Berry v. Marchinkowski
Robert D. BERRY v. Investigator Stanley MARCHINKOWSKI, Detective Charles Locke, and John and/or Jane Doe
Attorneys
Robert D. Berry, pro se., Eva Lenore Dietz, Esq., Rebecca Durie Katherine Culley, Esq., Office" of the New York State Attorney General, New York, NY, for Defendant Investigator Stanley Marchinkowski., David Lewis Posner, Esq., McCabe & Mack LLP, Poughkeepsie, NY, for Defendants Detective Charles Locke and John and/or Jane Doe.
Full Opinion (html_with_citations)
OPINION & ORDER
Pro se Plaintiff Robert D. Berry (âPlaintiffâ or âBerryâ) brings this Action against Defendants Investigator Stanley Marchin-kowski (âMarchinkowskiâ) and Detective Charles Locke (âLockeâ) under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging that Defendants falsely arrested and maliciously prosecuted him. Before the Court are Marchinkowskiâs and Lockeâs Motions for Summaiy Judgment. (Dkt. Nos. 126, 135.) For the reasons explained herein, Defendantsâ Motions for Summary Judgment are granted.
I. Background
A. Factual Background
1. Plaintiffâs, Contracting Business
Plaintiff was the owner and president of Independent Construction Services (âICSâ), a construction company. (Def. Lockeâs Rule 56.1 Statement (âLockeâs 56.1â) ¶ 1 (Dkt. No. 127); Aff. of David L. Posner (âPosner Aff.â) Ex. X (Robert Berry Deposition Transcript) (âBerry Tr.â) - 23-24, 40-41 (Dkt. No. 129).)
-Plaintiff obtained workersâ compensation insurance for ICS through the New York State Insurance Fund (âNYSIFâ). (Lockeâs 56.1 ¶3; Def. Stanley Marchin-kowskiâs Statement Pursuant to Local Civ. R. 56.1(a) (âMarchinkowskiâs 56.1â) ¶¶ 1-4 (Dkt. No. 137); Berry Tr. 63-68.) Plaintiff was unable to pay the premiums for the insurance, went into arrears, and coverage was canceled on November 22, 2004. (Lockeâs 56.1 ¶4; Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 4; Berry Tr. 63-69.) Approximately three weeks before coverage was canceled, Plaintiff was sent a notice informing him that the insurance policy would be canceled as of November 22, 2004 unless he paid the amount in arrears, and that he would be ineligible to receive further policies from NYSIF until he paid the amount in arrears. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 5; Posner Aff. Ex. B (Notice, of Cancellation) (informing Berry that â[t]o prevent [his] policy from being cancelled, [he] must pay the amount due before 12:01 a.m. on the effective date of the cancellationâ and that â[a]n employer, whose policy of insurance has been cancelled by the State Insurance Fund for non-payment of premium, is ineligible to contract a subsequent policy of insurance with the State Insurance Fund while the billed premium on the cancelled policy remains uncollected.â (internal quotation marks omitted)); .Berry Tr. 67-69 (confirming he received this notice),) Plaintiff claims he did not pay any of the money he owed because he could not afford to do so. (Berry Tr. 67-69.)
2. Transfer of ICS Ownership to Janet Berry
In August 2005, Plaintiff transferred his shares in ICS to his mother, Janet Berry. (Lockeâs 56.1 1Ă7; Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 7; Posner Aff. Ex. Y (Deposition of Janet Berry) (âJanet Berry Tr.â) 5, 28-29.) Janet Berry worked primarily doing administrative office work at a retirement community, did not have prior business or construction experience, and did not give any consideration for the transfer of stock. (See Lockeâs 56,1 ¶¶ 8-9; Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 8; Janet Berry Tr. 20-22, 31-36, 77-79.) She accepted the transfer because she did not want her âboys to be out of work and because Robert was not able to at that time get his own insurance.â (Lockeâs 56.1 ¶ 10 (internal quotation marks omitted); Janet Berry Tr. 36 (âQ: So why did Mr.- Berry transfer the[] [stock] âą to you? A: Because the businessâI did not want to see either one of my boys out of work and because he- was not able to, at that point, get the insurance I asked him if it would be possible for me to take over the- company and pay the insurance.â).) Plaintiff âacknowledges that the transfer of the stock, to his mother was so that ICS could get workersâ compensation insurance for, the Alexander renovation project.â (Lockeâs 56.1 ¶ 11; see also Berry Tr. 89 (âQ: So that transfer happened so that ICS could get Workerâs Compensation insurance for the Alexander Project, correct? A: Yes.â); Janet Berry Tr. 70-71 (âQ; ... And, you chose to do it because you needed proof of ownership? A: Thatâs correct. Q: And, you needed proof of ownership to be able to submit the application to NYSIF in your name as the owner; correct? A: Thatâs correct. Q: And the application had to be in your name because Mr. Berry had an outstanding .balance with NYSIF; right? A: He couldnât get.insuranee obviously because of the outstanding balance.â).)
Plaintiff âremained the President of ICS after the transfer of stock ownership to his mother and his duties remained the same.â (Lockeâs 56.1 ¶ 12; see also Berry Tr. 94-95.) Indeed, Plaintiff and his mother did not discuss Janet Berryâs responsibilities with the company, and Janetâs responsibilities before and after the transfer were the same: writing contracts and estimates based on information provided to her by Plaintiff. (Janet Berry Tr. 39, 85-86; see also Lockeâs 56.1 ¶¶ 13-14; Janet Berry Tr. 98 (âQ: You werenât going to work at
Approximately two weeks after being transferred ownership of ICS, on September 1, 2005, Janet Berry went with Plaintiff to the Whalen Insurance Agency to apply for workersâ compensation insurance for ICS. (Lockeâs 56.1 ¶ 15; Berry Tr. 95-100.) They met with insurance agent Leslie Brussel-Smith (âBrussel-Smithâ), (Lockeâs 56.1 ¶ 17; Posner Aff. Ex. F (Statement of Leslie Brussel-Smith); see also Berry Tr. 95-96), who advised them that there might be problems with the application because of Plaintiffs involvement in ICS and his outstanding financial obligations to NYSIF, (Lockeâs 56.1 ¶ 19; Berry Tr. 101-02; Posner Aff. Ex. F (Statement of .Leslie Brussel-Smith)). There is some dispute about who said and did what. In December 2006, Brussel-Smith provided a sworn statement to -the Dutchess County Sheriffs Office, which stated:
I told them that there would be potential problems with the application > due to Robertâs financial obligation to the New York State Insurance Fund and the fact that his mother is now applying for Insurance. I told him that due to these issues I believed that the application would be declined, but he insisted that it be submitted. '
(Posner Aff. Ex. F (Statement of Leslie Brussel-Smith).) Plaintiff, however, testified that he did not ask Brussel-Smith to submit the application despite the potential problem, that he did not insist that the application be submitted, that Brussel-Smith just submitted the application, and that while Brussel-Smith stated that there might be a problem with it, she did not tell him that she thought it would be denied. (Berry Tr. 102^-04.) Similarly, Janet Berry testified that she recalled Brussel-Smith saying âsomething like, âthis might not go through,â â not that she believed it would be denied, and that she â[did] not recall [Plaintiff] insisting on anything.â (Janet Berry Tr. 54-55.) More generally, Plaintiff testified that, while he was present during the meeting between his mother and Brussel-Smith,'he was not paying attention to what was said and the information for the application was provided by his mother, not him. (Berry Tr. 107-11.)
