Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-alsd-1_19-cv-00265/USCOURTS-alsd-1_19-cv-00265-1/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Mary A. Harris
Plaintiff
Monroe County Commission
Defendant
Monroe County Public Library Board of Trustees
Defendant
Shannon Powell
Defendant
Ann Pridgen
Defendant
Jerome Sanders
Defendant
Steve Stacey
Defendant

Document Text:

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA

SOUTHERN DIVISION

MARY HARRIS, )

)

Plaintiff, )

)

vs. ) CIVIL ACTION NO. 19-0265-CG-N

)

MONROE COUNTY PUBLIC 

LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES; 

MONROE COUNTY COMMISSION, 

et al.,

)

)

)

)

)

Defendants. )

ORDER

After due and proper consideration of the issues raised, and a de novo

determination of those portions of the recommendation to which objection is made, 

the Report and Recommendation of the Magistrate Judge (Doc. 45) made under 28 

U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B)-(C), Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 72(b), and S.D. Ala. 

GenLR 72(a)(2)(S), and dated May 22, 2020, is ADOPTED as the opinion of this 

Court. 

Accordingly, the following is ORDERED:

1. Defendant the Monroe County Commission’s motion to dismiss under Federal 

Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) (Doc. 15) is GRANTED, and all claims 

against it in this action are DISMISSED with prejudice;

2. Defendant Steve Stacey’s Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss (Doc. 33) is 

GRANTED as to the libel, slander, and defamation claims in Count 4 of the 

complaint, and as to the 42 U.S.C §§ 1981 and 1981a claims in Count 1, such 

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that those claims are DISMISSED with prejudice; DENIED as to his 

assertions of immunity under the Alabama Volunteer Service Act; and 

DENIED without prejudice as to his remaining arguments to allow

Plaintiff Mary A. Harris the opportunity to file an amended complaint;

3. the Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss filed by Defendants the Monroe County 

Library Board of Trustees (“the Board”), Ann Pridgen, Shannon Powell, and 

Jerome Sanders (Doc. 35) is GRANTED as to the §§ 1981 and 1981a claims 

in Count 1, such that those claims are DISMISSED with prejudice; 

DENIED as to assertions of immunity under the Alabama Volunteer Service 

Act and the Board’s lack of capacity to be sued; and DENIED without 

prejudice as to their remaining arguments to allow Harris the opportunity 

to file an amended complaint;

4. that Harris is DENIED leave to amend her complaint to assert claims

against the Board under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and to 

assert claims under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967

(“ADEA”) against any defendant but the Board;

5. that Harris is GRANTED leave to amend her complaint to assert the new 

factual allegations, the new ADEA claims against the Board, and the new 

causes of action under § 1983 against all defendants except the Monroe 

County Commission, set forth in her proposed amended complaint (Doc. 34-

3);

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6. that, in filing her amended complaint, Harris is required to (1) set forth each 

distinct cause of action under § 1983 and the ADEA in a separate count, (2)

omit “and/ or the rights or privileges otherwise guaranteed to her by federal 

law” and any similar catch-all provision purporting to assert claims not 

specifically stated in the amended complaint, and (3) identify with reasonable 

specificity the factual allegations underlying each separate cause of action; 

and

7. Harris must file and serve her amended complaint in accordance with the 

foregoing directives no later than July 1, 2020. Harris is reminded that, 

under this Court’s local rules, her amended complaint must “reproduce the 

entire pleading as amended and may not incorporate any prior pleading by 

reference.” S.D. Ala. CivLR 15(a).

DONE and ORDERED this 17th day of June, 2020.

/s/ Callie V. S. Granade

SENIOR UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

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