PAULA T. SALAZAR, ETC., APPELLANTS,
v.
RICHARD WILLE, ETC., ET AL., APPELLEES
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The Fourth District Court of Appeal affirmed a judgment on the pleadings dismissing a Section 1983 civil rights action against the Sheriff of Palm Beach County and his deputies, but remanded to allow the plaintiff one opportunity to file an amended complaint correcting pleading deficiencies.
The court affirmed the judgment on the pleadings as to official capacity immunity and lack of personal participation/mere negligence allegations, but reversed and remanded to allow the plaintiff at least one opportunity to amend the complaint to correct the defects identified.
[1] Sheriffs and their deputies, sued in their official capacities, are immune from suit under 42 U.S.C.A. …
[2] A Section 1983 claim requires personal participation by a sheriff in his individual capacity in the alleged unconstitutional treatment.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“The sheriff and his deputies, in their official capacity, are immune from suit.”
Establishes the basis for immunity in official capacity claims under Florida law.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligencePaula Salazar sued Richard Wille (Sheriff of Palm Beach County) and two of his deputies under 42 U.S.C.A. Section 1983, alleging unconstitutional trea…
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PER CURIAM.
We affirm the trial court’s judgment on the pleadings in favor of the Sheriff of Palm Beach County and two of his deputies in this action under 42 U.S.C.A. Sec. 1983 on the following grounds. (1) The sheriff and his deputies, in their official capacity, are immune from suit. Hill v. Department of Corrections, State of Florida, 513 So. 2d 129 (Fla.1987); Howlett by Howlett v. Rose, 537 So. 2d 706 (Fla. 2d DCA 1989); Lloyd v. Ellis, 520 So. 2d 59 (Fla. 1st DCA 1988). (2) The pleadings contain no allegations that the sheriff, in his individual capacity, personally participated in the allegedly unconstitutional treatment of appellant’s decedent. Geter v. Wille, 846 F. 2d 1352 (11th Cir.1988); Goodson v. City of Atlanta, 763 F. 2d 1381 (11th Cir.1985); Rankin v. Colman, 476 So. 2d 234 (Fla. 5th DCA 1985). (3) The complaint alleges no more than mere negligence against the deputies, individually, which is insufficient to sustain a Section 1983 cause of action. Davidson v. Cannon, 474 U.S. 344, 106 S.Ct. 668, 88 L.Ed.2d 677 (1986).
The appellant requests that this cause should be remanded to permit her to file an amended complaint to correct the pleading deficiencies as to Sheriff Wille, individually, and the deputies, individually, citing Baird v. Continental Ins. Co., 237 So. 2d 206 (Fla. 4th DCA 1970). It does not appear that plaintiff has previously amended the complaint. Although we would note that the “proposed” amended complaint furnished us does not pass muster in that it alleges only mere negligence, see Freedman v. City of Allentown, P.A., 853 F. 2d 1111 (3d Cir.1988), since the appellant did not have the benefit of our opinion when proffering this proposed complaint, we think it would be an abuse of discretion not to allow a pleader at least one opportunity to amend so as to correct defects in the complaint. Baird v. Continental Ins. Co., 237 So. 2d 206.
Affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded.
GLICKSTEIN and WALDEN, JJ., concur. WARNER, J., concurs in part and dissents in part with opinion.
WARNER, Judge,
concurring in part and dissenting in part.
I concur in the affirmance of the judgment on the pleadings. However, I dissent from that portion which permits the appellant to amend her complaint. This action has been pending for four years, and substantial discovery has been done. This is not a case where a technical defect has caused a judgment to be entered against appellant. Appellant had ample time in which to amend her complaint, if there were facts to sustain a cause of action.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Authorities Cited
- Davidson v. Cannon, 474 U.S. 344 (U.S. 1986)
- Hill v. Dep't OF Corr., 513 So. 2d 129 (Fla. 1987)
- Rankin v. Colman, 476 So. 2d 234 (Fla. 5th DCA 1985)
- Goodson v. City OF Atlanta & J.D. Hudson, 763 F.2d 1381 (11th Cir. 1985)
- Freedman v. City OF Allentown, 853 F.2d 1111 (3d Cir. 1988)
- Baird v. The Cont'l Ins. Co., 237 So. 2d 206 (Fla. 4th DCA 1970)
- Bostick v. State, 537 So. 2d 706 (Fla. 1st DCA 1989)
- Howlett v. Rose, 537 So. 2d 706 (Fla. 2d DCA 1989)
- Geter v. Wille, 846 F.2d 1352 (11th Cir. 1988)
- Lloyd v. Ellis, 520 So. 2d 59 (Fla. 1st DCA 1988)