The application ultimately submitted on behalf of Janet Berry (and Plaintiff) contained several misstatements. First, the application listed the date of incorporation of ICS as August 8, 2005, and stated that ICS had been in existence for one month, (Marehinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 10; Posner Aff. Ex. E (Janet Berryâs Application for New York Workersâ Compensation and Employersâ Liability Insurance), at 4); however, ICS was incorporated in May 1997, (Mar-ehinkowskiâs 561 ¶ 10; Berry Tr. 37, 108 (testifying that he 'incorporated ICS' in May 1997)). Additionally, the application asked, âHAVE YOU EVER BEEN INSURED IN THE NEW YORK STATE INSURANCE FUND?â and instructed that
You must answer âYESâ if you or any person who directly or indirectly owns or controls or is the president, vice president, secretary or treasurer of [ICS] either directly or indirectly owns or controls or is president, vice president, secretary or treasurer of an employer that has had a workersâ compensation policy with the State Insurance Fund that was cancelled, or directly or indirectly owned or controlled or was president, vice president, secretary or treasurer of an employer at the time that employerâs workersâ compensation insurance policy with the State Insurance Fund was cancelled.*506 The Workersâ Compensation Law prohibits any person from contracting for a subsequent policy with the State Insurance Fund while the billed premium on such a cancelled policy remains uncollected.
(Posner Aff. Ex. E (Janet Berryâs Application for New York Workersâ Compensation and Employersâ Liability Insurance), at 3.) In response to this question, the b.ox for ânoâ was checked. (Id.) In his deposition, Plaintiff admitted that the statement was incorrect. (Berry Tr. 109-10.)
The application was rejected one week after its submission by letter received on September 12, 2005, because of ICSâs indebtedness to NYSIF and Plaintiffs involvement in ICS. (Lockeâs 56.1 ¶ 20, 22; see also Berry Tr. 95-104,116; Janet Berry Tr. 49-57; Posner Aff. Ex. F (Statement of Leslie Brussel-Smith); Posner Aff. Ex. H (Rejection Letter dated September 7,.2005) (stating â[w]e are unable to provide you with a quote or insurance at this time because of the following reason^);- Pursuant to Section 93 of the Workersâ Compensation Law, our records indicate that you owe premium on the ... policy,â and indicating that Robert D. Berry owed $25,332.75 on policy number 13526512).)
3. Desormier Contractors
Marcia Rose (âRoseâ), whose maiden name is Desormier, was Plaintiffs live-in girlfriend at the time of the events in question. (Lockeâs 56.1 ¶ 23; Marchinkow-skiâs 561 ¶ 12; Berry Tr. 7, 14 (stating that he lives with Rose and that they began dating in 2004 or 2005 and that they began living together full-time in approximately 2006); Janet Berry Tr. 81 (stating that, by the time of the deposition, Rose and Plaintiff had lived together for seven to eight years); Dep. of Marcia Rose (âRose Tr.â) 234 (testifying that, at the time Rose formed Desormier Contractors, she was living with Plaintiff); see also Rose Tr. 9 (testifying that Desormier is Roseâs maiden name, Rose is her married name, and that though she is no longer married she never changed her name back).)
. On September 14, 2005, a day before Desormier filed a d/b/a certificate with the Dutchess County Clerk, and two days after receiving the letter denying his motherâs insurance application, Plaintiff and Rose went to the Whalen Agency and met with Brussel-Smith to apply for workersâ compensation insurance. (Lockeâs . 56.à ¶¶ 35, 41; Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 16; Berry Tr. 129-31; Rose Tr. 75-76; Posner Aff. Ex. J (Marcia Rose NYSIF Application); Deck of Stanley Marchinkowski (âMarchinkowski Deckâ) Ex. D (Application Cover Letter) (Dkt. No. 141); see also Posner Aff. Ex. 0 (Desormier Contractors Business Certificate dated September 15, 2005).) Roseâs application, like Janet Berryâs application, checked the box ânoâ to the question, âHAVE YOU EVER BEEN INSURANCE FUND?â (Posner Aff. Ex. J (Marcia Rose NYSIF Application), at 3.)
You must answer âYESâ if you or any person who directly or indirectly owns or controls or is the president, vice president, secretary or treasurer of [Desor-mier Contracting] either directly or. indirectly owns or controls or is president, vice president, secretary or treasurer of an employer that has had a workersâ compensation policy with the State Insurance Fund that was cancelled, or directly or indirectly owned or- controlled or was president, vice president, secretary or treasurer of an employer at the time that employerâs workersâ compensation insurance policy with the State Insurance Fund was cancelled. The Workersâ Compensation Law prohibits any person from contracting for a subsequent policy with the State Insurance Fund while the billed premium on such a cancelled policy remains uncollected.
(Id. at 3.) Like Janet Berry, Rose answered ânoâ to that question. (Id.) Rose paid the $1,000 deposit with a check from her personal account, (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 19; Rose Tr. 84), but Plaintiff reimbursed Rose for the $1,000. (Marchinkow-skiâs 56.1 ¶ 19; Rose Tr. 85.) NSYIF granted Desormierâs application for insurance by letter dated September 23, 2005. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 20; Lockeâs 56.1 ¶ 35; Rose Tr. 85-86; Posner Aff. Ex. K (Approval Letter Addressed to Marcie Rose d/b/a Desormier Contracting).)
