FI L ED

U.S. COURT OF APPEAL S

EL EVENTH CI RCUI T

J UL Y 06, 2010

J OHN L EY

CL ERK [ D O N O T P U B L I S H ]

I N T H E U N I T E D S T A T E S C O U R T O F A P P E A L S

F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C I R C U I T

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

N o

. 0 9

- 1 6 1 0 8

N o n

- A r g u m e n t C a l e n d a r

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

D

. C

. D o c k e t N o

. 0 9

- 6 0 4 2 1

- C V

- W J Z

B I L L Y J A M E S L E W I S

, J R

. ,

P l a i n t i f f

- A p p e l l a n t

,

v e r s u s

J A M E S B A R N I C K

,

F E L I P E R O D R I G U E Z

, S T E V E N B O L G E R

,

H O L L Y W O O D P O L I C E D E P T

. , C I T Y O F H O L L Y W O O D

, F L O R I D A

,

D e f e n d a n t s

- A p p e l l e e s

.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

A p p e a l f r o m t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s D i s t r i c t C o u r t

f o r t h e S o u t h e r n D i s t r i c t o f F l o r i d a

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

( J u l y 6

, 2 0 1 0 )B e f

o r e T J O F L A T

, W I L S O N a n d K R A V I T C H

, C i r c u i t J u d g e s

.

P E R C U R I A M :

B i l l y J a m e s L e w i s

, J r

. , a F l o r i d a s t a t e p r i s o n e r

, a p p e a l s t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t ’ s

d i s m i s s a l o f h i s p r o s e c i v i l r i g h t s c o m p l a i n t a l l e g i n g t h a t F l o r i d a p o l i c e o f f i c e r s

v i o l a t e d h i s c o n s t i t u t i o n a l r i g h t s d u r i n g h i s a r r e s t i n 2 0 0 4

. F o r t h e f o l l o w i n g

r e a s o n s

, w e v a c a t e a n d r e m a n d

.

O n M a r c h 1 3

, 2 0 0 9

, L e w i s f i l e d a c i v i l r i g h t s a c t i o n a l l e g i n g c o n s t i t u t i o n a l

v i o l a t i o n s a n d c o n s p i r a c y u n d e r 4 2 U

. S

. C

. § § 1 9 8 3

, a n d 1 9 8 5 ( 3 ) i n c o n n e c t i o n

w i t h h i s a r r e s t i n A p r i l 2 0 0 4

. H e l a t e r f i l e d a n a m e n d e d c o m p l a i n t p r o v i d i n g

f u r t h e r d e t a i l f

o r t h e s e a l l e g a t i o n s a n d a d d i n g s t a t e l a w c l a i m s

. 1

T h e m a g i s t r a t e j u d g e r e c o m m e n d e d d i s m i s s i n g t h e c o m p l a i n t u n d e r 2 8

U

. S

. C

. § 1 9 1 5 ( e ) ( 2 ) ( B ) ( i i ) f o r f a i l u r e t o s t a t e a c l a i m u p o n w h i c h r e l i e f c o u l d b e

g r a n t e d b e c a u s e t h e c o m p l a i n t w a s n o t f i l e d w i t h i n t h e f

o u r

- y e a r s t a t u t e o f

l i m i t a t i o n s

. A l t h o u g h t h e m a g i s t r a t e j u d g e c o n s i d e r e d F l o r i d a ’ s t o l l i n g p r o v i s i o n s

,

t h e j u d g e c o n c l u d e d t h a t L e w i s ’ s s t a t u s a s a p r i s o n e r d i d n o t f a l l w i t h i n t h e

p r o v i s i o n

.

L e w i s f i l e d o b j e c t i o n s t o t h e r e c o m m e n d a t i o n

, i n w h i c h h e a r g u e d t h a t h e

h a d f i l e d a c o m p l a i n t i n 2 0 0 7 b y p l a c i n g t h e c o m p l a i n t i n t h e p r i s o n m a i l s y s t e m

,

On appe al, L ewis prof

fer s no arg ument reg arding the dismissal of these state law 1

claims.

