Opinion ID: 70438
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: stay or dismiss

Text: 9 As Abella argues, we have said that stay rather than dismissal is the appropriate disposition of some Sec. 1983 claims. Prather, 901 F.2d at 918-19. Although the petitioner in Prather presented claims for both monetary damages and for injunctive and declaratory relief, we suggested that stay was appropriate because of our concern that the statute of limitations would run on Prather's damages claims pending exhaustion of Prather's state remedies. Id. at 918-20. This is no longer a concern because, as Heck teaches, such damages claims do not accrue until the plaintiff's conviction or sentence has been invalidated; the statute of limitations will not run on Sec. 1983 or Bivens damages claims while the plaintiff exhausts state or federal remedies. Thus, Abella's argument that the district court should have stayed his damages claims to prevent the tolling of the statute of limitations on those claims is no longer viable under Heck.