Court Opinion

ID: 9460082
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 21:40:10.296655+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:36:27.758755
License: Public Domain

WEBSTER, Circuit Judge
(dissenting).
I reluctantly dissent.
While I agree with almost everything the majority has said with respect to the showing required to sustain a civil rights action to enjoin an eviction by a quasi-public housing corporation, I must conclude that the District Court prematurely adjudicated the jurisdictional issue and that the majority opinion has erroneously assessed the merits of the ease upon the pleadings alone.
Civil rights complaints are to be liberally construed, and are not to be dismissed unless it appears to a certainty that the plaintiff would be entitled to no relief under any state of the facts which could be proved in support of his claim. Escalera v. New York City Housing Authority, 425 F.2d 853 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 400 U.S. 853, 91 S.Ct. 54, 27 L.Ed. 2d 91 (1970); Holmes v. New York City Housing Authority, 398 F.2d 262 (2d Cir. 1968); Barnes v. Merritt, 376 F.2d 8 (5th Cir. 1967). Nonetheless, something more than mere legal conclusions is required to sustain jurisdiction. Stanturf v. Sipes, 335 F.2d 224, 229 (8th Cir. 1964), cert. denied, 379 U.S. 977, 85 S.Ct. 676, 13 L.Ed.2d 567 (1965); Rodes v. Municipal Authority *344of Milford, 409 F.2d 16, 17 (3rd Cir.), cert. denied, 396 U.S. 861, 90 S.Ct. 133, 24 L.Ed.2d 114 (1969).
It seems to me that the complaint alleges with sufficient factual definiteness (1) that the appellee was a quasi-governmental corporation possessed of certain state governmental powers by reason of the Missouri urban redevelopment statute under which it was chartered; (2) that appellee threatened to evict appellant from her leased apartment; (3) that her special situation as tenant of low cost, subsidized housing entitled her to administrative due process before such tenancy could be terminated; (4) that the notice which she received was inadequate; (5) that the hearing which she received was not before an impartial tribunal, but instead was before interested officials of the corporation, at least one of whom had prejudged her case; and (6) that (4) and (5) deprived her of due process under color of state law.
I do not understand that one seeking to vindicate his civil rights must plead all the evidentiary facts any more than that his pleading of mere hyperbole or ultimate legal conclusions will satisfy the jurisdictional demands. I simply say that in this case appellant has set forth her claim with sufficient disclosure of the factual basis upon which she depends for her relief. It remains an open question whether upon a hearing she can demonstrate, under the particular circumstances of her case, that ap-pellee was indeed acting under color of state law, and further that the notice was inadequate, that the hearing lacked requisite impartiality and that, in consequence, appellant was denied the degree of due process to which she was entitled. But I do not see how we can conclude from the bare pleadings, unsupported by any record, that appellant can prove no set of facts in support of her claim which would entitle her to relief. Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 45-46, 78 S. Ct. 99, 2 L.Ed.2d 80 (1957); Lewis v. Chrysler Motors Corp., 456 F.2d 605 (8th Cir. 1972).
I would vacate the order of dismissal and remand this case to the District Court for further proceedings. If appellant’s claims are in fact illusory, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provide the means to make such determination upon a sufficient development of the record, even before trial.1

. “The [summary] judgment sought shall be rendered forthwith if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.”
(Emphasis added) Eed.R.Civ.P. 56.