Source: https://m.openjurist.org/111/f3d/494/anderson-v-county-of-montgomery-d
Timestamp: 2019-05-26 17:47:09
Document Index: 289643003

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1985', '§ 1983', '§ 1983', '§ 1983', '§ 1983', '§ 1983', '§ 1983', '§ 1983']

111 F3d 494 Anderson v. County of Montgomery D | OpenJurist
111 F. 3d 494 - Anderson v. County of Montgomery D
111 F3d 494 Anderson v. County of Montgomery D
111 F.3d 494
37 Fed.R.Serv.3d 625
Benjamin M. ANDERSON, Plaintiff-Appellant,
David M. Kahn, Appellant,
COUNTY OF MONTGOMERY, State of Illinois, Kelly D. Long,
Boatmen's National Bank of Central Illinois, et
Nos. 96-2524, 96-2525.
The defendants moved for dismissal or summary judgment. Attorney Kahn requested and was given numerous extensions (at least 10, it appears) of time to reply to the motions, several because of an injury he apparently suffered in March 1996. Eventually Kahn's responses filtered into the court over a one-week period. In his May 13, 1996, responses to some of the motions to dismiss, Anderson, via Kahn, first raised the idea that Anderson never appeared before a judge for sentencing and that the transcript indicating that he did so was a fake, as well as an assertion that Sheeley and Dobrinic misled the grand jury in securing the original indictment. At this point, Kahn still insisted there were valid claims under § 1985, even though he "reluctantly admit[ted] that the cases cited by the Defendant's [sic] do support [the] proposition" that such claims failed because there was no racial or class-based discrimination against Anderson, who is a white male. The next day, after apparently doing some research, Kahn realized he had to abandon claims against some of the defendants. On May 14 he filed motions to dismiss Montgomery County and Long completely, as well as Dobrinic and Vazzi in their official capacities.
Most of Anderson's § 1983 claims evaporate under Heck v. Humphrey, 512 U.S. 477, 114 S.Ct. 2364, 129 L.Ed.2d 383 (1994). Heck holds that when a § 1983 claim requires a finding that a criminal conviction (or sentence) was invalidly obtained, no cause of action lies unless the conviction (or sentence) that would be impugned has already been "reversed on direct appeal, expunged by executive order, invalidated by a state tribunal authorized to make such a determination, or called into question by a federal court's grant of a writ of habeas corpus." 512 U.S. at 487, 114 S.Ct. at 2372. And as we recently noted, the injury alleged--not the relief sought--determines whether a claim implicates the validity of a sentence or conviction. Heck, 512 U.S. at 480-82, 114 S.Ct. at 2369-70; Ryan v. DuPage County Jury Comm'n, 105 F.3d 329, 331 (7th Cir.1996).
Anderson now does not dispute that most of his § 1983 claims challenge the legality of his conviction--that the prosecutor and his attorney coerced his guilty plea and conspired with the court reporter to obtain his conviction and take his bond money by fabricating the plea and sentencing hearing. If he were to win on these monetary claims, a court would have to hold that a conspiracy deprived him of his rights, in violation of the Constitution, and that his conviction should not have occurred. Because Anderson's state court conviction sat undisturbed when this suit was filed, Heck closes the door, or so it seems, on the claims. But Anderson says Heck applies only to cases where habeas corpus relief is available. Because he was not incarcerated when he brought his § 1983 claims and thus had no habeas corpus relief available to him (he ignores, we note, the strong possibility that his "conditional discharge" status made him eligible for habeas relief, see e.g., Jones v. Cunningham, 371 U.S. 236, 83 S.Ct. 373, 9 L.Ed.2d 285 (1963)), he says Heck does not completely bar his claims. On a blank slate, or if someone could safely rely on one of the concurring opinions in Heck, this could be a plausible argument. Four Justices, in the concurrence written by Justice Souter, gave some support to Anderson's position. But a concurrence is not the law, and the majority specifically rejected the notion Anderson proffers:
512 U.S. at 490 n. 10, 114 S.Ct. at 2374 n. 10. Heck, therefore, dooms Anderson's argument on this point. Furthermore, even if the statement we quote from Heck is dicta, the Sixth Circuit recently noted that because Heck relied upon the common law of tort liability, where proof of the illegality of a conviction is a necessary element of certain § 1983 claims, rather than on the need to preserve habeas corpus as the exclusive federal remedy, "Heck applies as much to prisoners in custody (a habeas prerequisite) as to persons no longer incarcerated." Schilling v. White, 58 F.3d 1081, 1086 (6th Cir.1995). We agree with the Sixth Circuit's holding in Schilling. The fact that a plaintiff is no longer incarcerated has no bearing on the applicability of Heck. And because Anderson admits that his state court conviction has not been reversed, expunged, invalidated, or otherwise impugned, he has failed to state a § 1983 claim regarding anything involving a challenge to his conviction. That it may be difficult (perhaps in some cases--mostly due to a lapse of time--even impossible) to get a conviction reversed or expunged does not constitute a reason for bypassing the holding in Heck. Ryan, 105 F.3d at 331.
