Opinion ID: 501771
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Defendants Gates, Bradley, and Mills

Text: 20 Karim-Panahi purports to base a section 1983 claim against defendants Gates, Bradley, and Mills on their alleged cover-up of fourth amendment violations by the police officer defendants. The amended complaint charges that Gates, Bradley, and Mills falsified facts and destroyed evidence and documents, which resulted in obstruction of justice. Amended Complaint p 24. Such allegations may state a federally cognizable claim provided that defendants' actions can be causally connected to a failure to succeed in the present lawsuit. However, if plaintiff were to succeed in this suit, then his cover-up allegations would be mooted. See, e.g., Dooley v. Reiss, 736 F.2d 1392, 1394-95 (9th Cir.) (affirming dismissal of section 1983 action alleging police cover-up where plaintiffs had in fact succeeded in obtaining redress for illegal police conduct in prior section 1983 action), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 1038, 105 S.Ct. 518, 83 L.Ed.2d 407 (1984); Landrigan v. City of Warwick, 628 F.2d 736, 742 (1st Cir.1980) (affirming dismissal of section 1983 claim alleging conspiratorial police cover-up where plaintiff had in fact prevailed in previous state court action based on illegal police conduct). Because the ultimate resolution of the present suit remains in doubt, Karim-Panahi's cover-up claim is not ripe for judicial consideration. Accordingly, the district court was correct in dismissing the claim, but should have dismissed without prejudice. 21 On remand, in addition to modifying its prior ruling to reflect the prematurity of the cover-up claim, the district court should explain to Karim-Panahi the distinction between dismissal without prejudice as opposed to dismissal with prejudice.