *2 (E.D. Tenn. Feb. 15, 2006)
(citing Waters v. Bates, 227 F. Supp. 462, 465–66 (E.D. Tenn. 1964), aff’d sub nom. Waters v.
McClary, 344 F.2d 75 (6th Cir. 1965)). Similarly, the Court finds that Clark’s proposed

amendments adding claims under 18 U.S.C. §§ 241 and 242 are futile because these “are criminal
statutes, which do not create private rights of action for their violation.” Moriani v. Hunter, 462 F.
Supp. 353, 355 (S.D.N.Y. 1978); see also Cent. Bank of Denver, N.A. v. First Interstate Bank of
Denver, N.A., 511 U.S. 164, 190 (1994) (noting that the Supreme Court is “quite reluctant to infer
a private right of action from a criminal prohibition alone”); Young v. Overly, No. 17-6242, 2018
WL 5311408, at *2 (6th Cir. July 2, 2018) (holding that “criminal statutes generally do not create
private causes of action”). Clark offers no reason why his claims are exceptions to this general
rule.
The remaining claims in Clark’s original and proposed amended complaints are brought
under 42 U.S.C. §§ 1983, 1985, and 1986, and Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-8-302. (Doc. Nos. 3-1, 20-1.)
Defendants’ primary arguments in favor of dismissal and in opposition to granting leave to amend
these claims turn on whether or not Clark filed his original complaint within the applicable
limitations period. (Doc. Nos. 5, 22, 23.) Because “[t]he statute of limitations is an affirmative
defense, and a plaintiff generally need not plead the lack of affirmative defenses to state a valid
claim,” the Sixth Circuit has held that “a motion under Rule 12(b)(6), which considers only the
allegations in the complaint, is generally an inappropriate vehicle for dismissing a claim based
upon the statute of limitations.” Cataldo v. U.S. Steel Corp., 676 F.3d 542, 547 (6th Cir. 2012)
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(first citing Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(c); then citing Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a); and then citing Jones v. Bock, 549
U.S. 199, 216 (2007)). However, “sometimes the allegations in the complaint affirmatively show
that the claim is time-barred. When that is the case, . . . dismissing the claim under Rule 12(b)(6)
is appropriate.” Id. (citing Jones, 549 U.S. at 215).
Defendants argue, and Clark does not dispute, that all of Clark’s asserted causes of action
in the original and proposed amended complaints are subject to a one-year limitations period. 2
2

Clark’s original complaint asserts claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and Tenn. Code Ann.
§ 8-8-302 (Doc. No. 3-1); his proposed amended complaint adds claims under 42 U.S.C. §§ 1985
and 1986 (Doc. No. 20-1). Because §§ 1983 and 1985 do not contain their own limitations periods,
courts apply “the state statute of limitations applicable to personal injury actions under the law of
the state in which the § 1983 [or § 1985] claim arises.” Eidson v. State of Tenn. Dep’t of Child.’s
Servs., 510 F.3d 631, 634 (6th Cir. 2007); see also Craft v. Vanderbilt Univ., 18 F. Supp. 2d 786,
797–98 (M.D. Tenn. 1998) (applying Tennessee’s personal injury statute of limitations to claims
brought under §§ 1983 and 1985). As relevant here, Tennessee provides a one-year limitations
period for “[a]ctions for . . . injuries to the person, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution[;]
. . . [c]ivil actions for compensatory or punitive damages, or both, brought under the federal civil
rights statutes; and . . . [a]ctions for statutory penalties.” Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104(a)(1)(A)–
(C). Claims brought under § 1986 are subject to a one-year limitations period set by the statute
itself. See 42 U.S.C. § 1986 (“[N]o action under the provisions of this section shall be sustained
which is not commenced within one year after the cause of action has accrued.”).
Clark’s original and proposed amended complaints also assert claims under Tenn. Code
Ann. § 8-8-302, which provides a cause of action against a county for “any wrong, injury, loss,
damage or expense resulting from any act or failure to act on the part of any deputy appointed by
the sheriff . . . ; provided, that the deputy is, at the time of such occurrence, acting by virtue of or
under color of the office.” Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-8-302. The Tennessee Court of Appeals has
“observe[d], however, that § 302 contains no limitations period . . . .” Cross v. Shelby Cnty.,
No. W2005-01231-COA-R3-CV, 2006 WL 1005168, at *5 (Tenn. Ct. App. Apr. 18, 2006); see
also id. (“[W]e invite the General Assembly to consider the limitations period applicable to claims
brought under Tennessee Code Annotated § 8-8-302.”). Where, as here, “[t]here is no statute in
Tennessee that specifically addresses the statute of limitations applicable to a claim . . . and no
decisional law that is directly on point[,]” Tennessee courts “look to the limitations periods that
apply to similar types of claims and the injuries associated with them.” Blalock v. Preston Law
Grp., P.C., No. M2011–00351–COA–R3–CV, 2012 WL 4503187, at *5 (Tenn. Ct. App. Sept. 28,
2012); see also Spence v. Miles Lab’ys, Inc., 37 F.3d 1185, 1189 (6th Cir. 1994) (holding that, if
a state statute “does not reference a statute of limitations or repose, we look to the ‘gravamen’ of
the action, rather than any designation as either contract or tort, in determining what limitations
period is controlling”). Defendants argue that the applicable limitations period for Clark’s claim
under § 8-8-302 is the same one-year period in Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104(a)(1) that governs his
claims under 42 U.S.C. §§ 1983 and 1985. Clark offers no contrary argument or authority.
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(Doc. Nos. 5, 22, 23.) The parties disagree, however, about how to calculate the one-year period;
specifically, whether or not February 13, 2020—the day Clark filed his original complaint—falls
inside or outside the limitations period.
Clark’s original and proposed amended complaints allege that he was arrested and detained
on Sunday, February 10, 2019, and released from the Wilson County Jail on Tuesday, February
12, 2019. (Doc. Nos. 3-1, 20-1.) Clark argues that he calculated the limitations period using
Tennessee Rule of Civil Procedure 6.01 (Doc. No. 21), which provides that, “[i]n computing any
period of time prescribed or allowed . . . by any applicable statute, the date of the act, event or
default after which the designated period of time begins to run is not to be included.” Tenn. R. Civ.
P. 6.01. Clark argues that, “[b]ecause [he] understood that the [f]irst day [he] could file a [l]awsuit
was the day [he] was released from Wilson County Jail and the Rule says to exclude the first day,
[he] believe[s] that [he] filed [his] complaint on time . . . .” (Doc. No. 21, PageID# 180.)
Defendants argue that, even assuming the statute of limitations began to run on February 12, 2019,
the day Clark was released, and not February 10, 2019, the day Clark was arrested, and excluding
the first day from calculation, the limitations period ended no later than February 12, 2020. (Doc.
No. 23.)
The Sixth Circuit held in Merriweather v. City of Memphis, 107 F.3d 396 (6th Cir. 1997),
that Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 6(a), which mirrors Tennessee Rule of Civil Procedure 6.01,
“does govern the computation of the limitations period.” Id. at 398; see also Fed. R. Civ. P. 6(a)
(providing that, “in computing any time period specified . . . in any statute that does not specify a
method of computing time[,]” “exclude the day of the event that triggers the period” “[w]hen the

