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________________ EDWI N W ALKER, A ppel l ant
v. M I CH AEL FI SHER, I ND I VI DU ALLY AN D A S ATTOR NEY GEN ERA L; PATRI CK LEON AR D, I ND I VI DU ALLY AND AS S P EC. P ROS ECUT OR; J AC K SH AR KEY , I ND I VI DU ALLY AN D A S TASK FORC E AG ENT; J AM ES AV ERY , I ND I VI DU ALLY AN D A S TASK FORC E AG ENT; PAU L J . RO BERTS, I ND I VI DU ALLY AN D A S J USTI CE O F THE PEACE; P E T E R P A U L O L S Z E W S K I; DA VI D LU PAS, LUZERN E CO UN TY DI S T RI CT AT T OR NE Y I N T HE I R O F F I CI AL CA P AC I T Y;

THO M AS G ATES, I ND I VI DU ALLY AN D I N H I S OFF I CI AL C APA CI TY AS J UDGE OF DAUP HI N C OUNT Y; J OSEPH A UG ELLO, HO N. , I ND I VI DU ALLY AND AS P RE S I DE NT J UDGE OF L UZ E RN E CO UNT Y; PATRI CK J . TOO LE, J R. , HO N. , I ND I VI DU ALLY AND AS J UDGE OF L UZ E RN E CO UNT Y; WI L L I AM GUZ Z I , I NM AT E , I NDI VI DUAL L Y AND I N H I S I ND I VI DU AL C APA CI TY A S I NM ATE AL L S UE D I N T HE I R I NDI VI DUAL L Y AND I N TH EI R O FF I CI AL C APA CI TY

____________________________________2 O n A p p ea l Fro m the U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt F o r th e E a ste rn D istric t o f P e n n sy lv a n ia ( D . C . C i v. N o. 01- cv- 00578) D i s t r i ctJ udge: H onor abl e Eduar do C . R obr eno

_______________________________________ S u b mi t t e d F o rP o s s i b l e Di s mi s s a l Un d e r2 8 U. S . C. § 1 9 1 5 ( e ) ( 2 ) ( B)

SE PT E M B E R 26, 2005 B efore: S L O V ITE R , R O T H A N D N Y G A A R D , C i rcui tJudg es.

( Fi l ed: O ct ober6, 2005)

_______________________ OP I NI ON

_______________________ P E R C UR I AM A ppel l ant , E dw i n W al ker , appea l s fr om the or der s of the D i s t r i ctC our tforthe E as t ern D i s t r i ctof Penns y l vani a gr ant i ng j udgm enti n t he def endant s ’ favorand di s m i s s i ng hi s ci vi l r i ght s act i on forfal s e arr es t , fal s e i m pr i s onm ent , exce s s i ve us e of for ce, and mal i ci ous pr os ecut i on. T h e b a c k g r o u n d a n d t r a v e l o f th i s c a s e i s we l l
- k n o wn t o th e p a r t i e s , a n d th u s , we need onl ypr ovi de a s um m aryher e. W al kerw as arr es t ed on M ar ch 13, 1998, and
c o n v i c t e d i n L u z e r n e Co u n t yP e n n s y l v a n i a o f mu l t i p l e c o n t r o l l e d s u b s t a n c e c h a r g e s . He i s c u rr e n t l ys e r v i n g a s e n t e n c e o f i mp r i s o n me n ti n a s t a t e c o r r e c t i o n a l f a c i l i t y . On F e b ru a ry5 , 2 0 0 1 , W a lk e r f iled a c iv il righ ts c o m p lain t cla im in g th a t h e w a s illeg a lly convi ct ed. H e al l eged thatal l of the def endant s cons pi r ed t o vi ol at e hi s cons t i tut i onalT he D i s t r i ctC our ts ever ed W al ker ’ s act i on agai ns tG uzzi on N ovember12, 1 2003. See W al kerv. G uzzi , C i v. A . N o. 03- 06193. 3 rig h ts b ya rre stin g h im w ith o u t p ro b a b le c a u se , b yse a rc h in g h is h o m e w ith o u t a w a rra n t, and byal l ow i ng a C om m onw eal t h w i t nes s , W i l l i am G uzzi , t o pr es entper j ur ed t es t i m ony t o the j ury . H e al s o al l eged thatone of the def endant s , T as k A gentA very , us ed 1 excessi ve fo rce i n eff

