Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-2_12-cv-01219/USCOURTS-azd-2_12-cv-01219-4/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 440
Nature of Suit: Other Civil Rights
Cause of Action: 42:1983 Civil Rights Act

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

Michael Salman, et al.,

Plaintiffs,

v. 

Phoenix, City of, et al.,

Defendants.

No. CV-12-01219-PHX-JAT

ORDER

Pending before the Court is Michael and Suzanne Salman (“Plaintiffs”)s’ motion 

for Temporary Restraining Order (“TRO”) against Defendants’ City of Phoenix, et al. 

(Doc. 91). Plaintiffs seek the Court’s intervention on an emergency basis to “host home 

groups” and hold “bible studies” over Christmas. (Id. at 4).

The Court is cognizant of the calendar date and acknowledges the importance of 

this time of year to those of faith. At the same time, however, the Court notes that 

Plaintiffs have been aware of the annual “high holiday of their faith,” (Doc. 91 at 4), for 

quite some time, given its fixed position on the calendar. A plaintiff may not circumvent 

the notice requirement by waiting so long to file a motion for TRO that he creates his 

own emergency. See e.g. Martin v. Family Lending Servs., No. 09-CV-2133-PHX-ROS,

2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 100453, at *3 (D. Ariz. Oct. 15, 2009) (citation omitted) (noting 

that a plaintiff may not create her own emergency to circumvent the notice requirement in 

seeking TRO); Best Deals on TV, Inc. v. Naveed, 2007 WL902564, *4 (N.D. Cal. 2007) 

(noting that a plaintiff cannot show the need for temporary restraining order without 

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notice when he waited months after learning of the situation to file the request); Comcast 

of Illinois X, LLC v. Till, 293 F.Supp.2d 936, 938-39 (E.D. Wisc. 2003). By waiting until 

December 21, and seeking to “host home groups” and “have bible studies” during 

Christmas, Plaintiffs have effectively precluded Defendants from filing any kind of 

meaningful response on the issue, and have created their own emergency.1

Moreover, the Court finds that Plaintiffs have failed to establish that Defendants 

have demonstrated new initiative to prosecute them for their activities. Plaintiffs assert 

that prosecution by Defendants is “real and [imminent].” (Doc. 91 at 4). But the letters 

submitted to the Court are from February 23, May 8, and September 20, 2007, 

respectively. (Id. at 7-11). Plaintiffs assert that Defendants have broken up bible study 

groups at Plaintiffs’ home on two “separate occasions,” but fail to provide any evidence 

of this, or even to provide the Court with specific dates to support their argument that 

prosecution is “imminent.” Taken together, Plaintiffs’ factual basis for TRO is 

insufficient to warrant that the Court intervene on an emergency basis.

For these reasons, the Court will deny Plaintiffs’ motion for TRO. (Doc. 91). The 

Court will address Plaintiffs’ motion for preliminary injunction, (Doc. 90), when briefing 

has been completed.

Accordingly,

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Plaintiffs argue that they filed a motion for preliminary injunction on December 

7, 2015, and that Defendants have “had ample time to” respond. (Doc. 91 at 4-5). This is 

not proper grounds to seek intervention from the Court via TRO. Defendants are still 

entitled to file a timely response to Plaintiffs’ motion for preliminary injunction in 

accordance with this Court’s rules. See LRCiv 7.2(b); Fed. R. Civ. P. 6(a)(1).

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IT IS ORDERED that Plaintiffs’ motion for TRO, (Doc. 91), is hereby DENIED.

Dated this 21st day of December, 2015.

Case 2:12-cv-01219-JAT Document 92 Filed 12/21/15 Page 3 of 3