RAYMOND DEARIE, District Judge.
Plaintiff Terry Smith, also known as Terrell Neal, brings this action pro se pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against defendant Parole Officer Lisa Duquesnay for her actions in connection with the revocation of his parole in 2005. Defendant moves for dismissal of the complaint pursuant to Rules 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. For the reasons set forth below, defendant's motion to dismiss is granted.
On February 16, 1994, plaintiff was convicted of second degree robbery and sentenced as a persistent violent felony offender to a term often years to life.
According to the complaint, defendant Duquesnay prepared the 2005 violation report and "was allowed to enter [his] preliminary and final hearing and was allowed by the division of parole to testify that she was [his] parole officer when she was never assigned to [him]." (
The complaint, which requests twenty million dollars in damages, includes claims relating to both the 2003 and 2005 parole revocations against unnamed parole officers, the New York State Division of Parole, and Officer Duquesnay for violations of plaintiff's civil rights. By Memorandum & Order dated September 17, 2007, this Court dismissed the claims against the Division of Parole on Eleventh Amendment immunity grounds. In addition, the Court dismissed plaintiff's claims against Duquesnay related to the 2005 parole revocation as barred by
Plaintiff appealed, and the Second Circuit vacated the judgment as to plaintiff's claims against defendant Duquesnay relating to the parole violation in 2005. The case was remanded "with the suggestion that the district court appoint counsel" and "consider" whether Heck bars the action where the plaintiff "could not have pursued a federal habeas petition at the time he filed the § 1983 action," citing
By papers dated January 21, 2010, defendant Duquesnay moved to dismiss the claims against her. Plaintiff requested the appointment of counsel. Plaintiff's response to defendant's motion was stayed twice to allow more time for the Court to locate counsel from its pro bono panel, but despite its efforts, the Court was unable to find a willing attorney as of July 2010. (
In his opposition, plaintiff asserts for the first time that defendant threatened to "get even" with him somehow at the time of the 2003 incident. (Opp'n at 1.) He also alleges that he saw defendant, and not Officer Doctor, at the parole office in 2005, and that "she gave the feeling that plaintiff would be taking [sic] back into custody for some made up violation of the parole guidelines stemming from there [sic] last encounter with each other back in 2003." (Opp'n at 2.) Plaintiff further elaborates that when he had his violation hearing in 2005, defendant told plaintiff's assigned parole officer to leave the proceeding and then testified falsely that she was plaintiff's assigned parole officer and brought false charges against him. In addition, plaintiff asserts that defendant failed to submit the proper documents to her parole supervisor before filing the violation warrant. (Opp'n. at 4.)
Plaintiff is now out on parole. The maximum expiration date shown on his New York State Department of Corrections Inmate Information Sheet
Even though pro se pleadings are "held to less stringent standards," a complaint must nevertheless plead a "plausible" claim for relief to survive a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
The gravamen of plaintiff's complaint against Officer Duquesnay is that she improperly initiated the 2005 parole revocation proceedings against him and falsely testified at his hearing. Plaintiff admits, however, that he failed to report to his parole officer for the three-month period beginning in March 2005, and does not otherwise specify the nature of the violation charges. Thus, plaintiff's own allegations undermine the plausibility of his claim that defendant fabricated the violation charges. Furthermore, plaintiff effectively concedes that probable cause existed for his 2005 arrest. Regardless of the explanation, plaintiff's admission of delinquency is fatal to his complaint.
With respect to any claim by plaintiff that defendant filed a false violation report or improperly recommended that a warrant for plaintiff's arrest be issued, defendant is entitled to qualified immunity.
Accordingly, dismissal pursuant to 12(b)(6) is appropriate, and the question of whether
Pursuant to New York Penal Law § 70.40, when a person under parole supervision is declared delinquent and re-incarcerated, "the declaration of delinquency shall interrupt the person's sentence as of the date of the delinquency and such interruption shall continue until the return of the person to an institution under the jurisdiction of the state department of corrections and community supervision." New York Penal Law § 70.40(3). Thus, based on the allegations in the complaint, the parole violation resulted in both plaintiff's re-incarceration and recalculation of his maximum parole expiration date to extend beyond his prior maximum expiration date for a period equal to the three months from March 4, 2005 to June 12, 2005. Defendant contends, therefore, that plaintiff's challenge to the validity of the 2005 parole revocation determination is a challenge to the duration of the overall sentence that defendant is still serving and is barred by
For the reasons set forth above, defendant's motion to dismiss the complaint is granted. The Clerk of the Court is directed to close this case. In addition, the Court certifies pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3) that any appeal from this order would not be taken in good faith, and therefore in forma pauperis status is denied for the purpose of an appeal.
SO ORDERED.