ect i ng W al ker’ s arres t . W al ker soug ht dam ages. O n J ul y15, 2002, and M ay5, 2003, r es pect i vel y , the D i s t r i ctC our tdi s m i s s ed for fai l ur e t o s t at e a c l ai m underFed. R . C i v. P. 12( b) ( 6) , al l cl ai m s agai ns tj udges A ugel l o, To o l e , Ga t e s , a n d Ro b e r t s a s b a r r e d b yth e d o c t r i n e o f j u d i c i a l i mmu n i t ya n d a l l c l a i ms agai ns tpr os ecut or i al defe ndant s L upas and O l s zew s ki as barr ed bythe doctr i ne of p r o s e c u t o r i a l i mmu n i t y . On S e p t e mb e r2 , 2 0 0 3 , th e Di s t r i c tCo u r td i s mi s s e d a l l c l a i ms agai ns tC om m onw eal t h defe ndant s form erA t t orneyG ener al Fi s her , D eputyA t t orney G en era l L eo n ard , an d T ask A g en t Stark ey , o n sev era l gro u n d s. F ir st, the D istri ct C o u rt hel d thatabs entanyevi dence t hatW al ker ’ s convi ct i on w as i nval i dat ed, hi s compl ai ntfor damages w as notcogni zabl e underH eck v. H um phr ey , 512 U . S. 477 ( 1994) . B utthe D i s tr i ctC our tal s o hel d t hatW al ker ’ s cl ai m s agai ns tFi s herand Sharkeyfai l ed under R ode v. D el l ar ci pr et e, 845 F. 2d 1195, 1207 ( 3d C i r . 1988) , beca us e none of the all eg ati o n s su p p o rt ed an inf ere n ce that theyw ere p erso n all yinv o lved . T h e D istri ct C o u rt al s o found thatpr os ecut or i al i m m uni t ybarr ed s ui tagai ns tL eonar d. Fi nal l y , the D i s t r i ct C our tdeni ed Task A gentA very ’ s m ot i on t o di s m i s s W al ker ’ s exce s s i ve us e of f or ce4

c l a i m. B oth W al kerand A verym oved fors um m aryj udgm ent . A verycont ended thatt he
exce s s i ve for ce c l ai m w as barr ed bythe s t atut e of l i m i t at i ons . T he D i s t r i ctC our tdeni ed W al ker ’ s m ot i on and gr ant ed s um m aryj udgm enti n A very ’ s favoron J anuary24, 2005, h o ld in g th a t th e c o m p la in t w a s tim e -b a rr e d a n d th a t e q u ita b le to llin g w a s n o t w a rr a n te d . W al kert i m el yappea l ed. W e have j ur i s di ct i on pur s uantt o 28 U . S. C . § 1291. W al kerhas been gr ant ed l eave to p ro c e e d IF P o n a p p e a l. B e c a u se h is a p p e a l lac k s a rg u a b le m e rit, w e w ill d ism iss it p u rsua n t t o § 1 9 1 5 (e)(2)(B )(I ). S ee A ll ah v . S eive rl ing , 2 2 9 F . 3 d 2 2 0 , 2 2 3 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 0 ). Subst ant i al l yforthe s ame r eas ons s etfor t h bythe D i s t r i ctC our t , w e conc l ude that W al ker ’ s ci vi l r i ght s compl ai ntw as pr oper l ydi s m i s s ed forfai l ur e t o s t at e a c l ai m upon w h ich re lief

c a n b e g ra n ted a n d th a t th e D istric t C o u rt p ro p e rlye n ter e d ju d g m e n t in A very ’s favo r purs uan tt o F ed. R . C i v. P . 56 . A ssum i ng i n W al ker’ s favo r that hi s fal se arr es t/ i m pr i s onm entcl ai m i s notbarr ed byH eck, the cl ai m i s barr ed, i n anyevent , byt he
s ta tu te o f lim ita tio n s . S e e M o n tg o m e ry v . D e S im o n e , 1 5 9 F .3 d 1 2 0 , 1 2 6 (3 d C ir . 1 9 9 8 ). H er e, beca us e H eck’ s defe r r ed ac crual rul e does notappl y , W al ker ’ s Four t h A m endment
c l a i m a c c ru e d o n t h e d a yt h a th e wa s a r r e s t e d , M a r c h 1 3 , 1 9 9 8 . Un d e rth e a p p l i c a b l e t wo y e a r sta tu te o f

lim itatio n s, P a . C o n s. S tat. A n n . § 5 5 2 4 , W a lk e r h a d u n til M a rc h 2 0 0 0 to fi l e a t i m el ycompl ai nt . T he compl ai ntw as fi l ed i n February2001, w el l aft erthe l i m i t at i ons per i od had expi r ed.A ccor di ngl y , t he appe al w i l l be di s m i s s ed. W al ker ’ s m ot i ons forappoi nt m entof

couns el and forentr yof j udgm entof def aul tar e deni ed.

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