Opinion ID: 3023404
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: Jack Cuvo appeals from the judgment of the District Court dismissing his Complaint. On October 19, 2001, Cuvo was driving his car a few blocks from his home in Palmer Township, Pennsylvania, when he experienced a momentary loss of consciousness. Cuvo lost control of the car and crashed through a road sign and a fire hydrant, finally coming to rest on a curb. Cuvo claims the loss of consciousness was caused by head injuries sustained in an assault by Easton, Pennsylvania, police officers ten days earlier. After the accident, Cuvo required medical attention. Christopher De Biasi,1 a Palmer Township police officer, apparently passed by the scene and stopped to investigate. Instead of calling for medical treatment, Officer De Biasi arrested Cuvo and 1 There is some confusion as to the proper spelling of Officer De Biasi’s name. Indeed, in Appellees brief, he is referred to both as “DeBiasi” and “DeBias” without any apparent rhyme or reason. The caption used by the District Court contained yet a third variation, “De Bias,” and that is how he was referred to by the District Court in its opinion. We will use “De Biasi”, with a space between “De” and “Biasi”, because that is the spelling on the caption before this Court. It is odd that even attorneys for appellees seem uncertain as to the proper spelling of the name of one of their clients. To be clear, when we refer to “De Biasi” we intend to refer to the person also intermittently identified as “DeBias”, “De Bias”, or “DeBiasi”. 2 transported him to Easton Hospital. At the hospital, Officer De Biasi and Cuvo were met by Detective Daniel Monek, another Palmer Township officer. At this point, Cuvo alleges that representatives of his counsel told the officers that the accident was the result of a seizure caused by the battery by the Easton police. Unpersuaded by this information, the officers responded that Cuvo was under arrest for driving under the influence in violation of 75 P A. C ONS. S TAT. A NN. § 3731. No criminal charges were ever filed. After the incident, Cuvo alleges that Officer De Biasi and Detective Monek published information concerning the accident, including assertions that Cuvo was under the influence of controlled substances and that those substances were the cause of his crash. Cuvo claims that Officer De Biasi and Detective Monek made these comments, knowing they were false, to discredit Cuvo with respect to the earlier incident with the Easton police, as well as to curry favor with police officers from that neighboring jurisdiction. Cuvo alleges that defendant Bruce Fretz, the Palmer Township Chief of Police, tacitly approved the release of the false information. On October 20, 2003, Jack Cuvo and his wife Jennifer filed a Complaint in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Count I alleged that the defendants, Officer De Biasi, Detective Monek, Chief Fretz, and the Township of Palmer, violated Cuvo’s civil rights under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 by arresting and detaining him without probable cause. The Complaint also alleged counts of intentional infliction of emotional distress, assault and battery, negligent infliction of emotional distress, false 3 arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, and a loss of consortium claim for Cuvo’s wife. On January 26, 2004, the defendants filed a motion to dismiss. By Order dated September 30, 2004, the District Court granted the defendants’ motion and dismissed the Complaint. Cuvo appealed. Cuvo’s appeal lists five instances of error: (1) the District Court erred in dismissing six of the eight counts of his Complaint by concluding that the mere occurrence of an automobile accident constitutes probable cause for an arrest for driving under the influence; (2) the District Court erred by finding that the defendants had qualified immunity; (3) the District Court erred in striking Counts I and II on the ground that they constitute impermissible defamation claims; (4) the District Court erred in finding that a suit brought against a municipal employee in his official capacity is functionally the same as a suit against the municipality itself; and (5) the District Court erred in dismissing Cuvo’s claims against the municipality for unconstitutional policies because of its mistaken finding that probable cause existed to arrest Cuvo. We will affirm in part and reverse in part.