On September 26, 2005, Plaintiff filled out and submitted a building permit application to the City of Beacon for the Alexander project, relying on the proof of insurance for Desormier Contracting. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 21; Berry Tr. 134-35; Marchinkowski Deck Ex. F (Building Permit Application).) In his permit application. Berry estimated the cost of the project to be $83,000 plus fees of $460, which was almost identical to the estimate of $83,400 provided to Alexander on July 5, 2005. (See Marchinkowski Deck Ex. F (Building Permit Application), at unnumbered 2; Posner Aff. Ex. C (July 5, 2005 Berry Estimate for Alexander).) Berry then drafted a scope of work for the Alexander project on Desor-
The Alexander project, which was managed by Plaintiff, was the only project undertaken by Desormier Contracting. (Lockeâs 56.1 ¶43; Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶23; Berry Tr. 141; Rose Tr. 120-22.) The project began in September 2005 and was completed roughly in March or April of 2006. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 23; see also Berry Tr. 139,144-45; Rose. Tr. 131.) Desormier was in business for the same period, as it was formed in September 2005, and went out of business in April 2006. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 IT 24; Rose Tr. 41-42; 60-61.)
At the time of the formation of Desormier Contractors, Rose had no prior experience in business or construction. (Lockeâs 56.1 ¶ 28; Rose Tr. 59-60.) She made no investment in the business, and the business did not purchase any equipment or supplies, but rather used those belonging to Plaintiff, free of charge. (Lockeâs 56.1 ¶ 30-31; Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 31; Rose Tr. 93-94, 236.) Desormier Contractors only used workers who had previously worked for Plaintiff or ICS. (Lockeâs 56.1 ¶ 33; Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 31; Berry Tr. 140-41,145; Rose Tr. 112-44.) Desor-mierâs letterhead, designed by Plaintiff, contained Plaintiffâs name and his cell phone number, but not the name or cell phone number of Rose; additionally, the office and fax number listed were thĂ© same as those previously listed for Plaintiffâs business and corresponded to an empty apartment in Plaintiffâs parentsâ home. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 30; Rose Tr. 95-97, 126-128; 136-37; Marchinkowski Decl. Ex. F (Building Permit Application); Pos-ner Aff. Ex. P (Desormierâs Scope of Work for Alexander) (stating, as part of the letterhead, Desormier Contractors, Robert D. Berry, Office/Fax: (845) 677-8768, Cell (845) 527-6759); Posner Aff. Ex. C (July 5, 2005 Berry Estimate for Alexander) (stating, as part of the lĂ©tterhead, Robert D. Berry, Office/Fax (845) 677-8768, Cell (845) 527-6759).) Plaintiffâs name was on Desormier Contractorsâ checking account, and the bank' statements were sent â to Plaintiffâs personal PO Box. (Lockeâs 56.1 ¶ 34; Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 29; Rose Tr. 99-100, 173-76.) Plaintiff paid personal obligations' from Desormierâs account, such as child support tĂł his ex-wife, rent payments to his ex-wifeâs landlord, and payments to his personal attorney. (Lockeâs 56.1 ¶ 53; Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 33; Berry Tr. 270-72; Rose Tr. 182-84, 187-88.)
4. The Froman Project
On or around September 7, 2005, before Desormier was formed, Plaintiff was hired by Ann Froman (âFromanâ) and her hus
Froman arid Silvernail both provided sworn handwritten statemerits to the police in 2006, which were later typed, with some changes, and signed again. Silver-nailâs typed statement, which he signed on October 31, 2006, states the following:
I hired Robert Berry as an employee and he worked for me for about 4 months. During the time Robert Berry worked for me I had a conversation with him about another project, the construction of an art studio for my wife Ann Froman. Robert Berry agreed to due [sic] the project but I told him he would need his own workers comp insurance. Robert told me he now had insurance under I.CiS. and had me make payment to him for the remainder of the spec house work to that name. The insurance I was then told changed to Marcie Rose Deso[r]mier Contracting. Robert Berry told me he could not get the insurance in his name due to the bad debit [sic]. I didnât pay attention or question the fact that the certificate was in the name of Desormier Contracting. The art studio was my wifeâs project. I fired Robert Berry about this same time due to the quality of work he had performed on my spec home. No work was ever performed on my wifeâs studio even, though Robert Berry cashed the checks totaling $15,000.00 (fifteen thousand dollars). My wife has contacted the New York State Attorney Generalâs office and was sent a packet of forms to fill out and return as of this time my wife has not returned the forms.
(Marchinkowski Deck Ex. I (Sworn Statement of Rodney Silvernail).) Silvemailâs handwritten statement, which he signed on October 20, 2006, contained the same material facts as his typed statement. The handwritten statement states:
I became acquainted with Robert Berry through his brother, Joe Berry. Joe stated that his brother Robert Berry was out of work. I am a contractor in northern Dutchess County and needed a worker to help me complete a house I was budding. I hired Robert Berry as an employee in August at 2005, at first I was looking for a person with his own comp coverage. Mr. Berry stated that he was a contractor but did not have insurance at that time due.to cancellation due to bad debit [sic], I hired Robert Berry and he worked for about four months, firing him in October 2005. He was fired for not completing work and doing work that was not up to code. During the period of time Robert Berry worked for me I had a conversation with him regarding another project, the construction of the Ann Froman Studios which [unintelligible] my wife Ann Fro-man. Robert Berry agreed to do the project. I advised him he needed to show me proof of insurance, he told me he had insurance under I.C.S. which changed to Marcie Rose DBA Desormier Contracting. He told me he. could not get the insurance due to his bad debit [sic] in his own name and would*510 get it in his mothers [sic] name. I didnât pay attention that the certificate of Insurance was in the name of Desormier Contracting. The project Ann Froman Studioâs [sic] was my wifeâs- project for which my wife wrote checks totaling $15,000.00. No work was performed on the project but Robert Berry cashed the checks. My wife has since contacted the New York State Attorney General Office [sic] to assist with recovery of the funds. The New York State Attorneyâs Generalâs Office [sic] to this date has only sent my wife a packet of paperwork to be filled out and returned. My wife has not done this as of this time.
(Robert D. Berryâs Oppân to Stanley Mar-chinkowskiâs Mem. of Law in Supp. of Summ. J. (âPLâs Mem. in Oppân to Mar-chinkowskiâ) Ex. L (Handwritten Sworn Statement of Rodney Silvernail) (Dkt. No. 143).) Fromanâs typed statement, signed on October 31, 2006, stated: ' f
I became acquainted with Robert Berry through my husband Rodney Silvernail. Robert Berry was working for my husband finishing work on a spec house. Robert Berry was going to be hired to build my art studio when he was finished working on the spec house. On September 7, 2005 I gave Mr. Berry a check for $10,000.00 (Ten Thousand Dollars) as a deposit for the projéet. I then gave' Mr. Berry an additional check for $5,000.00 (Five thousand Dollars) on September 27, 2005 toward the project. Robert Berry supplied an insurance certificate to show he had the proper coverage to due [sic] the project this was needed because he would not be an employee but would be the contractor on this job. Shortly after Robert Berry received the money my husband became dissatisfied with his work on the spec home and was fired. Robert Berry never returned the money I paid him for the art studio. Robert Berry did however place a mechanics lien- for $15,000.00 (Fifteen Thousand Dollars) on the spec house that he had worked on for my husband.
