KENNETH M. KARAS, District Judge:
Plaintiff Bienvenido Pilao Ong brings this Action against multiple defendants, alleging various claims under federal and state law arising out of five incidents that took place in 2010 and 2011. Before the Court are five motions to dismiss filed by certain groups of Defendants. For the following reasons, the Court grants those motions in part and denies them in part.
The following facts are taken from Plaintiff's Second Amended Complaint and the exhibits attached thereto. (See Second Am. Compl. (Dkt. No. 32).)
The Complaint divides its allegations and exhibits into five sections corresponding to the five days on which the events giving rise to Plaintiff's Complaint allegedly occurred. The Court's summary follows Plaintiff's chronological organization.
On March 30, 2010, Plaintiff got into an argument with his daughter, who was a minor. (Id. ¶¶ 63, 109.) The police were called, and Defendant Farmingham, along with other unnamed police officers, arrived at Plaintiff's home. (Id. ¶ 109.) Plaintiff attempted to explain the situation, but "Farmingham did not listen to [his] explanation," and instead "just hand cuff[ed]" Plaintiff and "dragg[ed][him] down stair[s] going to ... [a] driveway." (Id.) Farmingham then "unlawfully arrested" Plaintiff, using "substantial force ... without provocation" while doing so (Id.)
Farmingham "never created or made [an] arrest/incident[] report," (id. ¶ 51.1), but Plaintiff was nevertheless charged with one count of second-degree menacing, N.Y. Penal Law § 120.14, and one count of endangering the welfare of a child, N.Y. Penal Law § 260.10, both Class A misdemeanors under New York law, (see id. ¶ 56; see also id. Ex. 1.2 (Securing Order, dated Mar. 30, 2010)). Bail was set at $1,000 cash or $2,000 bond, but Plaintiff was remanded and remained in jail until he was released on April 4, 2010. (See id. ¶ 59; see also id. Ex. 1.2.) Plaintiff was ultimately convicted of one count of endangering the welfare of a child, as charged, and one count of disorderly conduct, N.Y. Penal Law § 240.20 (the latter of which is a "violation," as opposed to a Class A misdemeanor) on May 6, 2010. (See id. Ex. 1.4 (Seal Order, dated Mar. 21, 2013, indicating that Plaintiff's case was adjudicated on May 6, 2010, and that it "was terminated with a conviction for a non-criminal offense"); see also id. (Certificate of Disposition, dated Jan. 15, 2013, indicating same).)
While Plaintiff was in jail, authorities took two actions related to Plaintiff's charges. First, on March 30, the day of Plaintiff's arrest, a town court justice issued a temporary Order of Protection against Plaintiff, prohibiting him from certain types of contact with his daughter and two other individuals. (See id. ¶ 60; see also id. Ex. 1.1 (Order of Protection, dated Mar. 30, 2010).) That order expired on April 15, 2010. (See id. ¶ 63; see also id. Ex. 1.1.) Nevertheless, perhaps due in part to the Order, Plaintiff stayed in a hotel from April 4, 2010 (the day he was released) until May 20, 2010, and thereby incurred $3,306.94 in charges. (See id. ¶ 59; see also id. Ex. 1.6 (Microtel Folio).) Second, on March 31, the day after Plaintiff's arrest, while he was still in jail, Wallkill police officers — one of whom was Defendant Dewey — went to Plaintiff's home and seized a firearm and a pistol permit, the former of which police later secured in an armory, and the latter of which they forwarded to the Orange County Pistol Permit Office. (See id. ¶¶ 39, 56, 59, 110; see also id. Exs. 1.5-1, 1.5-2 (Firearms Surrender Report, dated Mar. 31, 2010).) It is unclear whether police returned these items to Plaintiff when he was released, but on April 7, three days later, a county court judge issued an Order of Suspension, ordering that Plaintiff's pistol permit be suspended, that Plaintiff "immediately surrender all weapons and license [sic] to the Orange County Sheriff's Department," and that, if Plaintiff did not comply, the
On August 20, 2010, Plaintiff lived with his mother in an apartment in Middletown. (Id. ¶ 111.) That afternoon, Defendant Guzman, a 911 operator, received a call from Plaintiff's neighbor, who reported that "Plaintiff's mother was yelling that she was being sexually assaulted and/or otherwise physically abused by Plaintiff." (Id.) Guzman then dispatched Defendants Farmingham and Kleveno to Plaintiff's apartment. (Id.) After they arrived at the apartment and knocked on the door, Plaintiff answered and asked them why they were there. (Id.; see also id. ¶ 75.) Initially, Farmingham asked Plaintiff if Plaintiff knew him; Plaintiff responded that he remembered Farmingham as the officer who arrested him on March 30, 2010. (Id. ¶¶ 75, 111.) Farmingham then told Plaintiff that he was there to arrest Plaintiff again, and when Plaintiff asked him why, Farmingham responded that the police had received a call from Plaintiff's neighbor reporting that Plaintiff's mother was "`yelling for help'" and that "it sounded as though someone [was] being raped." (Id. ¶¶ 64, 111; see also id. ¶ 75 (alleging that Farmingham told Plaintiff that he was "going to arrest [him] again because somebody heard ... [his] mom yelling [that] she was getting or being rape[d] and [that] [someone] [was] biting [his] mother").) When Plaintiff asked about the neighbor's identity, the officers refused to tell him. (Id. ¶¶ 75, 111.)
Farmingham and Kleveno then "immediately" entered the apartment and "closed the door," at which point Farmingham "push[ed] [Plaintiff] near [a] door," told him to "put [his] hand[s] up," and then told him to "start strip[ping] from head to foot." (Id. ¶ 111.) The officers, aware that Plaintiff previously possessed a handgun and a pistol license, were specifically looking for a "weapon or gun." (Id.) Farmingham then "put hand cuffs on [Plaintiff] [and] then start[ed] biting Plaintiff"; Kleveno saw this occur, but did not try to intervene. (Id.; see also id. ¶¶ 64, 71.)
At some point while in Plaintiff's apartment, Farmingham stated that he detected a "`very strong odor of something rotting.'" (Id. ¶ 65.) He then "went to [Plaintiff's] refrigerator," "open[ed]" it, commented that it "`smell[ed][of] rotten food,'" and asked Plaintiff whether he was "`feeding [his] mother'" rotten food. (Id. ¶ 67.) Plaintiff responded that the officers should "not [be] searching and opening [his] refrigerator" because they were there for the "`purpose'" of responding to the "`anonymous call,'" and that they were "`violating [his] privacy and at the same time harassing'" and "`intimidating'" him. (Id.) In a similar incident, while Plaintiff was in handcuffs, he asked Farmingham to "close[][his] laptop" before the officers brought him to the police station, but Farmingham refused. (Id. ¶ 73.) Plaintiff alleges that he was later told by a friend who went to Plaintiff's apartment after Plaintiff was taken to jail that Farmingham searched Plaintiff's laptop and made a comment to Plaintiff's friend about Plaintiff's finances based on information he obtained in the search. (Id. ¶¶ 73, 111.)