2a n d e i g h t e e n m o n t h s l a t e r

, w h e n h e h a d n o t r e c e i v e a r e s p o n s e f r o m t h e c o u r t

, h e

f i l e d t h e i n s t a n t c o m p l a i n t

. H e a r g u e d t h a t t h e 2 0 0 7 c o m p l a i n t

, w h i c h r a i s e d t h e

s a m e c o n s t i t u t i o n a l c l a i m s a s t h e 2 0 0 9 c o m p l a i n t

, t o l l e d t h e l i m i t a t i o n s p e r i o d

, b u t

h e d i d n o t c l e a r l y a s s e r t t h a t t h e i n s t a n t c o m p l a i n t s e r v e d a s a n a m e n d m e n t t o t h e

2 0 0 7 c o m p l a i n t

. I t d o e s n o t a p p e a r f r o m t h e r e c o r d t h a t t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t d o c k e t e d

t h e 2 0 0 7 c o m p l a i n t

.

T h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t a d o p t e d t h e r e c o m m e n d a t i o n o f t h e m a g i s t r a t e j u d g e a n d

d i s m i s s e d t h e c o m p l a i n t w i t h o u t a d d r e s s i n g L e w i s ’ s c l a i m t h a t h e f i l e d a c o m p l a i n t

i n 2 0 0 7

.

O n a p p e a l

, L e w i s r a i s e s t w o i s s u e s

. F i r s t

, h e a r g u e s t h a t t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t

e r r e d i n n o t a p p l y i n g t h e “ p r i s o n m a i l b o x r u l e

, ” a n d d i s m i s s i n g h i s § 1 9 8 3

c o m p l a i n t a s b a r r e d b y t h e s t a t u t e o f l i m i t a t i o n s

. S e c o n d

, L e w i s a r g u e s t h a t t h e

d i s t r i c t c o u r t e r r e d i n f

i n d i n g t h a t F l o r i d a ’ s t o l l i n g s t a t u t e

, F l o r i d a S t a t u t e § 9 5

. 0 5 1

,

d i d n o t t o l l t h e s t a t u t o r y p e r i o d

.

A c o u r t “ s h a l l d i s m i s s ” a c a s e f i l e d i n f o r m a p a u p e r i s i f t h e c o u r t d e t e r m i n e s

t h a t t h e c o m p l a i n t “ f

a i l s t o s t a t e a c l a i m u p o n w h i c h r e l i e f m a y b e g r a n t e d

. ” 2 8

U

. S

. C

. § 1 9 1 5 ( e ) ( 2 ) ( B ) ( i i )

. A d i s t r i c t c o u r t ’ s d i s m i s s a l o f a c o m p l a i n t f o r f a i l u r e t o

s t a t e a c l a i m i s r e v i e w e d d e n o v o

, “ v i e w i n g t h e a l l e g a t i o n s i n t h e c o m p l a i n t a s

t r u e

. ” M i t c h e l l v

. F a r c a s s

, 1 1 2 F

. 3 d 1 4 8 3

, 1 4 9 0 ( 1 1 t h C i r

. 1 9 9 7 )

.

3“ S e c t i o n 1 9 8 3 c l a i m s a r e g o v e r n e d b y t h e f o r u m s t a t e ’ s r e s i d u a l p e r s o n a l

i n j u r y s t a t u t e o f l i m i t a t i o n s

, w h i c h i n F l o r i d a i s f o u r y e a r s

. ” C i t

y o f H i a l e a h v

.

R o j a s

, 3 1 1 F

. 3 d 1 0 9 6

, 1 1 0 3 n

. 2 ( 1 1 t h C i r

. 2 0 0 2 )

. T h u s

, “ [ p ] l a i n t i f f s m u s t b r i n g a

s e c t i o n 1 9 8 3 c l a i m a r i s i n g i n F l o r i d a w i t h i n f o u r y e a r s o f t h e a l l e g e d u n l a w f u l

[ c o n d u c t ]

. ” I

d

. a t 1 1 0 3

. “ T o d i s m i s s a p r i s o n e r ’ s c o m p l a i n t a s t i m e

- b a r r e d p r i o r t o

s e r v i c e

, i t m u s t a p p e a r b e y o n d a d o u b t f r o m t h e c o m p l a i n t i t s e l f t h a t t h e p r i s o n e r

c a n p r o v e n o s e t o f f

a c t s w h i c h w o u l d a v o i d a s t a t u t e o f l i m i t a t i o n s b a r