Not all constitutional injuries alleged by Anderson, however, would impeach the validity of his conviction. See Simpson v. Rowan, 73 F.3d 134 (7th Cir.1995) (illegal search and arrest claims are not barred by Heck), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 117 S.Ct. 104, 136 L.Ed.2d 58 (1996). But even reading the amended complaint in Anderson's favor, any remaining § 1983 claims that do not depend on invalidating his prior conviction are meritless. For instance, in the amended complaint Anderson claimed he was falsely arrested as a "fugitive from justice." State court records attached to some of the defendants' motions to dismiss indicate that a warrant for Anderson's arrest issued on February 4, 1993, in connection with the state indictment for felony theft. Anderson was not apprehended until February 1, 1994, so he was indeed a fugitive from justice, as that term is commonly understood, for almost a year. Anderson asserted no other basis to challenge his arrest, so summary judgment against him on this point was properly ordered.
Anderson also argues that Sheeley lied to the grand jury, but the transcript pages presented to the district court defeat Anderson's claim. Anderson claims Sheeley lied (1) because Sheeley told the grand jury Anderson "as I recall, made two monthly payments of the piece of equipment and that was it," while an affidavit from an employee of the lender indicates Anderson actually made a down payment and 6 to 8 monthly payments, and (2) the lender never instructed Sheeley to pursue criminal action, yet theft of its equipment was the charge brought against Anderson. The first point is silly--Sheeley qualified the statement with "as I recall," and whether Anderson made two or six payments doesn't matter because he failed to pay the full amount due and the lender's interest in the encumbered property was therefore jeopardized by his actions. The second point is sillier--regardless of whether the lender wanted criminal charges pressed, a prosecutor--not a victim--decides to pursue cases in criminal court. See People v. Travis, 94 Ill.App.3d 983, 992, 50 Ill.Dec. 325, 419 N.E.2d 433 (1981) (when a prosecutor has probable cause to believe that the accused committed an offense defined by Illinois statute, it is within the prosecutor's discretion whether or not to prosecute); see also Davis v. Owens, 973 F.2d 574, 577 (7th Cir.1992) (in Illinois, prosecutor, not police officer, decides whether to charge a suspect with a crime).
The district judge imposed sanctions under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11 because he felt Kahn failed to perform a reasonable inquiry before filing the case and, once the case got going, persisted in pursuing frivolous claims. We review this grant of sanctions for an abuse of discretion. Johnson v. A.W. Chesterton Co., 18 F.3d 1362, 1364 (7th Cir.1994).
Fed.R.Civ.P. 11(b) states that by presenting a pleading to a court, an attorney certifies
In addition, even if Kahn had a nonfrivolous argument regarding the application of Heck, the allegation of what actually amounted to criminal wrongdoing on the part of the Montgomery County attorney, a defense attorney, and later a court reporter for fabricating a sentencing hearing transcript is such an extremely serious charge that it required a serious investigation by Kahn before he acted. Judges often see unrepresented prisoners claim that everyone connected with their cases--including court officers--participated in grandiose conspiracies to violate their rights and secure their convictions illegally. It is a rare event, though, to see a licensed attorney proffering claims of this sort, which impugn the honesty of court officers. The required level of investigation into the facts before making an accusation depends, of course, on the circumstances of the case. Mars Steel Corp. v. Continental Bank N.A., 880 F.2d 928, 932 (7th Cir.1989). In this case it was incumbent upon Kahn to look into the false-transcript accusation with a lot more care than he used. Obtaining affidavits from his client--a man who admits to skipping town to avoid child support, assuming aliases and obtaining credit under false names, and failing to pay off his creditors--and his client's father and friends was not sufficient. Kahn could have checked with, among others, the state court judge's staff (if not the judge himself), and he could and should have carefully reviewed the state court records before he filed this claim. To have made such a serious accusation and then say more time is needed for real discovery on the matter is not acceptable.
Rule 11 indicates that courts may order a sanctioned party to pay the prevailing party its reasonable expenses and attorney fees incurred as a direct result of the violation, if an order to that effect is warranted for effective deterrence. Fed.R.Civ.P. 11(c)(1)(A) and (c)(2). That's what the district court did here, reviewing affidavits from the defendants as to the amount they spent defending the meritless amended complaint (and filing for sanctions), finding the amounts reasonable, and ordering Kahn to pay the total as a deterrent to filing future frivolous lawsuits.
But the defendants are not automatically entitled to receive full reimbursement of their expenses just because the case was frivolous. A Rule 11 sanction is not meant to reimburse opposing parties for their costs of defense. The purpose of the rule is to deter baseless filings, Johnson, 18 F.3d at 1365, and the sanction "shall be limited to what is sufficient to deter repetition of such conduct or comparable conduct by others similarly situated," Fed.R.Civ.P. 11(c)(2). When imposing sanctions, a court should take ability to pay into account. Johnson, 18 F.3d at 1366. And the least severe sanction that is adequate to serve the purpose of the rule should be imposed. Id. To a sole practitioner with a practice that is not lucrative, a fine of $500 may be painful enough to make the desired impact. To a big law firm, a much larger sum may not be a deterrent. The burden is on the sanctioned party, though, to show he cannot pay a reasonable sanction. Id.