While the officers were at the scene, an ambulance arrived, as well as Defendant Crain, who appeared on behalf of APS. (See id. ¶ 77.1; see also id. Ex. 2.0 (Incident
The police filed an Incident Report that day, which included an officer's account of the arrest:
(Id. Ex. 2.0.) The police also provided Plaintiff with an official notice, required by N.Y. C.P.L. § 710.30, of the county's intent later to offer Plaintiff's statement, "I tie [sic] her legs down," into evidence. (Id. Ex. 2.0-2 (710.30 Notice, dated Aug. 20, 2010).)
Plaintiff was charged that day with second-degree endangering the welfare of a vulnerable elderly person (a Class E felony), N.Y. Penal Law § 260.32, third-degree assault (a Class A misdemeanor), N.Y. Penal Law § 120.00, and second-degree unlawful imprisonment (a Class A misdemeanor), N.Y. Penal Law § 135.05. (Id. ¶ 65; see also id. Ex. 2.1 (Arrest Report, dated Aug. 20, 2010).) In a misdemeanor information and felony complaint filed the same day, Farmingham offered an account of the incident that appears to be consistent with the account he gave in the Incident Report:
(Id. Ex. 2.2 (Misdemeanor Information, filed Aug. 20, 2010).)
(Id. Ex. 2.3 (Felony Complaint, filed Aug. 20, 2010).)
Plaintiff was kept in jail overnight, but the next morning he was released on bail with the assistance of his friend. (Id. ¶ 64.) That same day, Plaintiff saw a doctor, who completed a medical examination, which included taking numerous x-rays, and concluded that Plaintiff had bruises on his stomach and left arm. (See id. ¶ 71; id. Ex. H (prescription slip, noting that Plaintiff complained of being "bitten by police" and had "bruise[s]" on his chest and abdomen); id. Exs. I, J, K (x-ray images); id. Exs. L, M, N (photos of Plaintiff appearing to indicate bruises).)
On June 10, 2011, Plaintiff's mother was a resident at MPRHCC, where she lived on the third floor, fifth unit, in Room # 511. (Id. ¶¶ 102, 112.) While visiting his mother in her room, Plaintiff observed that his mother had been "neglected," in that she was not wearing any pants or socks, but was "covered [only] by [three] bed sheet[s]," and was therefore "chilling because [the air conditioner] was so high." (Id. ¶ 90; see also id. ¶ 102.) He also observed that her pants, which had been "`thrown in the garbage,'" were "full of feces and soak[ed] with urine." (Id. ¶¶ 90, 102.) Plaintiff was concerned, not only because of his mother's present situation, but also because he knew that multiple times his mother had repeatedly pushed a
At some point, Dawn "reported Plaintiff to [the] Director of Nursing." (Id. ¶ 90.) Then, Defendant Brewster, a nursing manager, and Defendant Reyes, a physical therapist, "allegedly called the [Wallkill] police to inform the[m] that she [sic] had heard Plaintiff yelling [at his] mother and [making] verbal threat[s] regarding the use of [a] firearm." (Id. ¶ 112.) Two police officers responded to the scene: Defendant Gulick, from Wallkill, and Defendant Mannix, a state trooper. (See id. ¶¶ 88, 102-03.) They did not find a firearm at the scene, (id. ¶ 112), but Gulick did arrest Plaintiff and charge him with third-degree attempted assault (a Class B misdemeanor), N.Y. Penal Law §§ 110.00, 120.00, and first-degree endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person (a Class A misdemeanor), N.Y. Penal Law § 260.25, (see id. ¶¶ 88, 102; see also id. Ex. 3.18 (Arrest Report, dated June 10, 2011).) Plaintiff alleges that, throughout the course of the incident, only seven people were present: Gulick, Mannix, Tiffany, Yvette, Plaintiff, his mother, and Defendant Masterson. (Id. ¶ 102.) Conversely, he alleges that a number of Defendants — specifically, Conklin, Small, Brewster, Green, Forman, Reyes, and Maniscalco — were not present. (Id. ¶¶ 86, 87, 89, 90, 102.)
A temporary Order of Protection issued that same day, ordering Plaintiff to surrender any firearms he owned or possessed, and prohibiting Plaintiff from certain types of contact with his mother. (Id. Ex. 3.15 (Order of Protection, dated June 10, 2011).) Another temporary Order of Protection was then issued on July 12, 2011, restricting Plaintiff generally from any form of communication or contact with his mother, but allowing Plaintiff to visit his mother "only ... under the supervision of [Plaintiff's friend] Brent Borgmann." (Id. Ex. 3.21 (Order of Protection, dated July 12, 2011).) A final temporary Order of Protection was entered on August 2, 2011, retaining the supervised-visit condition of the previous order while also ordering Plaintiff to refrain from committing "any criminal offense or interference with" his mother. (Id. Ex. 3.23 (Order of Protection, dated Aug. 2, 2011).) The Order, which expired on August 2, 2012, also entered an "adjournment in contemplation of dismissal" of Plaintiff's case, meaning that if Plaintiff complied with the Order for one year, he could expect the charges to be dismissed. (Id.; see also id. Ex. 3.26 (Letter from Plaintiff's attorney, Craig Stephen Brown, Esq., to Plaintiff, dated Aug. 5, 2011, informing Plaintiff that he "[was] given a one ... year Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal with a limited Order of Protection," and that "[i]f [he][did] not get arrested within this one ... year time period, the charge [would] be dismissed").)
The Complaint is somewhat unclear as to the details of the incident that prompted Plaintiff's arrest, but documents attached to the Complaint — including a Domestic Incident Report and an Incident Report — contain Defendant Gulick's account:
(Id. Ex. 3.17 (Domestic Incident Report, dated June 11, 2011).)
(Id. Exs. 3.19, 3.19-1 (Incident Report and Additional Narrative, dated June 10, 2011).) The Complaint also contains, as an attached exhibit, a deposition from Defendant Reyes, taken by Defendant Gulick the day of the incident, which was submitted in support of the Misdemeanor Information filed against Plaintiff and provides Reyes's account of the incident:
(Id. Ex. 3.16.1 (Supporting Deposition of Lisa M. Reyes, dated June 10, 2011).)
Plaintiff was arrested again on September 13, 2011. (Id. ¶ 113.) The Complaint does not appear to allege the facts underlying this arrest, however the Court can
Second, Brewster stated that, "on [June 10, 2010], [she] was one of the nursing staff involved in an incident between [Plaintiff] and his mother." (Id. Ex. 4.6 (Brewster Statement, dated Aug. 9, 2011).) She acknowledged that, "[s]ince the incident, [she] ha[d] not spoken with [Plaintiff]." (Id.) However, she alleged that "numerous threats were made at [her] when other nursing staff ha[d] spoken with him," and she further alleged that, "[a]lthough the threats were not made directly to [her], [she] still [was] in fear for [her] safety and well[-]being." (Id.)
