Opinion ID: 221026
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Claims for Municipal Liability and Supervisor Liability

Text: In addition to his § 1983 malicious prosecution claims, McCarty seeks damages under theories of municipal liability for failure to train or supervise and supervisor liability for failure to train or supervise. Even though Gilchrist is not liable for violating McCarty's constitutional rights, the city may nevertheless be liable as a municipality for the failure to train or supervise, and Chief Citty may nevertheless be liable as a supervisor for the failure to train or supervise. See Dodds v. Richardson, 614 F.3d 1185, 1199 (10th Cir.2010); Christensen v. Park City Mun. Corp., 554 F.3d 1271, 1279 (10th Cir.2009). We do not reach the merits of McCarty's municipal and supervisor liability claims, however, because we conclude each is barred by limitations. The statute of limitations period for a § 1983 claim is dictated by the personal injury statute of limitations in the state in which the claim arose, Wallace v. Kato, 549 U.S. 384, 387, 127 S.Ct. 1091, 166 L.Ed.2d 973 (2007), and in Oklahoma, that period is two years. 12 Okla. Stat. tit. 12, § 95(A)(3). Federal law governs when the action accrues. Kripp v. Luton, 466 F.3d 1171, 1175 (10th Cir.2006). A § 1983 claim for failure to train or supervise begins to run when the facts that would support a cause of action are or should be apparent. Fogle v. Pierson, 435 F.3d 1252, 1258 (10th Cir.2006); see also Calia v. Morrison, 54 F.3d 787 (10th Cir.1995) (unpublished opinion). Here, McCarty's claims for failure to train or supervise accrued when he knew or should have known that Gilchrist had testified falsely during his 1986 and 1989 trials, that evidence had been withheld during his 1986 and 1989 trials, and that Gilchrist had destroyed evidence in 2000. When the § 1983 claim is based on an allegedly unconstitutional conviction or other harm that, if determined to be unlawful, would render a conviction or sentence invalid, accrual is delayed until the conviction or sentence has been invalidated. Heck v. Humphrey, 512 U.S. 477, 486-87, 114 S.Ct. 2364, 129 L.Ed.2d 383 (1994). [4] The parties agree that Heck precluded McCarty from pursuing his § 1983 claims against Chief Citty and Oklahoma City until his outstanding criminal conviction was reversed on direct appeal, expunged by executive order, declared invalid by a state tribunal authorized to make such determination, or called into question by a federal court's issuance of a writ of habeas corpus. Heck, 512 U.S. at 487, 114 S.Ct. 2364. The parties disagree, however, as to whether the date of accrual is June 14, 2005, when the OCCA issued its opinion reversing McCarty's conviction, or March 6, 2006, when the OCCA issued a mandate in the case. If the date of the opinion constitutes reversal of McCarty's conviction for purposes of lifting the Heck bar, then McCarty's claims for municipal and supervisor liability are time-barred. McCarty contends that decisions of the OCCA are not final until a mandate is issued, while Chief Citty and Oklahoma City argue that decisions in postconviction relief proceedings, unlike decisions in regular appeals, are final when the OCCA files its opinion. See Okla.Crim.App.R. 1.13(H) (defining post-conviction remedies as those available after the regular appeal period has lapsed or mandate issued). In regular appeals before the OCCA, the decision of the court is not final until 20 days after the filing of the decision in order to give the parties time to file a petition for rehearing. See Okla.Crim.App. R. 3.14(D); see also Okla.Crim.App.R. 1.2(A). If the parties fail to file a petition for rehearing within the 20 days, the decision is final. Id. But see Yates v. Brock, 521 P.2d 1396, 1400 (Okla.Crim.App.1974) (holding that the decision of the court in a regular appeal is not final until the mandate is issued under the 1974 version of the OCCA Rules). In contrast, in postconviction relief proceedings, petitions for rehearing cannot be filed. Okla.Crim. App. R. 5.5. Once the OCCA has rendered its decision on a post-conviction appeal, that decision shall constitute a final order and the petitioner's state remedies will be deemed exhausted on all issues raised in the petition in error, brief and any prior appeals. Okla.Crim.App. R. 5.5. McCarty argues that the OCCA decision could not have been effective to reverse his conviction until the mandate was issued because the mandate was needed to transfer jurisdiction to the trial court. See Yates, 521 P.2d at 1400. Regardless of whether it was appropriate under Oklahoma law for the District Court of Oklahoma County to issue orders in the case and conduct hearings before the OCCA issued a mandate in the case, which it did, the jurisdiction of the court over McCarty's criminal proceeding has no bearing on the accrual date of this action under federal law. For purposes of the accrual date, the dispositive question is when McCarty's conviction was no longer outstanding. Heck, 512 U.S. at 486-87, 114 S.Ct. 2364. Upon the filing of the decision on June 14, 2005, McCarty was no longer barred by Heck from filing his § 1983 action. McCarty filed this action on December 7, 2007, beyond the two-year statute of limitations period, and thus his claims for municipal liability and supervisor liability are time-barred.