Opinion ID: 807964
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Dismissal of Claims Against Federal Agents

Text: The Marcilises appeal the district court’s dismissal of claims against Drug Enforcement Administration Agents Doyle and Livingston. The Marcilises sued Doyle and Livingston in their individual and official capacities for violations of section 1983. Because Doyle and Livingston are employed by the federal government, and not a state government, the district court correctly construed the claims as arising under Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of Federal Bureau of Narcotics, 403 U.S. 388 (1971). See 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (allowing civil rights claims for violations committed under the color of state law); Parry v. Mohawk Motors of Mich., Inc., 236 F.3d 299, 306 n.1 (6th Cir. 2000) (explaining that Bivens claims arise out of violations of an individual’s federal constitutional rights by one who is acting under color of federal law). The district court also correctly construed the claims as arising against Doyle and Livingston in their individual capacities only. See Ctr. for Bio-Ethical Reform, Inc. v. Napolitano, 648 F.3d 365, 370 (6th Cir. 2011) (stating that Bivens claims may be asserted against federal officials only in their individual capacities). The district court dismissed the claims against Doyle and Livingston after determining that the complaint “failed to allege the personal involvement of [Doyle or Livingston] so as to inform [either Doyle or Livingston] of the constitutional violations being specifically asserted against them.” The Marcilises requested the opportunity to amend the complaint as to the allegations against Doyle and Livingston; the court declined the Marcilises’ request because the Marcilises had already thrice amended the complaint. The Marcilises appeal the district court’s dismissal of the complaint and its refusal to let them once again amend the complaint. No. 11-1073 Marcilis, et al. v. Twp. of Redford, et al. Page 6 On appeal, Doyle and Livingston argue that the Marcilises’ complaint fails because it is a generalized pleading that refers to all defendants generally and categorically. Though we have not yet addressed this issue in a published opinion, we have found, in an unpublished opinion, that a complaint failed where a plaintiff “did not allege that particular defendants performed the acts that resulted in a deprivation of [plaintiff’s] constitutional rights. This is a requirement in Bivens actions such as this one.” Kesterson v. Moritsugu, 149 F.3d 1183, No. 96-5898, 1998 WL 321008, at  (6th Cir. June 3, 1998) (unpublished table decision). The Tenth Circuit has found that a complaint containing only collective references to defendants does not adequately state a Bivens claim. See Robbins v. Oklahoma, 519 F.3d 1242, 1250 (10th Cir. 2008) (“Given the complaint’s use of either the collective term ‘Defendants’ or a list of the defendants named individually but with no distinction as to what acts are attributable to whom, it is impossible for any of these individuals to ascertain what particular unconstitutional acts they are alleged to have committed.”); see also Atuahene v. City of Hartford, 10 F. App’x 33, 34 (2d Cir. 2001) (“By lumping all the defendants together in each claim and providing no factual basis to distinguish their conduct, [the plaintiff’s] complaint failed to satisfy [the] minimum standard” that “a complaint give each defendant fair notice of what the plaintiffs claim is and the ground upon which it rests.” (internal quotation marks omitted)). We have made similar statements in the context of non-Bivens constitutional tort claims against government actors. See, e.g., Lanman v. Hinson, 529 F.3d 673, 684 (6th Cir. 2008) (“This Court has consistently held that damage claims against government officials arising from alleged violations of constitutional rights must allege, with particularity, facts that demonstrate what each defendant did to violate the asserted constitutional right.”). Requiring that federal defendants be identified with particularity is also in accord with how the Supreme Court discussed Bivens liability in Iqbal: “Absent vicarious liability, each Government official, his or her title notwithstanding, is only liable for his or her own misconduct.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 677 (2009). The complaint mentions Doyle and Livingston only in paragraph six, for the purposes of identifying them as employees of the Drug Enforcement Administration. No. 11-1073 Marcilis, et al. v. Twp. of Redford, et al. Page 7 Otherwise, the complaint makes only categorical references to “Defendants.” We conclude that the district court did not err in dismissing the claims against Doyle and Livingston for failing to “allege, with particularity, facts that demonstrate what each defendant did to violate the asserted constitutional right.” Lanman, 529 F.3d at 684.