Third, Small stated that she had received a call from Plaintiff on August 8, 2011 (the previous day) "while working at [MPRHCC]." (Id. Ex. 4.7 (Small Statement, dated Aug. 9, 2011).) According to Small, Plaintiff "seemed very irate and rambeling [sic]" on the call. (Id.) In this context, he told Small, "`I know it was [Brewster] that called 911 the day I was taken into police custody. I have rights to my mother. [Brewster] and [Masterson] will pay the ultimate consequence and I can see it in my mind what I will do to you.'" (Id.) Small then "reported the incident to [Maniscalco] ... that day." (Id.)
Approximately two weeks later, on August 23, Maniscalco provided to Farmingham a handwritten log of phone calls MPRHCC had received from Plaintiff since July 12, 2011, reflecting that Plaintiff had made 11 such calls. (Id. Ex. 4.3 (note from Maniscalco to Farmingham, dated Aug. 23, 2011).) Maniscalco also gave a statement:
(Id. Ex. 4.4 (Supporting Deposition of Vincent Maniscalco, dated Aug. 23, 2011).)
On September 13, 2011, Wallkill police arrested Plaintiff and charged him with second-degree aggravated harassment, N.Y. Penal Law § 240.30 (a Class A misdemeanor).
The fifth incident discussed in Plaintiff's Complaint involves a petition for guardianship filed on August 24, 2011, and litigated at a November 10, 2011 Surrogate's Court hearing. On August 24, 2011, Defendant Sholes & Miller, on behalf of Defendant MPRHCC, filed a petition in Orange County Surrogate's Court to determine whether Plaintiff's mother should be appointed a legal guardian. (Id. ¶¶ 24, 108.) The petition claimed that Plaintiff's sister, Victoria Chang ("Chang"), sought to become her mother's legal guardian:
(Id. Ex. 18 (apparent excerpt from guardianship petition).) Along with the petition, Sholes & Miller filed a number of supporting documents, including (1) a "Family Health Care Decision Information" form signed by Defendant Green and dated June 29, 2011, noting that Plaintiff's mother had an existing Health Care Proxy, that she did not have a guardian, but that she did have two daughters (Victoria Chang and Eloisa Kern), (see id. Ex. 12); (2) a "Consent by Surrogate to DNR Order" form signed by Plaintiff (as his mother's surrogate), witnessed by Defendant Green, and dated March 31, 2011, indicating Plaintiff's consent for a physician to issue a do-not-resuscitate order ("DNR"), (see id. Ex. 14); (3) supporting documentation regarding the DNR consent form, (see id. Exs. 15-17); and (4) a New Jersey police report memorializing a domestic dispute in November 2007 involving Plaintiff's mother (as the offender), Chang (as the complainant), and a third-party witness, (see id. Ex. 19).
A judge issued an Order To Show Cause the same day the petition was filed. (See id. Exs. 5.0, 5.0-1 (Order To Show Cause, dated Aug. 24, 2011).) Moreover, at some point, Plaintiff's mother was appointed a temporary guardian from the Orange County Department of Social Services, a "court evaluator," and an attorney from
At the hearing, Sarah Sholes ("Sholes"), an attorney from Defendant Sholes & Miller, appeared on behalf of petitioner; the court evaluator appeared on behalf of the court; Plaintiff's mother's attorney appeared on behalf of Plaintiff's mother; and David Medford of the Orange County Attorney's Office appeared on behalf of the Orange County Department of Social Services. (See id. Ex. 5.1 ("Hr'g Tr.") (Hr'g Tr., dated Nov. 10, 2011).) In support of the petition, Sholes called a number of witness, including the court evaluator, and Defendants Masterson, Forman, Smalls, Farmingham, and Crain. (See id. (Index page).) Plaintiff's mother's attorney also called a number of witnesses, including Plaintiff's mother, Chang, and Plaintiff. (See id.) The Court was also presented with a number of exhibits, including the court evaluator's report, Plaintiff's mother's medical records, and exhibits from the Wallkill Police Department. (See Guardianship Order 2.)
Plaintiff identifies a number of excerpts from the Hearing Transcript that are relevant to his Complaint. First, the court evaluator (who is not a party to this Action) testified regarding Plaintiff's status as Power of Attorney. After being shown a copy of a document dated November 20, 2007, wherein Plaintiff's mother appears to have granted Plaintiff power of attorney, Sholes asked the court evaluator whether he had seen that document:
(Hr'g Tr. 9.)
Second, Defendant Masterson testified on direct examination regarding Plaintiff's treatment of his mother at MPRHCC:
(Id. 14-18.) Plaintiff's mother's attorney then asked Masterson a number of questions on cross-examination:
(Id. 19-21.)
Third, Forman testified on direct examination regarding her position at MPRHCC, her qualifications, and her presence at the scene of the July 20, 2011 incident:
(Id. 22, 24-25.)
Fourth, Smalls testified on direct examination about her prior conversations with Plaintiff:
(Id. at 33-35.)
Fifth, Farmingham testified about his interactions with Plaintiff:
(Id. at 39-48.)
(Id. at 51-53.) Crain also examined and testified to a number of photographs taken at the hospital on August 20, 2010, purportedly depicting bruises on various parts of Plaintiff's mother's body. (See id. at 53-56.)
On December 12, 2011, the Surrogate's Court issued an order finding that Plaintiff's mother was sufficiently "incapacitated" that she would "likely suffer harm because of her functional limitations" and that "the appointment of a Guardian [was] necessary to prevent such harm." (Guardianship Order 2-3.) Accordingly, the court appointed Chang guardian. (Id. at 3.) The order also decreed that "all health care proxies and power of attorney documents previously executed by [Plaintiff's mother] [were] [t]hereby revoked and vacated and any appointments made thereunder [were] [t]hereby terminated." (Id. at 7.) And it issued a permanent Order of Protection against Plaintiff, ordering that he "remain at least 500 feet from [his mother] [at] all times" and "refrain from any and all telephone and other contact" with her. (Id. at 7-8; see also Second Am. Compl. Ex. Index No. 2011-008338 (Order of Protection, dated Dec. 12, 2011).) Plaintiff's mother passed away approximately one month later, on January 10, 2012. (Second Am. Compl. ¶ 81.)
Plaintiff filed the instant Action on February 6, 2012. At that time, the Complaint was 12 pages long (not including approximately 56 pages of exhibits); contained allegations involving the August 2010, June 2011, and September 2011 incidents; and named only the Town of Wallkill Police Department and MPRHCC as defendants — although it did include references to, inter alia, Farmingham, Reyes, Tiffany, Yvette, Dawn, Maniscalco, and Gulick. (See Dkt. No. 2.) On March 27, 2012, the Court issued an Order noting that the Complaint contained numerous allegations against Farmingham "throughout the Complaint," and therefore "direct[ing] [the Clerk of Court] to amend the caption of th[e] action to add [Farmingham] as a defendant." (Dkt. No. 7 at 3-4.) The Court also directed the Clerk "to substitute as a defendant the Town of Wallkill for the Town of Wallkill Police Department." (Id. at 4.)
