Opinion ID: 2002697
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: vs JOEL I. PASTERNAK, Individually and as an Agent for POLK COUNTY, Defendants.

Text: Money damages were demanded against the defendant county, as well as Judge Pasternak. Because the county was a party in a case where a jury had been demanded, plaintiff moved for a change of venue under Iowa Rule of Civil Procedure 167(a). Polk County appeared in the action and moved for summary judgment on the ground that Judge Pasternak was not its agent. The district court, on August 25, 1986, ruled on the county's motion for summary judgment prior to considering plaintiff's motion for change of venue. It granted Polk County's motion on the ground that it appeared as a matter of law that the county had no respondeat superior liability for Judge Pasternak's actions. After disposing of the county's motion for summary judgment, the court denied plaintiff's motion for change of venue on the ground that the county was no longer an active party in the case. The defendant judge also moved for summary judgment. His motion stated that the action complained of was taken in his official capacity as a judge and consequently he enjoyed absolute immunity for his acts. On September 18, 1986, plaintiff, relying on Iowa Rule of Civil Procedure 237(f), requested that no ruling be made on the judge's summary judgment motion until discovery was completed. That request was not supported by affidavit. That request was denied by the district court. A hearing was thereafter scheduled on the summary judgment motion for October 17, 1986. Two days prior to the scheduled hearing plaintiff asked for leave to amend his petition in order to seek injunctive and declaratory relief against Judge Pasternak in addition to money damages. Following the October 17, 1986, hearing on the summary judgment motion, the district court denied plaintiff's motion to amend the petition and granted Judge Pasternak's motion for summary judgment. The latter ruling was premised on the court's conclusion, which we share, that the judge enjoyed absolute immunity while acting in a judicial capacity. On this appeal, plaintiff assigns three matters as reversible error: (1) the action of the court in ruling on Polk County's motion for summary judgment before addressing his motion for change of venue, (2) the court's denial of his request to defer disposition of Judge Pasternak's summary judgment motion until after the completion of discovery, and (3) the court's refusal to permit him to amend his petition to seek injunctive and declaratory relief. We separately consider each of these contentions.