Opinion ID: 160971
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Defendant Southerland

Text: Southerland did not raise the affirmative defense of qualified immunity, and therefore we proceed to the merits of Crudup’s claim. Crudup’s claims against Southerland are based on a conclusory allegation that Southerland stopped Crudup “to harass [him] for something other than a routine traffic stop.” (Doc. 17 at ¶ 10). In subsequent filings, Crudup was more specific, alleging that Southerland’s actions were motivated by racial bias. 1 (See, e.g., Doc. 20.) Based on these allegations, the district court construed Crudup’s complaint as an attempt to predicate his § 1983 claim on an allegation of malicious prosecution. (Doc. 46 at 3.) Crudup also alleged that Southerland was negligent in failing to ascertain 1 In his brief on appeal, Crudup asserts that the district court failed to consider a violation of the Equal Protection Clause as a possible ground for relief. It is true that the district court did not specifically address this argument in its order. The only allegations in Crudup’s complaint that might support such a claim, however, are a conclusory statement that Southerland first approached Crudup “to harass the Plaintiff for something other than a routine traffic stop,” and a statement that Crudup had filed a disciplinary complaint against Southerland shortly after the arrest alleging he discriminated against Crudup on the basis of race. (Doc. 17 at 3, ¶¶ 10, 12.) These allegations are at best vague and conclusory, and are thus insufficient to give rise to a claim under the Equal Protection Clause. Cf. Northington v. Jackson, 973 F.2d 1518, 1521 (10th Cir. 1992) (although court should liberally construe pro se plaintiff’s complaint, “the court should not assume the role of advocate, and should dismiss claims which are supported only by vague and conclusory allegations.”) -4- whether Crudup had a valid driver’s license before initiating contact. Finally, Crudup alleged a claim of “negligent entrustment” against Southerland. (Doc. 17 at 6, ¶ 22.) To the extent Crudup’s claims are based on negligence, the district court correctly dismissed them on the ground that negligence cannot serve as the basis for a § 1983 claim. See Woodward v. City of Worland, 977 F.2d 1392, 1399 (10th Cir. 1992) (“The Supreme Court has made it clear that liability under § 1983 must be predicated upon a ‘deliberate’ violation of constitutional rights by the defendant. It cannot be predicated upon negligence.” (citations omitted).) This circuit has held a plaintiff may state a claim under § 1983 for a deprivation of Fourth Amendment rights to be free of unreasonable seizure on the basis of defendant’s malicious prosecution of a plaintiff. See Taylor v. Meacham, 82 F.3d 1556, 1561-62 (10th Cir. 1996). “[O]ur circuit takes the common law elements of malicious prosecution as the ‘starting point’ for the analysis of the § 1983 malicious prosecution claim, but always reaches the ultimate question, which it must, of whether the plaintiff has proven a constitutional violation.” Id. at 1561 (emphasis in original). In other words, the evidence ultimately must show that Crudup was subjected to an unreasonable seizure in violation of the Fourth Amendment. Id. -5- The elements of malicious prosecution in Oklahoma are: “(1) the bringing of the original action by the defendant; (2) its successful termination in favor of the plaintiff; (3) want of probable cause to bring the action; (4) malice; and (5) damages.” Parker v. City of Midwest City, 850 P.2d 1065, 1067 (Okla. 1993). In Taylor, we assumed that a wrongful arrest may be a first step leading toward malicious prosecution. See 82 F.3d at 1564 n.8 (citing Albright v. Oliver, 510 U.S. 266, 279 n.5 (1994) (Ginsburg, J., concurring)). As the district court recognized, however, Taylor held that a judge’s conclusion that there is sufficient evidence to bind the defendant over for trial after a preliminary hearing breaks the chain of causation between the officer’s actions and any violation of a § 1983 plaintiff’s fourth amendment rights. See Taylor, 82 F.3d at 1564. Similarly, even accepting that Southerland’s actions gave rise to a cognizable § 1983 claim for malicious prosecution, in this case Judge Smith’s finding of probable cause to bind Crudup over for trial is fatal to the claim. 2 2 The district court correctly noted that Crudup alleged a police officer gave perjured testimony during his preliminary hearing, and that Taylor is arguably distinguishable on that basis. (Doc. 46 at 14 n.8; Doc. 45, Affidavit at 1-2.) We agree with the district court, however, that Crudup’s blanket statement to that effect, without identifying either the content of the false testimony, the witness who offered the testimony, or the stage of the proceedings in which it was offered, is insufficient to give rise to a genuine question of material fact on this issue. Cf. Northington, 973 F.2d at 1521(court should dismiss claims which are supported only by vague and conclusory allegations). -6-