The Court held an initial conference on November 30, 2012, at which Plaintiff and counsel for Wallkill, Farmingham, and MPRHCC appeared. (See Dkt. (minute entry for Nov. 30, 2012).) At that conference,
On July 11, 2013, the Court issued, sua sponte, an Order directing Plaintiff to submit a second Amended Complaint. After reminding Plaintiff that, in granting him leave to file his Amended Complaint, the Court "specifically directed [him] to be clearer as to the entities and/or persons he intend[ed] to sue, the actionable conduct those entities or persons allegedly engaged in, and the federal statutory or constitutional basis for his claims," the Court noted that the Amended Complaint was "extremely difficult to follow," and that "it [was] in many respects less clear than [the] original Complaint." (Order ("July 2013 Order") 1-2 (Dkt. No. 25).) The Court was able to "discern that Plaintiff intends to pursue malicious prosecution, excessive force, failure to intervene, and false imprisonment claims against the law enforcement Defendants," and it could "construe some of the allegations in the Amended Complaint to support a claim against the law enforcement Defendants for violating Plaintiff's right to familial association with his mother." (Id. at 6.) However, the Court noted that "by presenting a great amount of disjointed and nonsequential information to the Court about the various events giving rise to Plaintiff's arrests, Plaintiff ha[d] rendered it impossible to comprehend what actually happened to him." (Id.) It therefore held that "[Plaintiff's] claims against the law enforcement Defendants ... [did] not satisfy the pleading requirements of Rule 8." (Id.) It also held that, with regard to the other Defendants, "Plaintiff [did] not clearly or specifically allege how they were personally involved in any alleged wrongdoing or any basis for their liability under federal law," and it therefore held that "[t]he balance of the Amended Complaint ... also [did] not satisfy the pleading requirements established by Rule 8." (Id.)
The Court then granted Plaintiff "one more opportunity to file an Amended Complaint... in order [to] correct the above deficiencies and to allege clearly and concisely facts to support his claims." (Id. at 7.) The Court specifically instructed Plaintiff to "provide a short plain statement of the relevant facts, in separate numbered paragraphs in chronological order, supporting each claim against each Defendant." (Id.) It also instructed Plaintiff to allege, in the Second Amended Complaint, "who violated Plaintiff's federally protected rights; what facts show that his federally protected rights were violated; when such violation(s) occurred; where such violation(s) occurred; and why Plaintiff is
Plaintiff ultimately submitted his Second Amended Complaint on September 24, 2013. (See Dkt. No. 32.) On December 18, 2013, the Court issued an Order directing Plaintiff to serve the 36 Defendants named in the Second Amended Complaint, and advising Plaintiff that, "[i]f within 120 days of issuance of [a] summons, Plaintiff ha[d] not made service or requested an extension of time in which to do so, under Rules 4(m) and 41(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Court may dismiss this action for failure to prosecute." (See Dkt. No. 36 at 2.)
Most of the unserved Defendants were served at various points from March to June of 2014. However, the Docket reflects that 11 Defendants are currently not represented by counsel, and that at least seven of them have not been served.
Therefore, in light of this discussion, and before turning to Defendants' Motions, the Court will take this opportunity to address the status of the seven unserved Defendants. With regard to four of those Defendants,
The Court has held two premotion conferences in this case. The first was held on December 17, 2013, at the request of counsel for Defendants Wallkill and Farmingham, each of whom was named in the original Complaint. (See Dkt. (minute entry for Dec. 17, 2013).)
The second premotion conference was held on May 21, 2014, at which counsel for all Defendants appeared. (See Dkt. No. 76 (Order); Dkt. (minute entry for May 21, 2014).) Pursuant to a scheduling order adopted at that conference, the remaining Defendants filed Motions To Dismiss on June 20, 2014, (see Dkt. Nos. 105-07 (Defendant Mannix); Dkt. Nos. 108-11 (Orange County Defendants); Dkt. Nos. 112-14 (Defendant Sholes & Miller); 119-25 (MPRHCC Defendants), Plaintiff filed his Memorandum of Law in opposition on July 18, 2014, (see Dkt. No. 118), and Defendants filed Reply Memoranda on or before August 8, 2014, (see Dkt. No. 126 (Orange County Defendants); Dkt. No. 128 (Defendant Mannix); Dkt. No. 131 (Defendant Sholes & Miller); Dkt. No. 133 (MPRHCC Defendants)).
Wallkill Defendants, MPRHCC Defendants, Mannix, and Sholes & Miller move to dismiss Plaintiff's Second Amended Complaint for failure to comply with Rule 8 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
"A document filed pro se is to be liberally construed, and a pro se complaint, however inartfully pleaded, must be held to less stringent standards than formal pleadings drafted by lawyers." Ahlers v. Rabinowitz, 684 F.3d 53, 60 (2d Cir.2012) (internal quotation marks omitted) (quoting Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 94, 127 S.Ct. 2197, 167 L.Ed.2d 1081 (2007) (per curiam)); see also James v. Westchester Cnty., No. 13-CV-19, 2014 WL 4097635, at *2 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 19, 2014) ("Pro se complaints are held to less stringent standards than those drafted by lawyers, even following Twombly and Iqbal." (internal quotation marks omitted)). "This policy of liberally construing pro se submissions is driven by the understanding that implicit in the right of self-representation is an obligation on the part of the court to make reasonable allowances to protect pro se litigants from inadvertent forfeiture of important rights because of their lack of legal training." Triestman v. Fed. Bureau of Prisons, 470 F.3d 471, 475 (2d Cir.2006) (alterations internal quotation marks omitted); see also Quadir v. N.Y. State Dep't of Labor, 39 F.Supp.3d 528, 536-37, 2014 WL 4086296, at *3 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 19, 2014) (same). "Nonetheless, a pro se complaint must state a plausible claim for relief." Nielsen v. Rabin, 746 F.3d 58, 63 (2d Cir.2014) (internal quotation marks omitted). Moreover, in doing so, a pro se party is "not exempt ... from compliance with relevant rules of procedural and substantive law." Triestman, 470 F.3d at 477 (internal quotation marks omitted); see also Jordan v. Chase Manhattan Bank, No. 13-CV-9015, 2014 WL 3767010, at *4 (S.D.N.Y. July 31, 2014) (same).
Most of the Parties — all except Mannix and Orange County Defendants — move to dismiss the Second Amended Complaint on the sole ground that it fails to comply with Rule 8. As relevant here, that rule provides that "[a] pleading that states a claim for relief must contain ... a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief," Fed. R.Civ.P. 8(a)(2), and that "[e]ach allegation must be simple, concise, and direct," id. at 8(d)(1); see also Fed.R.Civ.P. 10(b) ("A party must state its claims ... in numbered paragraphs, each limited as far as practicable to a single set of circumstances."). Nonetheless, Rule 8 also provides that "[n]o technical form is required" to comply with the rules, Fed.R.Civ.P.
