Opinion ID: 327644
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Defendant Gearity4

Text: 4 The complaint alleges that this defendant is Investigator For Monmouth County, Public Defender Office and the defendant has not controverted or supplemented this description by affidavit or other means contemplated by F.R.Civ.P. 56. For the reasons stated below, we have concluded that the June 28, 1974, order must be affirmed insofar as it dismisses the complaint as to Gearity. (See, particularly, A and C below.) 5
6 In view of the allegations in this record that Gearity was acting solely in the course of his employment as an investigator for a public defender, working as a member of the bar in representing Waits as defendant in a state criminal prosecution (see first sentence of second paragraph under C below), we have concluded that he is immune from this suit. In Hill v. McClellan, 490 F.2d 859, 860 (5th Cir. 1974), the court pointed out that a private person alleged to have conspired with a state judge and attorney who are entitled to immunity cannot be held liable, since he is not conspiring with persons acting under color of law against whom a valid claim could be stated. (Citing cases.). See also French v. Corrigan, 432 F.2d 1211, 1214 (7th Cir. 1970); McIntosh v. Garofalo, 367 F.Supp. 501, 504-05 (W.D.Pa. 1973). 7 The federal courts have recognized that where the function of an attorney's employee and the judicial process are closely allied, immunity will be granted, whereas if such function is not directly related to the court's decision-making activities, such immunity may not be available. 5 For example, a prosecuting attorney's investigative activity based on leads and suspicion is distinguished, in some cases, from his acts directly related to the prosecution of an accused, with the result that he is denied immunity in the former situation. Dodd v. Spokane County, Washington, 393 F.2d 330, 335 (9th Cir. 1968); Balistrieri v. Warren, 314 F.Supp. 824, 826 (W.D.Wis.1970). However, where the defendant is directly involved in the judicial process, he may receive immunity in his own right for the performance of a discretionary act or he may be covered by the immunity afforded the judge because he is performing a ministerial function at the direction of the judge. The following cases indicate the range of reasoning used by the courts to protect the clerk of the court from liability in civil rights suits: Denman v. Leedy, 479 F.2d 1097, 1098 (6th Cir. 1973) (failure to fix bond was within scope of official, quasi-judicial duties); Blouin v. Dembitz, 367 F.Supp. 415, 422 (S.D.N.Y.1973), aff'd solely on other grounds, 489 F.2d 488 (2d Cir. 1973) (issuance of arrest warrants by judge for failure to respond to summons is a judicial act for which the judge is immune and his protection from suit may not be circumvented by pretense of bringing suit also against clerk); Barnes v. Dorsey, 480 F.2d 1057, 1060 (8th Cir. 1973) (plaintiff failed to allege that clerk was improperly performing what were purely ministerial duties and did not show injury as a result of illegal acts); Smith v. Rosenbaum, 460 F.2d 1019, 1020 (3d Cir. 1972) (revocation of bail bond was a ministerial act mandated by statute); Davis v. Quarter Sessions Court, 361 F.Supp. 720, 722 (E.D.Pa.1973) (claim against office of clerk for failure to furnish prisoner with copy of transcript of criminal proceedings is barred by doctrine of judicial immunity; no evidence supported a claim against the clerk personally; negligent conduct by a state official is not of itself sufficient to impose liability under Civil Rights Act). 8 The recent Supreme Court case of Scheuer v. Rhodes, 416 U.S. 232, 94 S.Ct. 1683, 40 L.Ed.2d 90 (1974), reemphasizes the holding of Monroe v. Pape,365 U.S. 167, 81 S.Ct. 473, 5 L.Ed.2d 492 (1961), that a state officer's acts which constitute an abuse of the power conferred on him by the state are actionable under the Civil Rights Act even though the acts lie outside the scope of the state officer's authority. Several cases grant the extension of the judicial immunity afforded to the judge or clerk of the court to cover police officers engaged in ministerial functions under their direction. 6 9 In Scheuer v. Rhodes, supra, 416 U.S. at 250, 94 S.Ct. at 1693, the Court said: 10  . . . the complaints place directly in issue whether the lesser officers and enlisted personnel of the Guard acted in good faith obedience to the orders of their superiors. Further proceedings, either by way of summary judgment or by trial on the merits, are required. . . .  11 An investigator directly employed by the district attorney to do a particular investigative job related to the prosecution of an accused is not the equivalent of the ordinary police officer, who is empowered by the state to initiate discretionary acts depriving others of their rights and whose many activities in the prevention of crime and enforcement of law need not be related to the judicial process. In the same way, an investigator of the public defender has no power to deprive anyone of his or her rights. The only function of such an investigator is to assist in the defense of the accused, a function directly related to the judicial process. 12
