Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-10-01481/USCOURTS-ca8-10-01481-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Lee Grossman
Appellee
David Meador
Appellant
John T. Paulson
Appellee

Document Text:

1

The HONORABLE RALPH R. ERICKSON, Chief Judge of the United States

District Court for the District of North Dakota.

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 10-1481

___________

David Meador, *

*

Appellant, * Appeal from the United States

* District Court for the

v. * District of North Dakota.

*

John T. Paulson and Lee Grossman, * [UNPUBLISHED]

*

Appellees. *

___________

Submitted: July 6, 2010

Filed: July 16, 2010

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Before LOKEN, BYE, and SHEPHERD, Circuit Judges.

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PER CURIAM.

David Meador appeals the dismissal of his 42 U.S.C. § 1985 action against a

state prosecutor and state court judge. We conclude that the district court1

 did not

abuse its discretion in electing to abstain under Younger v. Harris, 401 U.S. 37 (1971),

because at the time of the court’s order, a state criminal proceeding against Meador

was ongoing; the proceeding implicated the important state interest of enforcing its

criminal laws; and Meador can (and did) raise his constitutional claim in that

proceeding. See Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A. v. Stroud, 179 F.3d 598, 602 (8th Cir.

Appellate Case: 10-1481 Page: 1 Date Filed: 07/16/2010 Entry ID: 3684260
-2-

1999) (standard of review); Norwood v. Dickey, 409 F.3d 901, 903 (8th Cir. 2005)

(factors warranting abstention). We reject Meador’s arguments that an exception to

Younger applied, or that the district court improperly applied a heightened standard

of review to his pro se complaint. Accordingly, we affirm. See 8th Cir. R. 47B.

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Appellate Case: 10-1481 Page: 2 Date Filed: 07/16/2010 Entry ID: 3684260