From these Rules emerge two legal standards relevant to Defendants' Motions. First, the latter part of Rule 8(a)(2) contains what the Supreme Court in Twombly called the "Rule 8 entitlement requirement," which is that "the `plain statement' possess enough heft to `sho[w] that the pleader is entitled to relief.'" Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 557, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) (alteration in original) (quoting Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a)(2)); see also id. at 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955 (noting "a plaintiff's obligation to provide the `grounds' of his `entitle[ment] to relief'" (alteration in original)); id. at 555 n. 3, 127 S.Ct. 1955 (noting that "Rule 8(a)(2)... requires a `showing,' rather than a blanket assertion, of entitlement to relief"); id. at 557, 127 S.Ct. 1955 (noting "the line between possibility and plausibility of `entitle[ment] to relief'" (alteration in original)). This part of Rule 8(a)(2) is echoed in Iqbal, which applied Twombly's "plausibility standard" outside of the context of antitrust litigation. See Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 679, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (concluding that, "where the well-pleaded facts do not merit the court to infer more than the mere possibility of misconduct, the complaint has alleged — but it has not `show[n]' — `that the pleader is entitled to relief'" (alterations in original) (quoting Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a)(2))). Second, the first part of Rule 8(a)(2) contains what may be termed the "short-and-plain-statement requirement," which has been independently interpreted, perhaps along with Rule 8(d)(1)'s requirement that allegations be "simple, concise, and direct," to protect interests separate from the entitlement requirement. See Salahuddin v. Cuomo, 861 F.2d 40, 42 (2d Cir.1988) (discussing the interests underlying the short-and-plain-statement requirement); cf. Wynder v. McMahon, 360 F.3d 73, 80 (2d Cir.2004) (noting the "critical distinction between the notice requirements of Rule 8(a) and the requirement, under Rule 12(b)(6), that a plaintiff state a claim upon which relief can be granted"). The first requirement asks, "how short is too short?" The second requirement asks, "how long is not short enough?" Cf. Shomo v. State of New York, 374 Fed.Appx. 180, 182 (2d Cir.2010) ("The jurisprudence involving Rule 8, traced from our decision in Salahuddin through the Supreme Court's ... Iqbal decision, is difficult to apply to the dismissal of a complaint containing too much detail, especially where the complaint is filed by a pro se litigant.").
In their Motions To Dismiss pursuant to Rule 8, Defendants ask only the second question.
Id. at 42 (citations omitted). (See Mem. of Law in Supp. of Def. Town of Wallkill & Police Officer Jason Farmingham's Mot. To Dismiss Pl.'s Second Am. Compl. ("Wallkill Defs.' Mem.") 3 (Dkt. No. 41); Mem. of Law in Supp. of Defs. Sholes & Miller, LLP's & Sarah Sholes, Esq.'s Mot. To Dismiss Pl.'s Second Am. Compl. ("Sholes Mem.") 3 (Dkt. No. 113); Mem. of Law in Supp. of Defs. Park Manor Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center, Darla Conklin, Eileen Masterson, Suzanna Forman, Jennifer Small, Jenna Green & Wendy Brewster's Mot. To Dismiss Pl.'s Second Am. Compl. ("MPRHCC Defs.' Mem.") 2-3 (Dkt. No. 120).) Second, they all reference the Second Amended Complaint's difficult-to-follow formatting. (See Wallkill Defs.' Mem. 4 (noting that the Second Amended Complaint "is single-spaced and typed in a font of Arial 8 pts., which ... makes it difficult to read"); MPRHCC Defs.' Mem. 3 (same); Sholes Mem. 4 (noting that "[t]he format of the Second Amended Complaint makes it difficult to read").) Third, they all reference the Second Amended Complaint's length and the prevalence of arguably irrelevant content within the document. (See Wallkill Defs.' Mem. 4 (noting that the Second Amended Complaint "consist[s] of over 30 pages and over 200 pages of attachments" and contains "120 separately numbered paragraphs, many with subparts, with the vast majority of the paragraphs exceeding 10 lines of text" and with "many paragraphs" that "are irrelevant ... and do not even address any purported conduct of the defendants"); MPRHCC Defs.' Mem. 3 (same); Sholes Mem. 4 (noting that "[m]any of the paragraphs of the Second Amended Complaint do not address alleged conduct of the defendants").) Fourth, they all argue that the Second Amended Complaint is confusing. (See Wallkill Defs.' Mem. 3-4 ("Plaintiff's [Second Amended Complaint] is confusing, unclear and at times unintelligible, thus preventing defendants from again being able to ascertain what the specific allegations and claims are against them."); MPRHCC Defs.' Mem. 3 (same); Sholes Mem. 5 ("It is unclear in the Second Amended Complaint which counts are being asserted against which defendant[.]").) Finally, they all explicitly invoke Rules 8(a)(2) and 8(d)(1) and argue that the Second Amended Complaint fails to satisfy Rule 8. (See Wallkill Defs.' Mem. 4 ("Simply, the [Second Amended Complaint] does not contain a short and plain statement of the claim and is anything but simple, concise and direct, and as such, must again be dismissed."); MPRHCC Defs.' Mem. 4 (same); Sholes Mem. 4-5 (citing Rules 8(a)(2) and 8(d)(1), and arguing that "[t]he Second Amended Complaint does not contain short and plain statements of the claim").)
"The fundamental command of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure is
Instead of focusing on whether a complaint's allegations are "short and plain" or "simple, concise, and direct," the Court asks whether the complaint gives "fair notice" to the defendants. See Simmons v. Abruzzo, 49 F.3d 83, 86 (2d Cir. 1995) ("The function of pleadings under the Federal Rules is to give fair notice of the claims asserted." (internal quotation marks omitted)); see also Amron, 464 F.3d at 343 ("A complaint need only `give the defendant fair notice of what the plaintiff's claim is and the grounds upon which it rests.'" (quoting Swierkiewicz, 534 U.S. at 513, 122 S.Ct. 992)); Wynder, 360 F.3d at 79 ("The key to Rule 8(a)'s requirements is whether adequate notice is given."). "Fair notice is that which will enable the adverse party to answer and prepare for trial, allow the application of res judicata, and identify the nature of the case so it may be assigned the proper form of trial." Simmons, 49 F.3d at 86 (internal quotation marks omitted). Thus, courts will not dismiss a complaint that is arguably prolix or unintelligible unless the complaint's form or substance prevents the defendant from forming a "fair understanding" of the plaintiff's allegations or otherwise prejudices the defendant in responding to the complaint. See Amron, 464 F.3d at 343 ("Dismissal is improper on technical pleading irregularities, which are excusable as long as they neither undermine the purpose of notice pleading nor prejudice the adverse party." (internal quotation marks omitted)); see also Phillips v. Girdich, 408 F.3d 124, 130 (2d Cir. 2005) ("Although [the plaintiff's] allegations were not neatly parsed and included a great deal of irrelevant detail, that is not unusual from a pro se litigant. As long as his mistakes do not prejudice his opponent, a plaintiff is entitled to trial on even a tenuous legal theory, supported by the thinnest of evidence." (citation omitted)); Kittay, 230 F.3d at 542 (finding that a complaint satisfied Rule 8 where the "allegations [were] sufficiently clear to have provided [the defendant] with a fair understanding of what the plaintiff [was] complaining about and to have allowed [the defendant] to know whether there is a legal basis for recovery" (internal quotation marks omitted)).
