Opinion ID: 499056
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Choice Between Dismissing and Staying the Action

Text: 21 If Mack's claim against the sheriffs were premature in the traditional sense, e.g., if either the challenged conduct or the claimed injury had not yet occurred, it would be appropriate to dismiss the complaint, allowing it to be refiled upon the accrual of the cause of action. Mack's complaint is not premature in that sense. If he has a valid claim against the sheriffs, it is on account of their past conduct, and the injury to him began on February 13, 1985, when he was incarcerated as a result of the violation of his rights. Thus, his claim has already accrued. Our determination that the adjudication should not proceed until the state court criminal proceedings have been concluded is based on the prudential consideration that those proceedings may suffice to establish that Mack's incarceration does not constitute injury. 22 Since Mack's claim has accrued, the statute of limitations on its assertion has already begun to run. See Singleton v. City of New York, 632 F.2d 185, 189 (2d Cir.1980) (Sec. 1983 cause of action for false arrest accrued on the date on which the incident occurred), cert. denied, 450 U.S. 920, 101 S.Ct. 1368, 67 L.Ed.2d 347 (1981). We therefore conclude that the action should be stayed, rather than dismissed, pending termination of the state court criminal proceedings against Mack.