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Parties Involved:
Eugene Cipriano
Appellee
Allen Davis
Appellee
Cipriano Gene
Appellee
Mario P. Goderick
Appellee
Kelvin D. Harris
Appellant
Myra Trinachat
Appellee

Document Text:

[DO NOT PUBLISH]

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT

________________________

No. 13-12253

Non-Argument Calendar

________________________

D.C. Docket No. 1:05-cv-22039-JEM

KELVIN D. HARRIS, 

 Plaintiff-Appellant,

 versus

MARIO P. GODERICK, 

Circuit Court Judge

ALLEN DAVIS, 

Probation Officer, 

CIPRIANO GENE,

Assistant State Attorney,

MYRA TRINACHAT, 

Assistant State Attorney, 

EUGENE CIPRIANO, 

Former State Attorney, et al.,

 Defendants-Appellees,

S.L. HERMATAT, etc., et al.,

 Defendants.

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________________________

Appeal from the United States District Court

for the Southern District of Florida

________________________

(April 22, 2015)

Before WILSON, JORDAN, and JILL PRYOR, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM: 

Kelvin D. Harris, a state prisoner proceeding pro se and in forma pauperis

(IFP), appeals a district court order dismissing his 42 U.S.C. § 1983 claims for 

false arrest and malicious prosecution against the following defendants connected 

with his 1989 probation revocation hearing: Florida Circuit Judge Mario 

Goderich;

1 state prosecutors Eugene Cipriano and Myra Trinchet; Warrant Bureau 

Director Fred Taylor; probation officer Allen Davis; public defender Leonard 

Succar; Deputy H.L. Hermatet; and Miami-Dade County. 

Harris appealed an earlier dismissal in 2006, but we vacated that ruling and 

remanded the case for further proceedings. The district court dismissed Harris’s 

suit again in May 2013, and this appeal followed issuance of the final judgment. 

Harris now argues that the district court erred by dismissing his § 1983 malicious 

prosecution and false arrest claims against each defendant, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 

§ 1915(e)(2)(B). Upon review of the briefs and record on appeal, we affirm. 

 1 The case style reflects an incorrect spelling of the defendant’s name, which is 

“Goderich,” not “Goderick.”

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For ease of reference, we will address each point in turn.

I. Section 1983 Malicious Prosecution Claims

A district court “shall dismiss” a complaint filed IFP if it finds that the 

complaint “(1) is frivolous or malicious; (2) fails to state a claim on which relief 

may be granted; or (3) seeks monetary relief against a defendant who is immune 

from such relief.” 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(e)(2)(B)(i)–(iii). We review the district 

court’s dismissal for failure to state a claim pursuant to § 1915(e)(2)(B)(ii) de 

novo, applying the same standards that govern Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 

12(b)(6). Mitchell v. Farcass, 112 F.3d 1483, 1490 (11th Cir. 1997). Thus, we 

must view the complaint in the light most favorable to the plaintiff, accepting all of 

the plaintiff’s well-pleaded facts as true. Am. United Life Ins. Co. v. Martinez, 480 

F.3d 1043, 1056–57 (11th Cir. 2007). Additionally, pro se pleadings are to be 

liberally construed and held to a less stringent standard than pleadings drafted by 

attorneys. See Powell v. Lennon, 914 F.2d 1459, 1463 (11th Cir. 1990). However, 

in order to survive a motion to dismiss, the plaintiff’s complaint must contain facts 

sufficient to support a plausible claim to relief. Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 

678–79, 129 S. Ct. 1937, 1949–50 (2009). Conclusory allegations and bare legal 

conclusions are insufficient to preclude dismissal. See Oxford Asset Mgmt., Ltd. v. 

Jaharis, 297 F.3d 1182, 1188 (11th Cir. 2002). A complaint is also subject to 

dismissal “when its allegations, on their face, show that an affirmative defense bars 

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recovery on the claim.” Douglas v. Yates, 535 F.3d 1316, 1321 (11th Cir. 2008)

(internal quotation marks omitted).