Here, the Second Amended Complaint satisfies Rule 8's short-and-plain-statement requirement with respect to some Defendants, but it fails to satisfy that requirement with respect to others. With respect to the former, even when the
Specifically, from the Second Amended Complaint, the Court can discern a number of claims, which, in an attempt to add clarity to Plaintiff's allegations, the Court will group into two categories. First, Plaintiff alleges a number of federal and state law claims against Wallkill Defendants. The federal law claims, most of which arise under § 1983, include false-arrest and false-imprisonment claims for all four of the arrests; Fourth Amendment claims related to the March 30, August 20, and June 10 arrests; excessive-force claims for the March 30 and August 20 arrests; and Second Amendment claims for the March 30 and June 10 arrests. They also include conspiracy and failure-to-intervene claims, under §§ 1985 and 1986, respectively, for all four arrests. The state law claims arise either under New York constitutional law or tort law, and they include malicious-prosecution, negligence, intentional-infliction-of-emotional-distress, failure-to-supervise, and failure-to-train claims for all four arrests; assault and battery claims for the March 30 and August 20 arrests; and constitutional claims equivalent to Plaintiff's Second and Fourth Amendment claims for the March 30, August 20, and June 10 arrests. Plaintiff also appears to allege state law conspiracy claims with regard to all four arrests.
In construing the Second Amended Complaint to allege these claims, the Court takes no position whatsoever on whether the Complaint meets other pleading requirements, such as Rule 8's entitlement requirement and Rule 12(b)(6)'s requirement that a complaint state a claim for relief. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a)(2), 12(b)(6). Indeed, in the context of Defendants' narrow Rule 8 Motion, it would be inappropriate for the Court to do so given that the short-and-plain-statement requirement is "extremely permissive" and is part of a rule that is meant "to lower the entry barriers for federal plaintiffs." Wynder, 360 F.3d at 77-78. The Court merely holds that, because it can understand the Second Amended Complaint to allege certain claims, Defendants have fair notice of those claims and the Complaint thereby satisfies the short-and-plain-statement requirement.
But identifying the claims does not end the matter, because to satisfy Rule 8, each Defendant must have fair notice of the claim or claims alleged against it. With regard to the claims against Wallkill Defendants, the Second Amended Complaint includes allegations regarding Farmingham's role in the March 30 and August 20 arrests, Dewey's role in the March 30 arrest, Kleveno's role in the August 20 arrest, Gulick's, Procak's, and Mannix's role in the June 10 arrest, and Solan's role in the September 13 arrest.
With regard to the other claims, it alleges that Brewster and Reyes gave false statements to police, resulting in Plaintiff's arrest on June 10; that Masterson, Brewster, Small, and Maniscalco gave false statements to police, resulting in Plaintiff's arrest on September 13; that Masterson, Forman, Small, Farmingham, and Crain gave false statements under oath at the November 10 hearing, resulting in Plaintiff losing certain rights related to his mother; that Murphy coached Crain to give the false statements; that Sholes & Miller
With regard to other Defendants not yet named in the Court's analysis of the Second Amended Complaint, the Court finds that the Complaint does not give those Defendants fair notice of any claims alleged against them. Defendants Dawn, Tiffany, and Yvette are mentioned multiple times in the Second Amended Complaint, but only as individuals who were present during the June 10 incident, and not as individuals who did anything to harm Plaintiff. By contrast, Defendants Conklin, Labuda, Lacatena, Kammarada, McLymore, Belgiovene, Moskowitz, Leo, and Guzman are hardly mentioned at all — and, when they are mentioned, it is within the context of an assertion of liability without any explanation as to their role in harming Plaintiff.
In addition to moving to dismiss the Second Amended Complaint for failure to meet Rule 8's short-and-plain-statement requirement, Defendant Mannix moves to dismiss it for failure to state a claim under Rule 12(b)(6). Orange County Defendants also move to dismiss pursuant to that Rule, although for different reasons.
In contrast to the other Defendants' Motions, Mannix's and Orange County Defendants' Motions implicate the part of Rule 8 containing "a plaintiff's obligation to provide the `grounds' of his `entitle[ment] to relief,'" which "requires more than labels and conclusions," and more than "a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action[ ]." Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955 (quoting Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a)(2)). Indeed, "the pleading standard Rule 8 announces... demands more than an unadorned, the-defendant-unlawfully-harmed-me accusation." Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937. "Nor does a complaint suffice if it tenders naked assertions devoid of further factual enhancement." Id. (alterations and internal quotation marks omitted). Instead, a complaint's "[f]actual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level." Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955. Although "once a claim has been stated adequately, it may be supported by showing any set of facts consistent with the allegations in the complaint," id. at 563, 127 S.Ct. 1955, and a plaintiff must allege "only enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face," id. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, if a plaintiff has not "nudged [his or her] claim[] across the line from conceivable to plausible, the[] complaint must be dismissed," id.; see also Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 679, 129 S.Ct. 1937 ("Determining whether a complaint states a plausible claim for relief will ... be a context-specific task that requires the reviewing court to draw on its judicial experience and common sense. But where the well-pleaded facts do not permit the court to infer more than the mere possibility of misconduct, the complaint has alleged — but it has not `show[n]' — `that the pleader is entitled to relief.'" (citation omitted) (second alteration in original) (quoting Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a)(2))); id. at 678-79, 129 S.Ct. 1937 ("Rule 8 marks a notable and generous departure from the hypertechnical, code-pleading regime of a prior era, but it does not unlock the doors of discovery for a plaintiff armed with nothing more than conclusions.").