(Pl.âs Mem. in Oppân to Marchinkowski Ex. O, at unnumbered 3.) Her handwritten statement, signed on October 20, stated:
I got to know Robert Berry through my husband Rodney Silvernail. He was working for my husband (Rodney Silver-nail) building a ho[u]se. He was going to be hired to build my art studio when he was finished building the house. As -a deposit to get Mr. Robert Berry to build my art studio I gave him a check on Sept. 7, 2005 for $10,000 and another check on September 27, 2005 for $5,000. Shortly after I wrote the checks to Mr. Robert B[e]rry ihy husband became dissatisfied with Mr. Robert Btejrryâs work he was doing on his house project. My husband- then fired Mr. Robert B[e]rry. Mr. Robert B[e]rry never returned the money I paid him for the art studio. Mr. B[e]rry then put a mechanics lien on the house he was building for my husband. Mr. Robert B[e]rry did not actually build the house. It was a modular home and he assisted i[n] finishing it.
(Id. at unnumbered 1.)
5. Marehinkowskiâs Investigation
In February 2006, Russell DeForest (âDeForestâ), a NYSIF auditor, conducted a routine audit of Desormier. (Marchin-kowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 37; Berry Tr, 152-54; Marchinkowski Decl. ¶5.) DeForest had previously conducted an audit of Berry in connection with his prior policy. (Mar-chinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 38; Berry Tr. 154; Marchinkowski Deck ¶6 & Exs. M, O.) Plaintiff met with DeForest on behalf of Desormier in February and October 2006 in connection with the audit of Desormier. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶¶ 34, 37; Berry Tr. 152-56; Marchinkowski Deck ¶ 6.) Plaintiff supplied Desormierâs books and records to
After his meetings with Plaintiff, DeForest made a fraud referral. (Marchinkow-skiâs 56.1 IT 40; see also Marchinkowski Decl. Ex. B (Division of Confidential Investigations Investigation Request).) That referral stated:
Robert Berryâs SIF ÂĄpolicy was cancelled 11/22/04 and he ow[e]s SIF $24,000. It now appears as if he is doing business under [Desormierâs policy]. Invoices are in the nam[e] of Robert Berry. Payments are made td R. Berry Desor-mier Contracting. Marcie Rose is Robert Berryâs girlfriend. They live together at 55 Front St. Robert Berry is paid as casual labor by Marcie Rose.â
(Marchinkowski Decl. Ex. B (Division of Confidential Investigations Investigation Request).) This investigation was assigned to Marchinkowski in or around April 2006. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶41; Marchinkowski Decl. ¶¶ 3-4 (explaining that cases are randomly assigned between the three investigators in Albany and that he was assigned to investigate the Berry fraud referral).) . .
Marchinkowski looked up Plaintiffs and Desormierâs policies in the NYSIF database, and saw that there were outstanding balances on both policies. (Marchinkow-skiâs 56.1 ¶ 42; 'Marchinkowski Decl. ¶ 9; see also Marchinkowski Decl. Ex. C (Printouts from the NYSIF System).) Marchin-kowski also determined the following: that Desormierâs application listed the companyâs address as 55-Front Street, the same address that Plaintiff lived at, that Desor-mierâs application denied having previous coverage, and that Desormierâs application was submitted by. the same agency that submitted Plaintiffs application: â (Mar-chinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶¶ 43-45; Marchinkow-ski Decl. ¶¶ 10-12.)
Marchinkowski also reviewed documents provided to DeForest during the audit. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 46;. Marchinkow-ski Decl. ¶ 13; Ex. F (attaching the documents provided during the audit).) In particular, in reviewing the documents, Marchinkowski noted that: (1) the July 5, 2005 Alexander estimate was on Plaintiffs letterhead; (2) the building permit application dated September 26, 2005 listed De-sormier as the contractor and was submitted by Plaintiff; and (3) that the scope of work for the Alexander project dated September 29, 2005 was on letterhead of De-sormier Contractors/Robert D. Berry. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 46; Marchinkow-ski Decl. ¶ 14.) Additionally, Marchinkow-ski noted the similarities between the letterhead used for the July 5 estimate and the September 29 scope of work for the Alexander project, noting that the office/fax and cell phone numbers were the same, that Berry had. previously identified the fax number as belonging to ICS, and that Berry was the only name listed on Desormierâs letterhead, despite Rose stating that she was the sole proprietor of Desormier. (See Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶¶ 48-49; Marchinkowski Deck- ¶¶ 15-17.). Marchinkowski also checked to see if NY-SIF had issued other Certificates of Insurance for Desormier, and learned that another certificate had been issued to Fro-man. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 50; Mar-chinkowski Decl. ¶ 18; Marchinkowski Decl. Ex. G (Certificate of Workersâ Compensation Insurance).)
In October 2006, Marchinkowski interviewed Froman and Silvernail, who told Marchinkowski that at first Plaintiff stated that he had insurance through his company, ICS, but later informed Silvernail that the policy had been changed to Marcie Rose/Desormier Contracting because he had been unable to obtain insurance coverage in his own name due to the âbad debitâ; Silvernail also signed statements
Marchinkowski attempted to get a statement from Alexander, but she was uncooperative. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 53; Marchinkowski Decl. ¶ 23.) However, Alexander did tell Marchinkowski that' Berry had problems obtaining insurance coverage and that he ultimately used someone else to get the necessary policy. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 53;' Marchinkow-ski Deck IT 23.)' Marchinkowski then referred the case to the Dutchess County Sheriffâs Office. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶57; Marchinkowski Deck ¶29.) Mar-chinkowski- summarized his findings up until that point, collected a list of potential witnesses, and prepared a binder containing the evidence. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶¶ 57, 59; Marchinkowski Deck ¶¶ 29, 31; Marchinkowski Deck Exs. M (summary), N (potential witness list), P (table of contents of binder of evidence).)
