DAVID BRAMLETTE, District Judge.
This matter is before the Court on Defendant's, City of Vicksburg, Motions to Dismiss
Plaintiff Mark Brock was arrested in August of 2012 and taken to the Issaquena County Correctional Facility ("ICCF"). Am. Compl. ¶ 12, ECF No. 18. Brock was arrested on a warrant issued by the City of Vicksburg ("Vicksburg") for unpaid parking tickets and incarcerated to pay off the tickets at a rate of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) a day. Am. Compl. ¶ 13-14. While incarcerated, Brock was attacked by another inmate in the presence of the guards and suffered injuries requiring stitches, an MRI, and eventual surgery. Officials at ICCF took Brock to the Sharkey-Issaquena County Hospital ("SICH") where he received stitches and an MRI. However, after reviewing the results of the MRI, unnamed members of the SICH staff told the officials who brought Brock to take him elsewhere as they were unable to treat him at SICH. Am. Compl. ¶ 18. Instead, the ICCF officials returned Brock to ICCF from which he was then transferred to the Warren County Jail ("WCJ") by a member of the Issaquena County Sheriff's Department. Am. Compl. ¶ 23. The next day, Brock was released and left to seek treatment for his injuries on his own. Am. Compl. ¶ 24.
Brock filed his initial complaint on December 6, 2013, alleging seven counts of injury: (1) § 1983 deprivation of civil rights, (2) § 1985 conspiracy to interfere with civil rights, (3) § 1986 neglect or failure to prevent conspiracy, (4) failure to adequately train and supervise deputies or negligent hiring, (5) civil conspiracy, (6) negligent infliction of emotional distress, and (7) intentional infliction of emotional distress. Compl. p. 7-15, ECF No. 1. Vicksburg filed its first motion to dismiss on March 19, 2014, arguing a failure to state a claim under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). Mot. Dismiss, ECF No. 12. Thereafter, Brock filed an amended complaint on April 1, 2014, alleging the same counts but with additional facts.
Filing "[a]n amended complaint supersedes the original complaint and renders it of no legal effect unless the amended complaint specifically refers to and adopts or incorporates by reference the earlier pleading."
Rule 8(a) requires a plaintiff to plead a "short and plain statement" of his claim. Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). The Supreme Court has raised the plaintiff's burden by holding this short and plain statement to a plausibility standard. In ruling on a motion to dismiss, "[t]he court's task is to determine whether the plaintiff has stated a legally cognizable claim that is plausible. . . ."
Brock pleads four facts tying Vicksburg to his claims: (1) he was arrested on a warrant issued by Vicksburg for unpaid traffic tickets, (2) he was taken from the WCJ to ICCF by the City of Vicksburg Police Department ("VPD"),(3) VPD had a policy of transporting individuals arrested for misdemeanors to ICCF, and (4) VPD was involved in the decision to release Brock without further medical treatment. Am. Compl. ¶¶ 13, 36, ECF No. 18. These facts are accepted as true,
The Court finds that Brock has sufficiently pled enough facts to survive this motion to dismiss on most of his claims. Choosing to release Brock without further treatment supports Brock's claims under § 1983. Making that decision in concert with ICCF and the Warren County Sheriff's Department supports Brock's claims under §§ 1985 and 1986. That Brock was released, still bleeding, supports Brock's claims for negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress. However, the Court finds that Brock has not alleged any facts to show Vicksburg's liability on a failure to train or negligent hiring theory. Therefore, Vicksburg's motion to dismiss will be granted in part and denied in part.
In its Response to Brock's motion to strike, Vicksburg admits that its third motion to dismiss is procedurally improper. However, it argues that its motion to dismiss should instead be interpreted as a motion for summary judgment because it relies on matters beyond the pleadings. Resp. ¶ 7, ECF No. 46. Vicksburg attached the notice of claim to its motion as an exhibit.
Summary judgment is appropriate "if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). The motion argues that Brock's claim is barred for failure to comply with the notice of claim requirements of the MTCA. Because Brock sent a notice of claim, it is a question of law rather than fact whether the notice complied with the statutory requirements.
The Mississippi Code Annotated clearly sets out what must be included in a notice of claim.
Miss. Code Ann. § 11-46-11(2)(b)(iii) (Rev. 2002). The Supreme Court of Mississippi has held that a plaintiff must substantially comply with these requirements.
Vicksburg argues in its motion that Brock has failed to provide a short and plain statement in the notice of claim. Vicksburg further argues that Brock has admitted that the notice of claim is insufficient. Mem. Supp. Mot. Dismiss ¶ 20, ECF No. 29. The logic of the argument is summarized as follows: the allegations in the notice of claim and the original complaint are identical; Brock filed an amended complaint in response to the first motion to dismiss; filing an amended complaint functions as an admission that the preceding complaint failed to state a claim; therefore, the notice of claim is admitted to be insufficient. However, Vicksburg cites no authority to support the proposition that filing an amended complaint functions as an admission that the original complaint failed to state a claim. Further, although both Rule 8 and Section 11-46-11(2)(b) use the phrase "short and plain statement," the two phrases have not received the same judicial gloss and do not represent identical standards. Thus the Court is unmoved by this argument and does not find the notice of claim letter to be admitted as insufficient. Because there has been no admission, the Court must determine whether the notice of claim substantially complied with the statutory requirements.
To meet the short and plain statement, Brock must provide the seven categories of information listed in the statute.
Second, he must describe the extent of the injury. The Court finds that Brock described his injuries as multiple skull fractures requiring eventual surgery and a busted lip requiring stitches, in addition to "severe nerve damage, loss of IQ, and suffer[ing] mental and emotional problems since the attack." Notice of Claim, p. 2, ECF No. 46-1.
Third, Brock must include the time and place the injury occurred. According to the notice of claim, Brock was attacked on September 9, 2012, at the ICCF. He was taken for treatment at SICH and sent back to ICCF that same day. On September 10, 2012, he was transferred to the WCJ and then released. Notice of Claim, p. 1-2, ECF No. 46-1. The Court finds this information sufficient for this category.
Fourth, Brock must include the identities of the parties involved. The Mississippi Supreme Court has clarified that "[i[f the identity of [persons involved] is not
Fifth, Brock must state the amount of money damages sought. Here, Brock merely states that he is "seeking all available compensatory damages and punitive damages as shown by the evidence. . . ." Notice of Claim, p. 2, ECF No. 46-1. In
Seventh, Brock must include his residence at the time of the injury and the time of filing. Brock stated his residence at the time of injury was the ICCF. Brock does not include his residence at time of filing. However, failure to include residency information is the exact circumstance faced by the
Based on the foregoing analysis, the Court finds that Brock has substantially complied with the notice of claim requirements of the MTCA. Therefore, Vicksburg's motion for summary judgment will be denied.
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that Defendant's first Motion to Dismiss
FURTHER ORDERED that the Defendant's second Motion to Dismiss
FURTHER ORDERED that the Plaintiff's claim against the Defendant for failure to train or negligent hiring is DISMISSED with prejudice.
FURTHER ORDERED that the Defendant's third Motion to Dismiss
FURTHER ORDERED that the Plaintiff's Motion to Strike
SO ORDERED.