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Schneider v. Tretola, 93-1686 (1993)

Court: Court of Appeals for the First Circuit Number: 93-1686 Visitors: 2
Filed: Oct. 21, 1993
Latest Update: Mar. 02, 2020
Summary: October 20, 1993 [NOT FOR PUBLICATION] UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT ____________________ No. 93-1686 DENNIS SCHNEIDER, Plaintiff, Appellant, v. JOSEPH S. TRETOLA, ETC., ET AL., Defendants, Appellees. P. 12(b)(6) for failure to state a cause of action. ________ 3 -
USCA1 Opinion












October 20, 1993 [NOT FOR PUBLICATION]

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT
____________________


No. 93-1686

DENNIS SCHNEIDER,

Plaintiff, Appellant,

v.

JOSEPH S. TRETOLA, ETC., ET AL.,

Defendants, Appellees.


____________________

APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS

[Hon. Douglas P. Woodlock, U.S. District Judge]
___________________

____________________

Before

Cyr, Boudin and Stahl,
Circuit Judges.
______________

____________________

Dennis Schneider on Motion for Summary Disposition pro se.
________________
James G. Healy and Healy and Healy, P.C. on Motion for Summary
_______________ ______________________
Disposition, for appellees Joseph S. Tretola, Brookside House, Inc.,
and Brookside House Trust.
Kevin Madden on Motion for Summary Disposition, for appellee
_____________
Wayne M. Gray.


____________________


____________________












Per Curiam. Plaintiff's action was properly
____________

dismissed under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) for failure to state a

cause of action.

1. The defendants, all private persons, can not be

held liable under 42 U.S.C. 1983 for their alleged acts in

employing "false representations and phony process to induce the

policemen to falsely arrest" and imprison plaintiff because the

private defendants' actions do not constitute "state action," a

requisite of a 1983 cause of action. See Daniel v. Ferguson,
___ ______ ________

839 F.2d 1124, 1129-31 (5th Cir. 1988) (even if private defendant

did provide police with false information, the state action

requirement for 1983 liability was not satisfied since

"[p]olice reliance in making an arrest on information given by a

private party does not make the private party a state actor").

Plaintiff's citation below to Canty v. Richmond, 383 F. Supp.
_____ ________

1396 (E.D. Va. 1974), was unavailing to establish the state

action requirement because in that case, the plaintiff alleged

that the private defendants had conspired with governmental

actors to falsely arrest him. Although a conspiracy between

official and private actors is one means through which the state

action requirement can be satisfied, plaintiff did not allege in

the present case such an agreement between the police and

defendants to violate plaintiff's rights. Instead, he contended

that defendants had misled the police with false statements and

phony documents.

2. Nor did plaintiff state a claim under 42 U.S.C.

1985(2) for conspiracy to obstruct state court proceedings

because plaintiff failed to allege that defendants were motivated












by any class-based, invidiously discriminatory animus. Hahn v.
____

Sargent, 523 F.2d 461, 469 (1st Cir. 1975) (class-based,
_______

invidiously discriminatory animus is required for liability under

1985(2) for conspiring to obstruct justice in state court

proceedings), cert. denied, 425 U.S. 904 (1976).
____________

3. If plaintiff intended to assert a state law tort

action for false arrest and false imprisonment, plaintiff did not

allege diversity jurisdiction and failed to establish any basis

for the federal district court to exercise jurisdiction over

state law tort claims.

Affirmed.
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Source:  CourtListener

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