6. Marchinkowskiâs and Lockeâs Investigation '
Marchinkowski presented the information he collected to Locke, and they decided to interview Rose. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 60; Marchinkowski Deck ¶ 32.) On December 7, 2006, Locke and Marchinkow-ski went to Roseâs place of business. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 61; Marchinkow-ski Deck ¶ 33.) After asking her some questions, they asked her to come to the Sheriffs Office for an interview; she agreed and followed in her own car. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 61; Marchinkow-ski Deck ¶ 33.) Upon arrival, Locke informed Rose of her Miranda rights, and she signed a Miranda waiver. (Marchin-kowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 62; Marchinkowski Deck ¶ 34; Marchinkowski Deck Ex. R (Roseâs Miranda Waiver)). Rose was interviewed with a Dutchess County Sherriff s Office (âDCSOâ) secretary in the room, who provided a typed statement based on the interview. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 66; Marchinkowski Deck ¶ 38.) Rose was shown the statement and asked to review it for accuracy; Rose signed both pages, and, did not, indicate that any part of the statement was inaccurate or ask to make any changes. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 66; Marchinkowski Deck ¶ 38.) Roseâs signed statement provided:
My boyfriend Robert Berry is a residential contractor. He previously had a company named I.C.S, Independent Construction Services, Inc., which is no longer in business. On 04/15/03 he then took out a Workers Compensation policy with the NYS Insurance Fund, brokered through the George T. Whalen Insurance Agency. There came a point in time when his insurance was cancelled for bad debt, premium owed to the NYS Insurance Fund in the approximate amount of $24,000. Robert Berry then attempted to have his mother, Janet Berry, take out a policy with the NYS Insurance Fund for him because he was unable to due to premium owed to the NYS Insurance Fund. He could not acquire insurance while there was a balance due. The George. T. Whalen Insurance Company did not accept that policy, because the names were the same. Robert then .discussed with me taking out the policy in my name to avoid being turned down for the policy from the NYS Insurance Fund. I agreed.
On September 14, 2005, my boyfriend Robert Berry and I went to the George T. Whalen Insurance Agency on Franklin Avenue in Millbrook NY to file the*513 paperwork that was necessary to take out a Workers Compensation policy for the company he decided to call âDesor-mier Contracting, Marcia Rose DBAâ. He decided to use the name âDesormierâ because that was my maiden name. The purpose of the insurance was for work to be covered while Robert engaged in residential carpentry work. The policy was granted and Robert Berry used that insurance coverage to obtain and continue to do work in residential carpentry.
I know for a fact that that insurance coverage was used by Robert Berry to file with the City of Beacon for him to be able to conduct a restoration of the Alexander residence at [redacted].
I never had any active participation in the company whatsoever such as estimates, billing, actual physical labor, or scheduling appointments. I knew the only reason my name was needed to take out the policy was that Robert Berry was unable to use his name due to the previous monies owed.
The actual business address for the De-sormier Contacting business was located on 1103 Chestnut Ridge Road, Dover, NY (Town of Washington).
(Marchinkowski Deck Ex. S (Rose Signed Statement).) Much of Plaintiffs Opposition to the Motions focuses on the conduct that occurred during the interview of Rose. Plaintiff, pointing to evidence in Roseâs deposition and in her affidavit, claims that the statement she made was coerced and untrue. (Pl.âs Mem. in Oppân to Locke 8.)
On October 16, 2012, Rose swore an affidavit providing information regarding the statement she gave the police in 2006. Rose averred, in relevant part:
On December 7, 2006, I signed a statement written by Detective Charles Locke, who advised me of my rights, which contained information not true to the questions asked of me. At the time of the questioning, I felt comfortable answering any and all questions that might be presented to me, so I did not see the need for a lawyer. After the initial general information was taken and basic questions of my name and address, where I worked and who my boyfriend was, both Mr. Marchinkowski and Mr. Locke began to ask questions regarding my business âDesormier Contractorsâ. At this time a binder was laid before me and was opened to my Insurance Application. When asked if the signature was mine, I told the[m] âyesâ. I was then asked other questions regarding the genuineness of my business. I tried to tell both of them that the business was mine and that Robert Berry worked for me. [Neither of them just wouldnât have it.
They told me that because I had a full time job at The Fountains at Millbrook, that there was no way I could own a Construction Company or run one. I repeated I only owned it and that Robert Berry managed it.
After many inquiries pertaining to the legitimacy of Desormier Contractors, which I attested to all of, they just wouldnât accept the truth. They also kept stating throughout the questioning âDid you know he went bankrupt?â I told them yes, but what does that have to do with me?
After about 45 minutes of questions, I noticed the time was about 2:00 PM and I asked âwhatâs going to happen to me?â I was told I was going to be brought back in and fingerprinted and booked. I told them my son was going to be home soon and I needed to be there. It was at that point it was told to me that maybe I should think about, my son. Interpreting that as a threat, I signed what they wanted so I could leave.
*514 Despite my original statement, I tried to contact the Bar Association on retracting my statement but had no luck. I then waited until Robert Berryâs trial to make my statement, but he was denied a trial.7
(Pl.âs Mem. in Oppân to Marchinkowski Ex. S2 (Aff. of Marcia Rose (âRose Aff.â)).)
Rose provided a further description of the questioning during her deposition; In particular, Rose stated the following in her deposition, regarding the signed statement reproduced above:
Q. Did you in fact read every page of that statement?
A. No, I did not.
Q. You didnât?
A. No.
Q. Why not?
A. Because thisâI signed this paper, but I did not say these things.
' Q. Iâm simply asking if you read the statement before you signed it.
A. I didnât.
* * *
Q. If you turn back to the first page, at the top of the statement it says Detective Lock[e] advised you of your various rights, correct?
A. Yes.
Q. Did he in fact advise you of your various rights?
A. Yes.
Q. Including your right to remain silent?
A. Yes.
Q. And your right to an attorney?
A. Yes.
Q. This statement was made in December 2006, right?
A. Yes.
Q. You now claim it,, was coerced, right?
A. Yes.
Q. ... Can you explain why you thought you were being coerced?
A. Because when Detective Lock[e] and Marchinkowski came to my place of employment, they had interviewed me and had a notebook with different things, my application, and the Lisa Alexander job, and asked me if those were my signatures, and I said, âYes.â And he asked me, you know, other questions, what did Iâ
Q. Who is âheâ?
A. Both the detective and Marchinkow-ski, just different random questions. â
* * *
A. The detectiveâMarchinkowski and Lock[e], they wanted me to go to the Dutchess County Sheriffs Office to give a statement, and I agreed.
* * *
Q. Did you read this statement before you signed it?
A. Out of nervousness, I did not.
Q. Okay. And why were you nervous?
A. Because the questions from when I was at my place of employment to the Dutchess County Sheriffs office, it changed.
Q. How did it change?
A. The detective and the investigator, you know, asked if I owned a business, and I said yes. And they said, âHow could you? You already have a full-time job.â And he asked me the name of my business, and what I named it, and I said âDesormier.â The questions were different from when I was at the Fountains.
