Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-03-01084/USCOURTS-ca8-03-01084-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 440
Nature of Suit: Other Civil Rights
Cause of Action: 

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United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 03-1084

___________

Phillip K. Smith, *

*

Plaintiff-Appellant, *

* 

v. * 

* 

City of Jennings, Missouri; a municipal *

corporation; City of Berkeley, Missouri, * 

a municipal corporation; City of *

Florissant, a municipal corporation; *

* Appeal from the United States

Defendants-Appellees, * District Court for the Eastern

* District of Missouri.

St. Louis County, Missouri, a municipal *

corporation; * (UNPUBLISHED)

*

Defendant, *

*

M. Tetrault, detective, DSN 240; Jack *

Derr, detective, *

*

Defendants-Appellees. *

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Submitted: October 18, 2004

Filed: November 1, 2004

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Before MURPHY, HEANEY, and BEAM, Circuit Judges.

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Appellate Case: 03-1084 Page: 1 Date Filed: 11/01/2004 Entry ID: 1828510 
1

The Honorable Catherine D. Perry, United States District Judge for the Eastern

District of Missouri.

-2-

PER CURIAM.

On November 20, 2001, Phillip Smith brought this action under 42 U.S.C. §

1983, alleging an unlawful deprivation of property seized during a November 21,

1991 search of his residence. The district court1

 granted the defendants' motions for

summary judgment, holding that Smith's claims accrued on the date of the seizure and

were therefore barred by Missouri's five year statute of limitations. On appeal, Smith

does not contest the applicability of the five year limitations period, but argues that

his claim did not accrue until November 22, 1996. That was the date when the

government would no longer have been able to initiate a criminal prosecution based

on the seized evidence. See 18 U.S.C. § 3282. We conclude, however, that Smith's

claim accrued on November 21, 1991, and we affirm on the basis of the well-reasoned

opinion of the district court. See 8th Cir. R. 47B.

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Appellate Case: 03-1084 Page: 2 Date Filed: 11/01/2004 Entry ID: 1828510