A claimant is entitled to relief under § 1983 if he can prove that a person 

acting under color of state law committed an act that deprived him of some right 

protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States. We have “identified 

malicious prosecution as a violation of the Fourth Amendment and a viable 

constitutional tort cognizable under § 1983.” Wood v. Kesler, 323 F.3d 872, 881 

(11th Cir. 2003). The common law elements of malicious prosecution are: 

(1) an original judicial proceeding against the present plaintiff was 

commenced or continued; (2) the present defendant was the legal cause of 

the original proceeding; (3) the termination of the original proceeding 

constituted a bona fide termination of that proceeding in favor of the present 

plaintiff; (4) there was an absence of probable cause for the original 

proceeding; (5) there was malice on the part of the present defendant; and 

(6) the plaintiff suffered damages as a result of the original proceeding.

Kingsland v. City of Miami, 382 F.3d 1220, 1234 (11th Cir. 2004). A plaintiff 

must therefore allege that the defendant acted without probable cause as a required 

element of a § 1983 malicious prosecution claim. Id.; see also Wood, 323 F.3d at 

882. An officer has probable cause to make an arrest when “the facts and 

circumstances within the officer’s knowledge, of which he or she has reasonably 

trustworthy information, would cause a prudent person to believe, under the 

circumstances shown, that the suspect has committed, is committing, or is about to 

commit an offense.” Wood, 323 F.3d at 878. Ordinarily, where an arrest warrant 

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has been issued, a police officer is entitled to rely on the magistrate’s probable 

cause determination, as long as that reliance is objectively reasonable. See United 

States v. Leon, 468 U.S. 897, 92–, 104 S. Ct. 3405, 3420–21 (1984). 

Certain defendants enjoy immunity from § 1983 damages as a result of their 

official role. For instance, judges are entitled to absolute immunity for all actions 

taken in their judicial capacity, except where they take action in a “clear absence of 

all jurisdiction.” Bolin v. Story, 225 F.3d 1234, 1239 (11th Cir. 2000) (per curiam) 

(internal quotation marks omitted). Absolute judicial immunity “applies even 

when [a] judge’s acts are in error, malicious, or were in excess of his or her 

jurisdiction.” Id. Similarly, prosecutors are entitled to absolute immunity from 

damages for their acts or omissions taken in the course of initiating a prosecution.

Id. at 1242. However, a prosecutor is not entitled to immunity if he is functioning 

as an investigator or a complaining witness rather than an advocate for the 

government. Rivera v. Leal, 359 F.3d 1350, 1353 (11th Cir. 2004). 

Moreover, a claimant is only entitled to relief under § 1983 if he can prove 

that the defendant acted under color of law. The Supreme Court has held that “a

public defender does not act under color of state law when performing a lawyer’s 

traditional functions as counsel to a defendant in a criminal proceeding.” Polk 

Cnty. v. Dodson, 454 U.S. 312, 325, 102 S. Ct. 445, 453, (1981). 

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Furthermore, a county or other local government entity may not be held 

liable under § 1983 based solely upon respondeat superior. See McDowell v.

Brown, 392 F.3d 1283, 1289 (11th Cir. 2004). Rather, to impose § 1983 liability 

on a county, a plaintiff must show: “(1) that his constitutional rights were violated; 

(2) that the municipality had a custom or policy that constituted deliberate 

indifference to that constitutional right; and (3) that the policy or custom caused 

the violation.” Id. A plaintiff relying on a county’s unofficial practice to establish 

constitutional injury must demonstrate that the practice is so pervasive and 

widespread as to be functionally equivalent to a formal policy. See Grech v. 

Clayton Cnty., 335 F.3d 1326, 1330 & n.6 (11th Cir. 2003). A claimant does not 

establish a custom or policy under § 1983 by alleging one isolated incident. Id. 

