JOHN E. STEELE, District Judge.
This matter is before the Court on consideration of the Magistrate Judge's Report and Recommendation (Doc. #51), filed July 24, 2014, recommending that that plaintiff's request for leave to file an amended complaint to name Nicole Rovig and Teresa Gulick be denied. Rather than filing objections, plaintiff filed a Motion to Amend Complaint-2ND (Doc. #54) "to correct the deficiencies noted in that report," contemporaneously with a Second Amended Complaint (Doc. #55). Before an Order could issue on this second motion to amend, plaintiff filed a third Motion to Amend Complaint Items 98, 99, and 103 to Specifically Include Defendant Varnovitsky in Potential Bivens Claim (Doc. #67). In light of the later motions to amend and the unauthorized Second Amended Complaint, the Report and Recommendation and first motion to amend will be deemed moot. The Court will review the second and third motions to determine whether plaintiff will be permitted to proceed on the Second Amended Complaint.
The Second Amended Complaint is a shotgun pleading and will be dismissed on this basis. "The typical shotgun complaint contains several counts, each one incorporating by reference the allegations of its predecessors, leading to a situation where most of the counts (i.e., all but the first) contain irrelevant factual allegations and legal conclusions."
The Court notes that the Second Amended Complaint also fails to set forth a short, plain statement as to the allegations against each defendant.
Count One is presented as a "violation of the 5th Amendment to the United States Constitution by employees of the United States government; seizures lacking due process of law — Bivens" against defendants Cohen, an AUSA who represented the United States Department of Education in Case No. 2:09-cv-396-FTM-29DNF, and Mason, Spadoni, and Thompson, who are or were, employees of the Department of Education.
A plaintiff may bring a
Count Two is presented as a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Section 1983 imposes liability on any person who, under color of state law, deprives a person "of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws." 42 U.S.C. § 1983. To establish a claim under § 1983, plaintiff must allege and prove that (1) defendant deprived him of a right secured under the Constitution or federal law, and (2) such deprivation occurred under color of state law.
Plaintiff enumerates the Florida state statutes that were violated, but the Second Amended Complaint contains no allegations of any actions taken by Cohen, Gulick, Mason, Rovig, Owczarek, Thompson, or Varnovitsky under the color of
Count III is presented as a claim under the federal civil Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). Under Section 1962(c) of the RICO Act, it is unlawful "for any person employed by or associated with any enterprise engaged in, or the activities of which affect, interstate or foreign commerce, to conduct or participate, directly or indirectly, in the conduct of such enterprise's affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity." 18 U.S.C. § 1962(c). To establish a federal civil RICO violation under § 1962(c), the plaintiff must prove (1) conduct (2) of an enterprise (3) through a pattern (4) of racketeering activity and (5) injury to "business or property" (6) that was "by reason of" the substantive RICO violation.
As a preliminary matter, plaintiff alleges a substantive claim and a conspiracy claim in one count by asserting that the principal offenders are Mason, Spadoni, and Thompson, who conspired with "latecomer conscripted actors" Cohen, Gulick, Owczarek, Rovig, and Varnovitsky. (Doc. #55, ¶ 117.) Plaintiff vaguely alludes to "an organized criminal enterprise" but does not identify the pattern of racketeering activity, or specify the role of each defendant, or what predicate acts may be attributed to each defendant.
The Court will deny the second and third motions to amend in light of the Court's determination that the proposed Second Amended Complaint is a shotgun pleading, and otherwise fails to state a claim on its face. Therefore, the Second Amended Complaint, filed without leave of court, will be stricken.
Plaintiff must state what rights under the Constitution, laws, or treaties of the United States have been violated. It is improper for plaintiff to merely list constitutional rights or federal rights and/or statutes. Plaintiff must also provide factual support for the claimed violations. So, in the body of the third amended complaint, plaintiff should clearly describe
Accordingly, it is now
1. The Report and Recommendation (Doc. #51) and the underlying Motion to Amend Complaint to Include Additional Individuals By Name (Doc. #40) are deemed
2. Plaintiff's Motion to Amend Complaint — 2ND (Doc. #54) and Motion to Amend Complaint Items 98, 99, and 103 to Specifically Include Defendant Varnovitsky in Potential Bivens Claim (Doc. #67) are
3. The Second Amended Complaint (Doc. #55) is
4. Defendant Scott Owczarek's Motion for Dismissal (Doc. #33) and Defendant Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Cohen's Motion to Dismiss (Doc. #34) are
5. Plaintiff's Motion for Default Judgment Against Defendants Mason, Spadoni, and Thompson (Doc. #49) and Motion for Default Judgement [sic] Against Defendant Varnovitsky (Doc. #64) are