Opinion ID: 782139
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Spadafores' complaint

Text: 7 A significant issue on appeal concerns the adequacy of the pleadings and what claims were actually presented by the Spadafores in their complaint. As the district court noted, despite being represented by counsel, the Spadafores' amended complaint is not a model of clarity. In their motion for summary judgment, the individual defendants maintained that the Spadafores failed to allege any § 1983 violation as to the individual officers, and in the alternative argued that any such claims are barred by the statute of limitations. The Spadafores responded by contending that they did in fact plead § 1983 claims against the individual defendants, but they did not provide any detail. After interpreting the Spadafores' complaint as alleging a § 1983 conspiracy against the individual defendants, the district court dismissed this claim on the ground that it was not supported by the record. What § 1983 violations the Spadafores are pursuing on appeal remains unclear. 8 To state a cause of action under § 1983, a plaintiff must allege the deprivation of a right secured by the United States Constitution or a federal statute by a person who was acting under color of state law. Flagg Bros., Inc. v. Brooks, 436 U.S. 149, 155-157, 98 S.Ct. 1729, 56 L.Ed.2d 185 (1978). The defendants correctly point out that nowhere in the complaint is § 1983 specifically invoked against the individual defendants. Section 1983 is explicitly mentioned only in paragraph 32 of the complaint, where the Spadafores allege [t]hat in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1983, pursuant to the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, Defendant City of Detroit had in place policies that resulted in the violation of the Spadafores' constitutional rights. Given the clarity with which the Spadafores pled their § 1983 claim against the City of Detroit (which is not on appeal before this court), it is puzzling that they were not equally clear in invoking § 1983 as a basis for their claims against the individual defendants. 9 A split among the courts exists regarding whether the failure to specifically invoke § 1983 in the pleadings is fatal to the action. Compare Eastridge v. Rhode Island College, 996 F.Supp. 161, 168 (D.R.I. 1998) (holding that a plaintiff's failure to invoke § 1983 is fatal to the claim because the constitutional provision that was allegedly violated does not itself create a means for recovery for a violation of that provision), with Williams v. Michigan, No. 01-10131-BC, 2002 WL 1041334, at  (E.D.Mich. Apr.29, 2002) (allowing the claim to proceed despite the plaintiff's failure to specifically invoke § 1983 because that statute clearly provides the only means for vindicating the constitutional rights allegedly violated), aff'd, 52 Fed. Appx. 723 (6th Cir. 2002). 10 The defendants in the present case did not file a motion under Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure to dismiss the action based on the pleadings, but rather waited until summary judgment to attack the sufficiency of the complaint. Accordingly, we are not limited on appeal to the formal issues framed by the pleadings, but rather must consider the issues presented by the other material offered by the parties on the motion.... Flint v. Kentucky Dep't of Corr., 270 F.3d 340, 348 (6th Cir.2001). The question of whether the pleadings were fatally insufficient is thus no longer the correct inquiry. We must instead determine whether the Spadafores have stated a claim under Rule 56(c) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Id. [The] question is ... whether a constitutional violation occurred. Id. (internal quotation marks omitted). 11 Regarding the individual defendants, the only mention of a constitutional violation is found in paragraph 28 of the complaint, which states that [t]he defendants acted individually and in joint concert with one another and at all times relevant hereto, the defendants ... conspired to violate the constitutional rights to be free from egregious and intentional misconduct by government employees, in violation of the Michigan and U.S. Constitution. From the language of the complaint, one cannot ascertain which substantive constitutional rights were allegedly violated. Nor was this clarified in the Spadafores' response to the defendants' motion for summary judgment. 12 Based upon our review of the factual allegations, we believe that the Spadafores could have presented a colorable argument that excessive force was used in violation of the Fourth Amendment. Acknowledging, however, that the plaintiff is the master of his complaint, Alexander v. Elec. Data Sys. Corp., 13 F.3d 940, 943 (6th Cir.1994), the simple fact that a claim could have been made under federal law does not preclude the Spadafores from making it under state law only. They did so in this case in the form of an assault and battery allegation. 13 In addition, the pleading must contain something more by way of a claim for relief than a bare averment that the pleader wants compensation and is entitled to it or a statement of facts that merely creates a suspicion that the pleader might have a right of action. 5 Charles Alan Wright & Arthur R. Miller, Federal Practice & Procedure § 1216, at 163 (2d ed.1990). We are thus reluctant to infer from the alleged facts a Fourth Amendment violation, even one that seems obvious based upon the allegations in this case, where none was pled by the Spadafores or addressed in their opposition to the defendants' motion for summary judgment. 14 To the extent that the Spadafores are attempting to assert other § 1983 violations, these claims were not adequately set forth in their complaint. Nor was this problem corrected at the summary judgment stage. The Spadafores argue that they were wrongfully denied the opportunity to further amend their complaint after offering to do so in their opposition to the defendant's motion for summary judgment. No motion for leave to amend was ever filed, however, nor was a proposed amendment submitted in any form as required by Rule 15(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Without viewing the proposed amendment, it was impossible for the district court to determine whether leave to amend should have been granted. These facts support our conclusion that the Spadafores failed to exercise the due diligence required to take advantage of Rule 15(a)'s dictate that leave to amend shall be freely granted. United States v. Midwest Suspension & Brake, 49 F.3d 1197, 1202 (6th Cir.1995) (affirming the district court's denial of a Rule 15(a) motion on the ground that the plaintiff had failed to demonstrate due diligence). We therefore agree with the district court that the only federal claim alleged by the Spadafores against the individual defendants is a civil conspiracy, which is an action available under § 1983.