*515 Q. And because they were asking you about Desormier, you felt nervous?
A. Not in the beginning.
Q., So why did you become nervous?
A. Because he wasâbecause Detective Loek[e] and Marchinkowski were saying, âHow could you own a business? You have a full-time job. âDonât you work weekends?â
Q. And because they said, âDonât you work weekends,â you were so nervous that you signed a statement you hadnât read?
A. I felt very intimidated, yes.
Q. What did they say that made you feel so intimidated?
A. They asked me questions, and I answered them. But it just seemed like the answers I was giving them, they werenât having it. They were just saying, âNo, no.â
Q. And you found âNo, noâ to be intimidating?
A. Yes.
Q. Did they say anything else that you found intimidating?
A. Yes. He was asking me things from here, and I said, âWhat is going to hap7 pen to me?â Like IâI didnât think, that I did anything wrong, but they made me feel like I did. I told them what I did to open ĂĄ business,
Q. Okay.
A. And I said that .1 went and got insurance, I got a DBA, I opened a checking account, and theyââąMarchin-kowski and Lock[e], were like, âą âNo.â
Q. âNoâ is why you felt threatened?
A. Yes.
Q. Anything else they said that made you feel intimidated and nervous?
A, Yes. I had. said, you know, âWhatâs going to happen to me? And he said, âYou have a son to think about.â He said, âYouâre going to be fingerprinted and booked.â And I just wanted to get the heck out of there, and I signed the statement. I never looked at it, never.
Q. Except for when you signed both pages? â
A. I just signed, I just signed my name. I never read this over.
(Rose Tr. 197-202.)
Later, Rose stated that she did hot know why she never asked for a lawyer, (id. at 205-06), that she never called the Dutchess County Sheriffs Office to correct the statement, (id. at 204-05), but that she called the bar association in Poughkeepsie, (id. at 204). Additionally, during the deposition, counsel for Marchinkowski went through the statement with Rose, paragraph by paragraph. (Id. 206-11.) Rose stated that the sentence âI know for a fact that insurance coverage was used by Robert Berry to file with the City of Beacon for him to be able to conduct a restoration of the Alexander residenceâ was false because it was used by her, though she acknowledged that Berry did work on the Alexander project, and that the statement that the actual business address was 1103 Chestnut Ridge Road was false, as it was 55 Front Street, but acknowledged that everything else in the, statement was accurate. (Id.)
Prior to their interview with Rose, Mar-chinkowski and Locke were unaware that Janet Berry had submitted an application to NYSIF in an attempt to get workersâ compensation insurance. . (Marchinkow-skiâs 56.1 ¶ 67; Marchinkowski Decl. ¶ 40.) Following the interview with Rose, they confirmed this piece of information by calling the insurance agency that submitted Janet Berryâs NYSIF application, at which point they learned that the same insurance agent, Brussel-Smith, submitted the applications, supposedly on behalf of Janet Berry and Desormier. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 67; Marchinkowski Decl. ¶¶ 40-41.), At that point, Locke called the District Attor
7. Plaintiffs Arrest and Prosecution
Plaintiff was charged with (1) grand larceny in the third degree, in violation of N.Y. Penal Law § 155.35, (2) offering a false instrument for filing, in violation of N.Y. Penal Law § 175.35, and (3) committing a fraudulent practice, in violation of N.Y. Workers Compensation Law § 114(3). (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 72; Marchinkowski Deck Ex. V (Felony Complaint).) The felony complaint was signed by Locke on December 3, 2006, and stated:
The facts upon which this Felony Complaint is based are as follows:
The said defendant, Robert D. Berry, on September 14, 2005, at the aforesaid location, with intent to defraud and benefit himself did wrongfully withhold twenty-four thousand four hundred twenty-nine dollars and forty-six cents ($24,429.46) as insurance premiums from the New York State Insurance Fund. TO WIT: the said defendant Robert D. Berry did knowingly cause a fraudulent application for workers compensation insurance to be filed through the New York State Insurance Fund by using the George T. Whalen Insurance Agency as a broker to obtain this insurance. Deponent further states that the said defendant by means of concealing information did obtain a benefit and by soliciting another to file the fraudulent application to obtain insurance when in fact the defendant knew he was the true owner of the business and was unable to obtain insurance through the New York state Insurance Fund due to $24,429.46 in past unpaid premium.
The foregoing factual allegations are based upon personal knowledge of the complainant and upon information and belief, the sources of complainantâs information and belief being, depositions of Richard Morrison, Ann Froman, Rodney Silvernail, Russell DeForest, voluntary statement of Marcia Rose, applications of insurance by Robert Berry and Marcia Rose, audits conducted by the New York State Insurance Fund, written estimates of âDesormier Contractingâ written by Robert Berry, banking records of âDesormier Contracting,[â] and investigation by Stan Marchinkow-ski of the New York State Insurance Fund and the Dutchess County Sheriffs Office.
(Marchinkowski Deck Ex. V (Felony Complaint).)
On December 13, 2006, Berry turned himself in to Locke. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 72; Marchinkowski Deck ¶ 45.) Marchinkowski had no involvement in the case after the arrest and arraignment; he did not communicate with the District Attorneyâs Office (âDAâs Officeâ), attend or provide testimony at any criminal proceedings, or participate in the prosecution in any other way. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 75; see also Marchinkowski Deck ¶ 45; Berry Tr. 260, 273-74.) Similarly, Locke had no interaction with Plaintiff after the arrest, nor did he testify at grand jury proceedings or any preliminary hearings or trial, or consult with the DAâs Office regarding Plaintiffs criminal case. (Lockeâs 56.1 ¶¶ 66-68; Aff. of Charles Locke ¶ 15 (Dkt. No. 130); Berry Tr. 273-74.) Neither Defendant played a role in plea negotiations. (Lockeâs 56.1 ¶ 77; Aff. of Edward Whitesell (âWhitesell Aff.â) ¶ 21 (Dkt. No. 131).)
The DAâs Office did not make a conscious decision to decline to present in a timely fashion, nor did the DAâs Office come to believe there was -not probable cause to prosecute. (Lockeâs 56.1 ¶¶75-76; Whitesell Aff. ¶¶ 16,19.)
8. Plaintiffs Bankruptcy Proceeding
Plaintiff filed for bankruptcy in June 2006, and his debt wasâ discharged iii a Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceeding on Sep
Q. You say they kept throughout questioning asking, âDid you know he went bankrupt?â, right?
A. Yes, they said that a lot too.
Q. Both of them?
A. Yes.
Q. What did they say?
A. They said, âDo you know about the twenty-four thousand?â And I saw in a notebook, and it was circled, and I said, âYes, I did know about it, but it didnât have anything to do with me,â but I did know.