13 Petitioner alleges that due process was violated by Gearity's participation in an allegedly unlawful extradition. It has been held that the trial of a person unlawfully removed to the jurisdiction of the trial court does not affect its validity. Ker v. Illinois, 119 U.S. 436, 440, 7 S.Ct. 225, 30 L.Ed. 421 (1886); 7 United States ex rel. Lujan v. Gengler, 510 F.2d 62 (2d Cir. 1975); 8 United States v. Cotten, 471 F.2d 744, 748 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 411 U.S. 936, 93 S.Ct. 1913, 36 L.Ed.2d 396 (1973); United States v. Caramian, 468 F.2d 1369 (5th Cir. 1972); Goodspeed v. Beto, 341 F.2d 908 (5th Cir. 1965), cert. denied, 386 U.S. 926, 87 S.Ct. 867, 17 L.Ed.2d 798 (1967); see also Frisbie v. Collins, 342 U.S. 519, 522, 72 S.Ct. 509, 96 L.Ed. 541 (1952); Hein v. Ramsden, 36 Misc.2d 345, 232 N.Y.S.2d 633 (Sup.Ct.1962); People v. Garner, 57 Cal.2d 135, 18 Cal.Rptr. 40, 367 P.2d 680, 683 (1961), cert. denied, 370 U.S. 929, 82 S.Ct. 1571, 8 L.Ed.2d 508 (1962), where the Court said:  . . . there being no provision in the Constitution, laws or treaties of the United States which guarantees him (the defendant) any protection in such transaction. It has been suggested that at least one modern precedent casts doubt upon these holdings. See United States v. Toscanino, 500 F.2d 267 (2d Cir. 1974); but see United States ex rel. Lujan v. Gengler, supra, and note 8. 14 International extradition is governed only by considerations of comity and treaty provisions. See 31 Am.Jur.2d 928. An examination of Article X of the Treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States of August 9, 1842, as amended by the Extradition Convention of July 12, 1889, proclaimed on March 25, 1890, makes clear that plaintiff's allegations do not show a violation of any treaty provisions governing extradition between this country and Canada. The protections or rights which accrue to the extradited person primarily exist for the benefit of the asylum nation (Canada), whereas plaintiff's complaint alleges violations of constitutional rights of citizens of the demanding nation (The United States of America). See Ker v. Illinois, supra, 119 U.S. at 443, 7 S.Ct. 225; United States v. Rauscher, 119 U.S. 407, 430, 7 S.Ct. 234, 30 L.Ed. 425 (1886); United States ex rel. Lujan v. Gengler, supra at page 67; 9 United States v. Greene, 146 F. 766, 771 (S.D.Ga.1906). For example, Article VI of the above Extradition Convention taking effect in 1890 provides: 15 The extradition of fugitives under the provisions of this Convention and of the said Tenth Article shall be carried out in the United States and in Her Majesty's dominions, respectively, in conformity with the laws regulating extradition for the time being in force in the surrendering States. 16 The asylum country (Canada) has the obligation to deliver up to the demanding nation (The United States of America) a criminal who has fled from justice on proper demand. See Ker v. Illinois, supra, 119 U.S. at 442, 7 S.Ct. 225. 17 The foregoing cases do not rule upon possible civil liability under 42 U.S.C. §§ 1983 and 1985(3) for a due process violation which took place prior to the criminal trial, and we need not pass upon such possible civil liability in view of A above.
18 Since plaintiff has not alleged a conspiracy to deprive him of the equal protection of the (United States) laws, or of equal privileges and immunities under the laws and an overt act in furtherance of the object of the conspiracy with resulting injury to the plaintiff, there is no cause of action alleged in this complaint under 42 U.S.C. § 1985(3). See Tollett v. Laman,497 F.2d 1231, 1232-33 (8th Cir. 1974). 19 We note that once the public defender undertakes to represent a defendant he acts thereafter as any attorney practicing as a member of the bar of the court, see Brown v. Joseph, supra, at 1047-48. 10 Furthermore, the complaint does not state a cause of action under 42 U.S.C. § 1985(3) because of failure to allege some racial, or perhaps otherwise class-based, invidiously discriminatory animus behind the conspirators' action. See Griffin v. Breckenridge, 403 U.S. 88, 102, 91 S.Ct. 1790, 1798, 29 L.Ed.2d 338 (1971); Richardson v. Miller, 446 F.2d 1247, 1249 (3d Cir. 1971). 20 The June 28, 1974, district court judgment will be affirmed.