In this case, the district court did not err by dismissing Harris’s § 1983 

malicious prosecution.2

 We address each defendant in turn. First, Judge Goderich 

was entitled to absolute judicial immunity because Harris alleged only that Judge 

Goderich mistakenly issued a warrant for his arrest. See Bolin, 225 F.3d at 1239. 

Similarly, Cipriano and Trinchet were each entitled to prosecutorial immunity for 

their actions taken in the course of initiating a prosecution. See id. at 1242. As to 

defendant Succar, the district court properly dismissed Harris’s claims because a 

 2 For purposes of deciding this appeal, we will assume, arguendo, that Harris’s pro se

objections before the district court preserved his right to appellate review. See Resolution Trust 

Corp. v. Hallmark Builders, Inc., 996 F.2d 1144, 1149 (11th Cir. 1993) (per curiam); 11th Cir. R. 

3-1.

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public defender does not act under color of state law simply by representing a 

criminal defendant. See Dodson., 454 U.S. at 325, 102 S. Ct. at 453. Regarding 

defendant Davis, Harris failed to plead any facts indicating that Davis lacked 

probable cause to believe a probation violation occurred on the day he filed the 

affidavit. See Wood, 323 F.3d at 882. As to defendants Taylor and Hermatet, 

Harris failed to allege any facts indicating that a prudent officer in their position 

would not have relied upon the independent probable cause determination made by 

Judge Goderich when he issued an arrest warrant for Harris. See Leon, 468 U.S. at 

922–23, 104 S. Ct. at 3420–21. Finally, as to Miami-Dade County, Harris alleged 

only a single incident of deliberate indifference to his constitutional rights, and a 

single isolated incident is insufficient to establish a custom or policy under § 1983.

See Grech, 335 F.3d at 1330 & n.6. 

Accordingly, viewing the complaint in the light most favorable to Harris, his 

complaint did not allege facts sufficient to support a § 1983 claim for malicious 

prosecution against any named defendant. Thus, the district court did not err by 

dismissing his claims under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B), and we affirm in this 

respect.

II. Section 1983 False Arrest Claims

We have identified false arrest as a violation of the Fourth Amendment and a 

viable claim under § 1983. Ortega v. Christian, 85 F.3d 1521, 1525–26 (11th Cir. 

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1996). A claim for false arrest arises when an arrest occurs without a warrant and 

without probable cause. Brown v. City of Huntsville, 608 F.3d 724, 734 (11th Cir. 

2010). However, the existence of probable cause at the time of arrest serves as an 

absolute bar to a false arrest claim. See id. 

Furthermore, § 1983 claims are subject to the statute of limitations 

governing personal injury actions in the state in which the action was brought. 

DeYoung v. Owens, 646 F.3d 1319, 1324 (11th Cir. 2011). In Florida, where 

Harris brought this action, the applicable period for false arrest claims is four 

years. Fla. Stat. § 95.11(3)(o). As noted previously, a complaint may be properly 

dismissed when the allegations “show that an affirmative defense bars recovery on 

the claim.” Douglas, 535 F.3d at 1321.

In this case, the district court did not err by dismissing all of Harris’s § 1983 

false arrest claims because his claims are barred by the statute of limitations. In his 

amended complaint, Harris alleged that he was wrongfully arrested in September 

1989. He did not file his original § 1983 complaint until July 2005, however, or 

his final amended complaint until June 2012. Therefore, Harris filed his complaint 

well after the four-year limitations period had run on his false arrest claims. See 

DeYoung, 646 F.3d at 1324; Fla. Stat. § 95.11(3)(o).

Moreover, even assuming, arguendo, that Harris’s false arrest claims are not 

barred by the statute of limitations, each non-immune defendant arguably 

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possessed probable cause for actions taken in the course of prosecuting Harris for 

his probation violation, and the existence of probable cause serves as an “absolute 

bar” to a false arrest claim. See Brown, 608 F.3d at 734. Accordingly, the district 

court did not err in dismissing Harris’s false arrest claims.

Therefore, for the reasons set forth above, we affirm.

AFFIRMED.

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