Q. So they asked you if you knew that he owed NYSIF twenty-four thousand dollars?
A. Yes.
Q. What does that have to do with the bankruptcy?
A. It doesnât have anything to do with the bankruptcy.
Q. So what did they ask you about a bankruptcy?
A. They just asked me if I knew about the twenty-four thousand.
(Rose Tr. 213-14.) Additionally, Plaintiff asserts in his Memorandum that âDetective Locke was told personally by Robert Berry that he had filed bankruptcy, and his response was âI didnât care and just wanted to get this over and get on with his day.â â (PLâs Mem. in Oppân to Loeke at 9-10; see also id. at 16 (âRobert Berry called immediately (being approximately 4:30 pm) and spoke to the detective. Detective. Lock[e] demanded that he come to the station and turn himself in. Robert Berry asked him why and the detective stated for Grand Larceny of $24,000.00 to the New York State Insurance Fund. Robert responded with T went bankrupt.â Detective Locke was not interested in any explanations regarding Mr. Berryâs innocence.â).)
In reply, Marchinkowski disputes his knowledge of the bankruptcy at the time of the investigation, noting that the investigation commenced in April 2006, before Plaintiff filed for bankruptcy, that Mar-chinkowski testified that he did not know about the bankruptcy, and that the notice of Bankruptcy was sent to Syracuse, but Marehinkowskiâs office is in Albany. (Reply Mem. of Law in Further Supp.- of Def. Stanley Marchinkowskiâs Mot. for Summ. J. (âMarchinkowskiâs Replyâ) 18-19 (Dkt. No. 153); see also Marchinkowski Decl. ¶¶ 2, 4; Aff. of Robert Berry (âBerry Aff. in Oppân to Marchinkowskiâ) Ex. 4 (Dep.
B. Procedural Background
Plaintiff filed suit in New York Supreme Court, County of Dutchess in April 2009, and Defendants removed to federal court on April 30, 2009. (Dkt. No. 1.) Plaintiff filed a Verified Complaint on June 8, 2009, which Complaint asserted claims against the Village of Millbrook, .the Dutchess County District Attorneyâs Office, the NY-SIF, the Daily Freeman, and John and/or Jane Doe. (Dkt. No. 4.) On November 7, 2009, Plaintiff voluntarily dismissed NY-SIF from the case, (Dkt. No. 27.) On January 27, 2010, Plaintiff filed a Motion for Leave to File an Amended Complaint, which added Marchinkowski arid Locke as Defendants. (Dkt.Nos.30, 34.) By Opinion dated September 29, 2010, the Court granted Plaintiff pĂ©rmission to file his Amended Complaint with the' proposed § 1983 claims against Locke and Marchiri-kowski, but without his proposed defamation. claims, (Dkt. No. 40), and Plaintiff filed his Amended Complaint, (Dkt. No. 41). On December 14, 2010, Plaintiff voluntarily dismissed his claims against the Daily Freeman. (Dkt. No. 59.) On December 17, 2010, Plaintiff filed a Second Amended Verified Complaint, (Dkt. No. 57), and on September 26, 2011, the Court dismissed that Complaint on Motions of the Village of Millbrook and the Dutchess County District Attorneyâs Office, (Dkt. No, 63). Finally, Plaintiff filed a Third Amended Complaint on November 4, 2011, (Dkt. No. 65), and the Court dismissed Plaintiffs claims. against" the Village of Millbrook with prejudice," substituted Dutchess County for the Dutchess County District Attorneyâs Office, and dismissed the claims against Dutchess County without prejudice, (Dkt. No. 87), leaving only the . claims against Marchinkowski and Locke remaining.
After the close of discovery and with the permission of the Court, on July 25, 2014, Locke filed a Motion for Summary Judgment and .accompanying papers, (Dkt. Nos. 126-34), as-did-Marchinkowski, (Dkt. Nos,-135-42). Plaintiff filed his Opposition, to both Motions on August 27,- 2014. (Dkt. Nos. 143-47, 150.) Locke filed his Reply on September 18, 2014, (Dkt. No. 151), and Marchinkowski did the same on September 19, 2014/ (Dkt. Nos. 153-54). On July 13, 2015, the Court ordered the Parties to
II. Discussion
A. Materials Considered in Deciding this Motion
When ruling on a motion for summary judgment, a district court should only consider evidence that would be admissible at trial. See Nora Beverages, Inc. v. Perrier Group of Am., Inc., 164 F.3d 736, 746 (2d Cir.1998). â[W]here a party relies on affidavits ... to establish facts, the statements âmust be made on personal knowledge, set out facts that would be admissible in evidence, and show that the affiant ... is competent to testify on the matters stated.ââ DiStiso v. Cook, 691 F.3d 226, 230 (2d Cir.2012) (quoting Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c)(4)) (citing Fed.R.Evid. 602); see also Sellers v. M.C. Floor Crafters, Inc., 842 F.2d 639, 643 (2d Cir.1988) (âRule 56 requires a motion for summary judgment to be supported with affidavits based on personal knowledge.â); Baity v. Kralik, 51 F.Supp.3d 414, 419-20, 421 (S.D.N.Y.2014) (disregarding âstatements not based on [the] [p]laintiff s personal knowledgeâ); Flaherty v. Filardi, No. 03-CV-2167, 2007 WL 163112, at *5 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 24, 2007) (âThe test for admissibility is whether a reasonable trier of fact could believe the witness had personal knowledge.â (internal quotation marks omitted)); Zigmund v. Foster, 106 F.Supp.2d 352, 356 (D.Conn.2000) (noting that â[a]n affidavit in which the plaintiff merely restates the conclusory allegations of the complaintâ is insufficient to support a motion for summary judgment). Furthermore, âa pro se partyâs bald assertion, completely unsupported by evidence, is not sufficient to overcome a motion for, summary judgment.â Perez v. de la Cruz, No. 09-CV-264, 2013 WL 2641432, at *7 (S.D.N.Y. June 12, 2013) (alteration, italics, and internal quotation marks omitted); see also Scotto v. Almenas, 143 F.3d 105, 114 (2d Cir.1998) (âThe non-moving party may not rely on conclu-sory allegations or unsubstantiated speculation.â); Alzawahra v. Albany Med. Ctr., No. 11-CV-227, 2012 WL 5386565, at *1 (N.D.N.Y. Nov. 1, 2012) (âIn this regard, a party opposing a properly supported motion for summary judgment may not rest upon mere allegations or denials asserted in the pleadings, or on conclusory allegations or unsubstantiated speculation.â (citation and internal quotation marks omitted)), aff'd, 546 Fed.Appx. 53 (2d Cir.2013). Therefore, the Court disregards factual allegations asserted in Plaintiffs Memorandum of Law that are not supported by admissible evidence. See Mitchell v. Igoe, No. 06-CV-186, 2009 WL 3165659, at *8 (N.D.N.Y. Sept. 25, 2009) (âStatements contained within a memorandum ... without proper evidentiary support, do not constitute competent evidence upon which a court may base its ruling upon a motion for summary judgment.â (citing Commerce & Indus. Ins. Co. v. Vulcraft, Inc., No. 97-CV-2578, 1998 WL 823055, *11 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 20, 1998)), aff'd, 407 Fed.Appx. 536 (2d Cir.2011); Caracciola v. City of New York, No. 95-CV-3896, 1999 WL 144481, at *4 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 17, 1999) (âIn opposition to this summary judgment motion, plaintiffs have proffered a three-page memorandum of law and their attorneyâs affirm.ation, neither of which constitutes admissible evidence as contemplated by Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(e).â)). For example, Plaintiff asserts, without citation:
As per defenses allegations that Ms. Rose never had any active participation in the company whatsoever is an intentional misrepresentation of fact. All testimony has depicted Ms. Rose as the legitimate owner of Desormier Contractors and in no way was fraudulent or a*521 scheme for Robert Berry to avoid his financial responsibilities to the' New York State Insurance Fund.