"[W]hen ruling on a defendant's motion to dismiss, a judge must accept as true all of the factual allegations contained in the complaint." Erickson, 551 U.S. at 94, 127 S.Ct. 2197; see also Nielsen v. Rabin, 746 F.3d 58, 62 (2d Cir.2014) ("In addressing the sufficiency of a complaint we accept as true all factual allegations ...." (internal quotation marks omitted)); Aegis Ins. Servs., Inc. v. 7 World Trade Co., 737 F.3d 166, 176 (2d Cir.2013) ("In reviewing a dismissal pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6), we ... accept all factual allegations in the complaint as true ...." (alterations and internal quotation marks omitted)). Further, "[f]or the purpose of resolving [a] motion to dismiss, the Court ... draw[s] all reasonable
At the outset, Mannix argues that all of the claims against him should be dismissed for failure to allege that he was personally involved in any deprivation of Plaintiff's rights or in any actions resulting in harm to Plaintiff. (See Def.'s Mem. of Law in Supp. of His Mot. To Dismiss the Second Am. Compl. ("Mannix Mem.") 7 (Dkt. No. 106) ("The Second Amended Complaint, and all of the paperwork attached thereto, do not allege that Defendant Mannix interacted with Plaintiff in any way, much less committed a constitutional violation against him.").) Having reviewed the Second Amended Complaint, the Court agrees. Aside from listing Mannix in the caption and in certain headings, the Second Amended Complaint refers to Mannix a total of nine times, at least three of which are duplicative of other references. (See Second Am. Compl. ¶¶ 88, 102-03.) More importantly, every single reference to Mannix alleges nothing more than that he was "present," along with four other Defendants, at the scene of Plaintiff's arrest on June 10, or that he "accompanied" Gulick when Gulick made the arrest. (See id.) This is insufficient to meet Plaintiff's burden of stating a plausible claim for relief, which requires that Plaintiff allege that Mannix was personally involved in the deprivation of his rights, with respect to Plaintiff's § 1983 claims, see Grullon v. City of New Haven, 720 F.3d 133, 138 (2d Cir.2013) ("It is well settled that, in order to establish a defendant's individual liability in a suit brought under § 1983, a plaintiff must show ... the defendant's personal involvement in the alleged constitutional deprivation."); Lovick v. Schriro, No. 12-CV-7419, 2014 WL 3778184, at *3 (S.D.N.Y. July 25, 2014) (dismissing § 1983 claims where the complaint contained "no allegations whatsoever indicating that [the defendants] were personally involved in the purported violations" of the plaintiff's constitutional rights); cf. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 676, 129 S.Ct. 1937 ("Because vicarious liability is inapplicable to ... § 1983 suits, a plaintiff must plead that each Government-official defendant, through the official's own individual actions, has violated the Constitution."), and that Mannix caused Plaintiff's injury, with respect to Plaintiff's state claims, see Mayzick v. Cnty. of Nassau, 32 F.Supp.3d 399, 403-04, 2014 WL 3673094, at *3 (E.D.N.Y. July 23, 2014) (noting that a state law malicious-prosecution claim has "substantially the same" elements as a similar claim brought under § 1983); Frey
Similarly, with respect to Plaintiff's federal and state law conspiracy claims, his barebones allegations of Mannix's "presence" and "accompaniment" are insufficient to plead a plausible conspiracy claim. See Webb v. Goord, 340 F.3d 105, 110 (2d Cir.2003) ("In order to maintain an action under [§]1985, a plaintiff must provide some factual basis supporting a meeting of the minds, such that defendants entered into an agreement, express or tacit, to achieve the unlawful end." (internal quotation marks omitted)); Rodriguez v. Winski, 973 F.Supp.2d 411, 429 (S.D.N.Y.2013) (dismissing conspiracy claims where the complaint "fail[ed] to plead sufficient facts" because it "merely ma[de] conclusory allegations of a conspiratorial agreement and attempt[ed] to generate suspicion, without more"); see also Betts v. Shearman, 751 F.3d 78, 84 n. 1 (2d Cir.2014) (affirming a dismissal for "fail[ure] to sufficiently plead a conspiracy ... because the pleading was conclusory"). Plaintiff therefore also fails to plead a failure-to-intervene claim under § 1986. See Brown v. City of Oneonta, N.Y., 221 F.3d 329, 341 (2d Cir.2000) ("[A] § 1986 claim must be predicated on a valid § 1985 claim ...." (internal quotation marks omitted)); Johnson v. City of New York, 669 F.Supp.2d 444, 452 (S.D.N.Y. 2009) (same). The Court therefore dismisses these claims as well.
In its July 2013 Order dismissing the Amended Complaint, the Court granted Plaintiff "one more opportunity to file an Amended Complaint," and it informed Plaintiff that he "should be aware that this may be his final opportunity to amend." (July 2013 Order 7.) Moreover, it instructed him to "specifically allege, ... for each named Defendant, what that Defendant did to be personally involved in the violation of Plaintiff's constitutional rights." (Id. at 8.) It further advised him that "[i]f [he] [did] not comply with [that] instruction, his pleading [might] be dismissed as against any Defendant whose personal involvement cannot be discerned from reading the pleading, and the Court [might] not grant [him] another chance to amend." (Id.) At the May 2014 premotion conference, the Court repeated this warning to Plaintiff and offered him a final opportunity to submit an amended complaint before Defendants submitted their motions, but Plaintiff indicated his intent to stand behind the Second Amended Complaint. Therefore, because Plaintiff has failed to comply with the Court's instruction with regard to Defendant Mannix, the Court will not grant Plaintiff leave to amend with respect to that Defendant. See Rullan v. N.Y.C. Sanitation Dep't, No. 13-CV-5154, 2014 WL 2011771, at *8 n. 4 (S.D.N.Y. May 16, 2014) (denying pro se plaintiff leave to amend where the plaintiff "failed to provide the details ordered by the [c]ourt in permitting the plaintiff to file [an][a]mended [c]omplaint" and where he "[had] not sought to file another amended complaint or proffered what he would state in another amended complaint"); see also Coleman v. brokersXpress, LLC, 375 Fed. Appx. 136, 137 (2d Cir.2010) (affirming dismissal without leave to amend for pro se plaintiff where "[t]he district court afforded [the plaintiff] one opportunity to amend the complaint" but the plaintiff
Orange County Defendants move to dismiss the Complaint on the grounds that certain claims are time barred, that the individual Orange County Defendants are immune from suit, and that the Second Amended Complaint fails to allege any Defendant's personal involvement.
In the context of those claims, the Complaint alleges only that Crain "lied under oath" at the November 10 hearing. (See Second Am. Compl. ¶ 106.) It also alleges that Murphy was Crain's supervisor, that he "had a malicious [intent]" that was directed at Plaintiff at the time of the hearing, (see id.), and that he "coach[ed] ... Crain [on] what to say [at the hearing] so they [could] get what they want[ed]" at the hearing, (see id. at unnumbered 241 (first index page of the fifth section of exhibits, heading)). And it further alleges that Crain, Sholes, and other individuals who testified at the hearing "worked ... together" to obtain a certain outcome. (See id. at unnumbered 242 (second index page of the fifth section of exhibits, description of exhibit 5.1).)
With regard to what Crain actually said at the November 10 hearing, the relevant portion of the hearing transcript is attached as an exhibit to the Second Amended Complaint:
(Hr'g Tr. 51-53.) Plaintiff alleges that, in this part of her testimony — and, specifically, when she stated that she "found [Plaintiff's mother] in her bedroom lying on the bed," that she noticed that Plaintiff's mother's "leg was ... tied to the bed," and that she recognized an exhibit as "[t]he rope that bound [Plaintiff's mother's] leg to the bed," (id. (emphasis added)) — Crain lied under oath because these statements were inconsistent with the Incident Report for the August 20 incident, which quoted Plaintiff as telling the police, "I tie [sic] her legs up," (id. at unnumbered 84 (third index page for second section of exhibits, descriptions for exhibits 2.8-3-5 (quoting id. Ex. 2.0))).
