Opinion ID: 674629
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Holstein's Claim

Text: 12 Holstein contends that the procedures comprising his post-tow administrative hearing are unconstitutional; they deprived him of due process of law. The district court found that Holstein had waived this claim by not pursuing it in the state court forum in which it belongs; it also held that by failing to raise constitutional issues at his post-tow administrative hearing, Holstein was barred from raising those same issues in federal court by the doctrine of res judicata. While the substance of the district court's decision is substantially similar to that of ours, we rest our decision on the ground that Holstein has failed to allege a due process violation and therefore has not stated a claim on which relief can be granted. 13 We have previously held that, in instances in which a municipality tows an illegally parked car, the Due Process Clause does not demand that the municipality provide a predeprivation hearing to the owners of the illegally-parked cars. Sutton v. City of Milwaukee, 672 F.2d 644 (7th Cir.1982). In circumstances in which a pre-deprivation hearing is not required, due process requires that the governmental unit afford post-deprivation procedures that are adequate to remedy erroneous deprivations of liberty or property. See, e.g. Zinermon v. Burch, 494 U.S. 113, 127-28, 110 S.Ct. 975, 983-85, 108 L.Ed.2d 100 (1990); Parratt v. Taylor, 451 U.S. 527, 539, 101 S.Ct. 1908, 1914, 68 L.Ed.2d 420 (1981). In this case, Illinois provided adequate means for Holstein to redress his property deprivation, and Holstein received all the process he was due. See Kauth v. Hartford Ins. Co. of Illinois, 852 F.2d 951, 955-56 (7th Cir.1988) (citing Daniels v. Williams, 474 U.S. 327, 339-40, 106 S.Ct. 677, 678-79, 88 L.Ed.2d 662 (1986)). 14 In Illinois, a party disappointed in a determination made by a municipality's administrative agency may seek review in the circuit court by the common law writ of certiorari. Graff v. City of Chicago, 9 F.3d 1309, 1325 (1993) (string-cite omitted). Review is extremely broad in scope and extends to all questions of fact and law contained in the record before the court, including de novo review of any constitutional issues. Howard v. Lawton, 22 Ill.2d 331, 333, 175 N.E.2d 556 (1961). If the circuit court, on the return of the writ, finds from the record that the inferior tribunal proceeded according to law, the writ is quashed; however, if the proceedings are not in compliance with the law, the judgment and proceedings shown by the return will be quashed. Stratton v. Wenona Comm. Unit Dist. No. 1, 133 Ill.2d 413, 427, 141 Ill.Dec. 453, 551 N.E.2d 640 (1990). As if this expansive remedy was not enough, if Holstein was able to prove that the administrative hearing was futile or illusory, see Graham v. Illinois Racing Bd., 76 Ill.2d 566, 31 Ill.Dec. 771, 394 N.E.2d 1148 (1979), he could have proceeded directly to a state court replevin action. 735 ILCS 5/19-101 to 19-128. Clearly, these remedies provided by the state of Illinois comport with procedural due process. 15 Our cases have acknowledged the lack of guidance from the Supreme Court for the proper analysis of a claim alleging a substantive due process right regarding property interests. See, e.g., New Burnham Prairie Homes v. Village of Burnham, 910 F.2d 1474, 1480 (7th Cir.1990). These cases have stated, however, that in order to properly allege a violation of substantive due process, the plaintiff must at least show either a separate constitutional violation or the inadequacy of state law remedies. Id. at 1481 (citations omitted). In the instant case, Holstein does not allege a separate constitutional violation. Further, we have already decided that the state remedies available to Holstein were more than adequate. Holstein's complaint, therefore, does not state a substantive due process claim on which relief can be granted, and the district court properly dismissed count III of the complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.