Accordingly, the Court applies a one-year statute of limitations to Clark’s claim under § 8-8-302
in resolving Defendants’ motion.

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period is stated in days or a longer unit of time”). The Merriweather court further held, however,
that a “one-year period nevertheless ends on the same calendar date the following year.”
Merriweather, 107 F.3d at 398. It explained computation of statutes of limitations under Rule 6(a)
as follows:
The rule does not say that a limitations period does not begin to run until the second
day; indeed, it specifically refers to “the day of the act, event, or default from which
the designated period of time begins to run.”[3] Instead, the rule directs that in
computing the applicable period, the day of the relevant event is the zero point from
which days are to be counted. The rule makes sense only in the context of counting
days; the problem it is intended to avoid (i.e., cutting the time too short—for
instance, counting October 19, 1994 as “1” and finding the 365th day to be October
18, 1995) should not arise in the computation of calendar months or years, in which
individual days are not counted. Applying the rule to “bump” the beginning of a
calendar period forward fundamentally misses the purpose of the rule.
Id. at 400. Thus, when a statute of limitations period is stated in terms of years, “Rule 6(a) does
not . . . push the end of the limitation period” by a day. Id. at 398.
This Court therefore finds that, even assuming the statutes of limitations applicable to
Clark’s claims began to run on February 12, 2019, the one-year limitations period ended on the
same calendar date the following year, February 12, 2020. See id. at 400. Clark’s original
complaint was filed one day late on February 13, 2020. (Doc. No. 3-1.) His claims in the original
and proposed amended complaints are barred by the statutes of limitations. See Merriweather, 107
F.3d at 400.
Clark asks the Court to extend the limitations period if it finds that his complaint was not
timely filed. (Doc. No. 21.) Courts considering claims brought under §§ 1983 and 1985 look to

3

The 2009 amendments to Rule 6(a) altered this wording without changing the meaning:
“Where subdivision (a) formerly referred to the ‘act, event, or default’ that triggers the deadline,
new subdivision (a) refers simply to the ‘event’ that triggers the deadline; this change in
terminology is adopted for brevity and simplicity, and is not intended to change meaning.” Fed.
R. Civ. P. 6(a) advisory committee’s note to 2009 amendment.