To plead a claim of abuse of process under New York law, Plaintiff "must plead ... that there was (1) regularly issued civil process, (2) an intent to do harm without excuse or justification, (3) use of the process in a perverted manner to obtain a collateral objective, and (4) actual or special damages." Mosdos Chofetz Chaim, Inc. v. RBS Citizens, N.A., 14 F.Supp.3d 191, 212 (S.D.N.Y.2014) (alterations and internal quotation marks omitted); see also D'Amico v. Corr. Med. Care, Inc., 120 A.D.3d 956, 991 N.Y.S.2d 687, 692 (2014) (same). Here, Plaintiff's allegation concerning Crain's testimony does not satisfy the third element. Although Plaintiff alleges that Crain "lied under oath," he does not allege a collateral objective that her alleged lying served. (Second Am. Compl. ¶ 106.) Plaintiff also generally alleges that Murphy "had a malicious [intent]" and that he "coach[ed] ... Crain [on] what to say [at the hearing] so they [could] get what they want[ed]." (Id. ¶ 106, unnumbered 241). However, "a malicious motive alone does not give rise to a cause of action for abuse of process" under New York law. Savino v. City of New York, 331 F.3d 63, 77 (2d Cir.2003) (alterations and internal quotation marks omitted) (quoting Curiano v. Suozzi, 63 N.Y.2d 113, 480 N.Y.S.2d 466, 469 N.E.2d 1324, 1326 (1984)); see also Allen v. Antal, No. 12-CV-8024, 2014 WL 2526977, at *16 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 13, 2014) ("Neither retaliation nor a malicious motive ... is a sufficient collateral objective to satisfy that element of a cognizable malicious abuse of process claim." (internal quotation marks omitted)); Shakima O. v. Westchester Cnty., No. 12-CV-9468, 2014 WL 521608, at *3 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 10, 2014) ("The allegation that defendants' actions arose out of personal animosity towards plaintiffs is not sufficient to state a claim for abuse of process, because personal animosity is a collateral motive, not a collateral purpose." (alterations and internal quotation marks omitted)). Moreover, to the extent the Second Amended Complaint asserts that Crain had a collateral objective (i.e., that she was trying to "get what [she] want[ed]," (Second Am. Compl. at unnumbered 241), the allegations are conclusory and the Court need not consider them in evaluating Defendants' Motion. See Burroughs
In light of the foregoing, the Court holds:
In deciding whether to file an amended complaint with respect to Defendants Kammarada, McLymore, Belgiovene, Moskowitz, Leo, Murphy, Crain, and Orange County, Plaintiff should be aware that this likely will be his final opportunity to submit an amended complaint. Moreover, if Plaintiff does not comply with the Court's instruction that he allege a Defendants' personal involvement, the Court will dismiss his claims against that Defendant without leave to amend.
Finally, in the interest of clarity, the Court directs Plaintiff to submit an amended complaint that contains and allegations only against these Defendants.
SO ORDERED.
Likewise, Defendants Kleveno and Leo were served on August 20, 2014 and September 4, 2014, respectively. (See Dkt. No. 140 (Process Receipt & Return for Kleveno, filed Sept. 10, 2014); Dkt. No. 137 (Process Receipt & Return for Leo, filed Sept. 10, 2014).) The Court notes that, because all of the other Wallkill Defendants are represented by one attorney, and all of the other Orange County Defendants are also represented by one attorney, Kleveno and Leo's current lack of representation, as reflected on the Docket, may also be a technical oversight.
After Plaintiff unsuccessfully attempted to serve Defendant Labuda at APS (where she apparently no longer worked at the time Plaintiff attempted to serve her), (see Dkt. No. 90 (unexecuted Process Receipt, filed Apr. 22, 2012)), counsel for Orange County Defendants, at the Court's direction, provided an updated address for Labuda, and it further informed Plaintiff that it had been "authorized to accept service on [her] behalf," (Dkt. No. 98 (Letter from Carol C. Pierce, Esq. to Plaintiff (May 27, 2014))). It does not appear that Plaintiff has served Labuda since he received this information.
Additionally, Plaintiff has yet to serve, but may be attempting to serve, Defendant Labuda. However, because the Court separately dismisses Plaintiff's claims against Labuda for failure to comply with Rule 8 without leave to amend, Plaintiff's failure to serve the Second Amended complaint on Labuda will be moot as a result of this Order.
Moreover, primarily in the context of alleging that multiple Defendants submitted false statements, committed perjury, or falsified documents, Plaintiff makes a number of references to a provision of the New York Penal Code that criminalizes, as a Class A misdemeanor, any making of a "false statement." (See, e.g., id. at unnumbered 82-84, 224-25 (index pages for the second and fourth sections of exhibits) (citing N.Y. Penal Law § 210.45).) However, that provision cannot form the basis of a civil claim, nor can it form the basis of a § 1983 or related claim given that those statutes apply only to violations of federal constitutional rights. See Peterec v. Hilliard, No. 12-CV-3944, 2013 WL 5178328, at *8 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 16, 2013) (dismissing a false-statement claim based on New York Penal Law "because private citizens do not have a private cause of action for criminal violations" (internal quotation marks omitted)); Grimes v. Fremont Gen. Corp., 933 F.Supp.2d 584, 611 (S.D.N.Y.2013) (dismissing forgery claims under New York Penal Law because "[n]o private right of action exists to enforce [such] provisions"); cf. Hammer v. Am. Kennel Club, 1 N.Y.3d 294, 771 N.Y.S.2d 493, 803 N.E.2d 766, 768 (2003) ("Where a penal statute does not expressly confer a private right of action on individuals pursuing civil relief, recovery under such a statute may be had only if a private right of action may be fairly implied.").
By contrast, Defendants Kammarada, McLymore, Belgiovene, Moskowitz, and Leo were not named in the Amended Complaint, and therefore Plaintiff has not had an opportunity to submit an amended complaint alleging personal wrongdoing with regard to these Defendants. Therefore, the Court dismisses the claims against these Defendants, but grants Plaintiff leave to amend. In doing so, however, Plaintiff should be mindful of the Court's order, in this Opinion, directing him to serve Defendants Belgiovene and Moskowitz within the required timeframe.
Finally, with regard to Guzman, the Court has dismissed the claims against her for failure to serve. The dismissal under Rule 8, therefore, is in the alternative, and the Court need not address whether Plaintiff has leave to amend to correct the deficiencies with regard to his Rule 8 obligations.
The Court further notes that Plaintiff appears to allege that Crain kept Plaintiff's key to his home for 44 days, but he does not appear to allege any claims for relief based on this allegation. (See Second Am. Compl. ¶ 65.) And, in the alternative, the Court would dismiss any claims against Crain related to her role in the August 20 arrest (and any related claims against other Orange County Defendants) for the same reason it dismissed similar claims against Mannix, all of which were based on his mere presence at the June 10 arrest — namely, that Plaintiff does not sufficiently allege Crain's personal involvement.