. ” H u g h e s

v

. L o t t

, 3 5 0 F

. 3 d 1 1 5 7

, 1 1 6 3 ( 1 1 t h C i r

. 2 0 0 3 ) ( i n t e r n a l q u o t a t i o n s o m i t t e d )

. W h e n

a p r o s e p r i s o n e r f

i l e s a c o m p l a i n t u n d e r § 1 9 8 3

, “ t h e d a t e o f f i l i n g s h a l l b e t h a t o f

d e l i v e r y t o p r i s o n o f

f i c i a l s

. . . f

o r t h e p u r p o s e o f a s c e r t a i n i n g t i m e l i n e s s

. ” G a r v e y

v

. V a u g h n

, 9 9 3 F

. 2 d 7 7 6

, 7 8 3 ( 1 1 t h C i r

. 1 9 9 3 ) ( e m p h a s i s o m i t t e d )

.

L e w i s ’ s § 1 9 8 3 c o m p l a i n t f i l e d o n M a r c h 1 3

, 2 0 0 9

, w a s u n t i m e l y a s t o t h e

2 0 0 4 e v e n t s

. W h e n i t a d o p t e d t h e m a g i s t r a t e j u d g e ’ s r e c o m m e n d a t i o n

, h o w e v e r

,

t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t f

a i l e d t o c o n s i d e r o r a d d r e s s t h e s t a t u s o f t h e 2 0 0 7 c o m p l a i n t

.

T h e 2 0 0 7 c o m p l a i n t w o u l d b e t i m e l y u n d e r t h e “ m a i l b o x r u l e

. ” A l t h o u g h L e w i s

d i d n o t e x p l i c i t l y a r g u e t h a t t h e 2 0 0 9 c o m p l a i n t i s a n a m e n d m e n t o f t h e 2 0 0 7

c o m p l a i n t

, w e m u s t c o n s i d e r L e w i s ’ s p r o s e s t a t u s a n d t h e f a c t t h a t h e s u b m i t t e d a

c o p y o f t h e 2 0 0 7 c o m p l a i n t b e a r i n g t h e p r i s o n m a i l s t a m p

. T h e f a i l u r e o f t h e

d i s t r i c t c o u r t t o d o c k e t t h e 2 0 0 7 c o m p l a i n t s h o u l d n o t b e h e l d a g a i n s t L e w i s

, a n d

4t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t ’ s f a i l u r e t o a d d r e s s t h e s t a t u s o f t h e 2 0 0 7 c o m p l a i n t b e f o r e

d i s m i s s i n g t h e 2 0 0 9 c o m p l a i n t i s q u e s t i o n a b l e

. S e e

, e

. g

. , M e d e r o s v

. U n i t e d S t a t e s

,

2 1 8 F

. 3 d 1 2 5 2

, 1 2 5 4 ( 1 1 t h C i r

. 2 0 0 0 ) ( h o l d i n g t h a t p r o s e p r i s o n e r ’ s s e c o n d

m o t i o n t o v a c a t e u n d e r 2 8 U

. S

. C

. § 2 2 5 5 w a s a n a m e n d m e n t t o t h e f i r s t § 2 2 5 5

m o t i o n w h e r e p r i s o n e r a c t e d d i l i g e n t l y t o c o r r e c t d e f e c t i n i n i t i a l p l e a d i n g )

. 2

A c c o r d i n g l y

, w e v a c a t e a n d r e m a n d f o r t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t t o ( 1 ) d e t e r m i n e t h e s t a t u s

o f t h e 2 0 0 7 c o m p l a i n t

, a n d ( 2 ) a d d r e s s i t s i m p a c t

, i f a n y

, o n t h e c u r r e n t a c t i o n

. 3

V A C A T E D a n d R E M A N D E D

.

We note that L ewis wa ited eig hteen months afte r he f iled the 2007 complaint to file 2

ag ain and he does not alleg e that he a ttempted to learn the status of his 2007 complaint during

that time. I n fac t, the rec ord does not show whe ther the 2007 c omplaint was eve r docke ted. B ut

these a re f actua l issues the district court ca n addre ss on remand.

Be cause we c onclude r emand is nec essar y we ne ed not addr ess whethe r F la. Stat. 3

§ 95.051 tolled the limit ations period.

5