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state law to determine whether tolling the statute of limitations is appropriate. 4 See Bd. of Regents
of Univ. of State of N.Y. v. Tomanio, 446 U.S. 478, 483–84 (1980) (“Congress did not establish a
statute of limitations or a body of tolling rules applicable to actions brought in federal court under
§ 1983—a void which is commonplace in federal statutory law. When such a void occurs, this
Court has repeatedly ‘borrowed’ the state law of limitations governing an analogous cause of
action.”); Lewis v. Mich. Dep’t of State Police, No. 1:06-CV-38, 2006 WL 374256, at *2 (W.D.
Mich. Feb. 17, 2006) (“State statutes of limitations and tolling principles apply to determine the
timeliness of claims asserted under 42 U.S.C. §§ 1983 and 1985.”). State law also governs tolling
the statute of limitations for Clark’s claims under Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-8-302.
The Tennessee Supreme Court has “consistently declined to recognize the doctrine of
equitable tolling in civil proceedings.” Whitehead v. State, 402 S.W.3d 615, 626 (2013). Instead,
under Tennessee law, courts may only toll statutes of limitations in civil cases based on “the
doctrines of equitable estoppel and fraudulent concealment . . . .” Redwing v. Cath. Bishop for
Diocese of Memphis, 363 S.W.3d 436, 460 (Tenn. 2012). “[T]he doctrine of equitable estoppel
tolls the running of the statute of limitations when the defendant has misled the plaintiff into failing
to file suit within the statutory limitations period.” Id. “Under the fraudulent concealment doctrine,

4

Because Congress provided an express statute of limitations for claims brought under 42
U.S.C. § 1986, courts do not apply state tolling principles to such claims. See, e.g., Bassette v. City
of Oakland, No. C-00-1645, 2000 WL 33376593, at *4 (N.D. Cal. Aug. 11, 2000) (“In contrast to
Plaintiff’s §§ 1983, 1985, and 2000d claims, Plaintiff’s claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1986 is subject to
federal equitable tolling principles because § 1986 contains an express one-year statute of
limitations.”); In re Jackson Lockdown/MCO Cases, 568 F. Supp. 869, 887 n.20 (E.D. Mich. 1983)
(“It is far from clear, . . . that a federal court should ‘borrow’ [a] state tolling provision where the
statute of limitations is expressly contained in the federal statute, thus distinguishing the § 1986
claim from § 1983 claims where federal courts must borrow the most analogous state statute of
limitations.”). However, the Court need not consider whether tolling the statute of limitations for
Clark’s § 1986 claim is appropriate because, as explained herein, Clark cannot assert a § 1986
claim without also asserting a timely § 1985 claim.

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the statute of limitations is tolled when ‘the defendant has taken steps to prevent the plaintiff from
discovering he [or she] was injured.’” Id. at 462 (alteration in original) (quoting Fahrner v. SW
Mfg., Inc., 48 S.W.3d 141, 146 (Tenn. 2001)). The only explanation Clark provides for his failure
to file his original complaint within the statute of limitations is his own misunderstanding of how
to calculate when that period expired. (Doc. No. 21.) Clark knew that he had one year to file his
claims and waited until what he thought was the last day to do so. He has not argued that
Defendants engaged in the kind of deceptive behavior necessary to toll the limitations period under
the doctrines of equitable estoppel or fraudulent concealment, and the Court finds that neither
doctrine is applicable here. Accordingly, there is no factual or legal basis to justify tolling the
statute of limitations for Clark’s claims under Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-8-302 and 42 U.S.C. §§ 1983
and 1985.
Because the allegations in the original complaint affirmatively show that Clark’s claims
under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-8-302 are untimely, dismissal is appropriate
under Rule 12(b)(6). See Cataldo, 676 F.3d at 547. His proposed claims under § 1985 are likewise
untimely on the face of the proposed amended complaint, and leave to amend the complaint to
include those claims should therefore be denied as futile. It is well established that “failure to state
a claim for relief under § 1985 is fatal to [a plaintiff’s] claims brought pursuant to § 1986 because
a § 1986 claim is dependent upon a viable § 1985 claim.” Amadasu v. The Christ Hosp., 514 F.3d
504, 507 (6th Cir. 2008). Because Clark’s proposed § 1985 claims are futile, leave to amend his
complaint to include claims under § 1986 should also be denied.
IV.

Recommendation
For these reasons, the Magistrate Judge RECOMMENDS that Defendants’ motion to
dismiss (Doc. No. 4) be GRANTED and that Clark’s motion to amend (Doc. No. 20) be DENIED.

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Any party has fourteen days after being served with this Report and Recommendation to
file specific written objections. Failure to file specific objections within fourteen days of receipt
of this report and recommendation can constitute a waiver of appeal of the matters decided.
Thomas v. Arn, 474 U.S. 140, 155 (1985); Cowherd v. Million, 380 F.3d 909, 912 (6th Cir. 2004).
A party who opposes any objections that are filed may file a response within fourteen days after
being served with the objections. Fed. R. Civ. P. 72(b)(2).
Entered this 5th day of January, 2021.
____________________________________
ALISTAIR E. NEWBERN
United States Magistrate Judge

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