(Pl.âs Mem. in Oppân to Locke 9.) Additionally, Plaintiff asserts, also -without citation:
Desormier Contracting was never a Front Company or was set up to defraud the New York State Insurance Fund. Desormier Contractors was set up by Ms. Rose on her own accord, followed the rules for registering it with the Count, properly applied for insurance, filed her Income Tax for the year, and completed Ms. Alexanderâs project. No crimes were ever committed by Ms. Rose, Robert D. Berry or Ms. Janet Berry.
(Id. at 13.)
B. Standard of Review
Summary judgment is , appropriate where the movant shows that âthere is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.â Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(a); see also Psihoyos v. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 748 F.3d 120, 123-24 (2d Cir.2014) (same). âIn determining whether summary judgment is appropriate,â a court must âconstrue the facts in the light most favorable to the non-moving party and ... resolve all ambiguities and draw all reasonable inferences against the movant.â Brod v. Omya, Inc., 653 F.3d 156, 164 (2d Cir.2011) (internal quotation marks omitted); see also Borough of Upper Saddle River v. Rockland Cty. Sewer Dist. No. 1, 16 F.Supp.3d 294, 314 (S.D.N.Y.2014) (same). Additionally, â[i]t is the movantâs burden to show that no genuine factual dispute exists.â Vt. Teddy Bear Co. v. 1-800 Beargram Co., 373 F.3d 241, 244 (2d Cir.2004); see also Aurora Commercial Corp. v. Approved Funding Corp., No. 13-CV-230, 2014 WL 1386633, at *2 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 9, 2014) (same). âHowever, when the burden of proof at trial would fall on the nonmov-ing party, it ordinarily is sufficient for the movant to point to a lack of evidence to go to the trier of fact on an essential element of the nonmovantâs claim,â in which case âthe nonmoving party must come forward with admissible evidence'sufficient to raise a genuine issue of fact for trial'in order to avoid summary judgment.â CILP Assocs., L.P. v. PriceWaterhouse Coopers LLP, 735 F.3d 114, 123 (2d Cir.2013) (alterations and internal quotation marks omitted). Further, â[t]o survive a [summary judgment] motion ..., [a nonmovant] need[s] to create more than a âmetaphysicalâ possibility that his allegations were correct; he need[s] to âcome forward with specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial,â â Wrobel v. Cty. of Erie, 692 F.3d 22, 30 (2d Cir.2012) (emphasis omitted) (quoting Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586-87, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986)), and âcannot rely on the mere allegations or denials contained in the pleadings,â Walker v. City of New York, No. 11-CV-2941, 2014 WL 1244778, at *5 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 26, 2014) (internal quotation marks omitted) (citing, inter alia, Wright v. Goord, 554 F.3d 255, 266 (2d Cir.2009) (âWhen a motion for summary judgment is properly supported by documents or other eviden-tiary materials, the party "opposing summary judgment may not merely rest on the allegations or denials of his pleading....â))., .
âOn a motion for summary judgment, a fact is material if it might affect the outcome of the suit under the governing law.â Royal Crown Day Care LLC v. Depât of Health & Mental Hygiene., 746 F.3d 538, 544 (2d Cir.2014) (internal quotation marks omitted). At summary judgment, â[t]he role of the - court is not to resolve disputed issues of fact but to as
C. Analysis
1. The Motion is Ripe for Review
First, in his Opposition, Plaintiff implies that there is evidence not yet before the Court that should be considered before deciding the instant Motion. In particular, he states: âThree (3) witnesses that gave statements were not deposed due to Mr. Berryâs indigent circumstances, when multiple documents conflicted greatly with their statements showing that their conclusions were influenced by the Defendants themselves.â (Pl.âs Mem. in Oppân to Marchinkowski 21.) Under Rule 56(d), â[i]f a nonmovant shows by affidavit or declaration that, for specified reasons, it cannot present facts essential to justify its opposition, the court may: (1) defer considering the motion or deny it; (2) allow time to obtain affidavits or declarations or to take discovery; or (3) issue any other appropriate order.â Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(d). Any such affidavit or declaration âmust describe: (1) what.facts are sought and how they are to be obtained, (2) how such facts are reasonably expected to raise a genuine issue of material fact, (3) what efforts the affiant has made to obtain them, and (4) why the affiantâs efforts were unsuccessful.â Walden v. Sanitation Salvage Corp., No. 14-CV-112, 2015 WL 1433353, at *2 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 30, 2015); see also Paddington Partners v. Bou-chard, 34 F.3d 1132, 1138 (2d Cir.1994) (same). Here, Plaintiff did not submit an affidavit or declaration, despite having been served with two Notices to Pro Se Litigant Who Opposes a Motion For Summary Judgment, which attached Rule 56(d) and set forth the requirement for an affidavit supporting a Rule 56(d) discovery request. (See Dkt. Nos) 128, 136.) Nor did Plaintiff provide the information necessary under Rule 56(d), even in a concluso-ry fashion. Thus, to the extent Plaintiff seeks relief under Rule 56(d), it is denied. See Gumbs v. Dynan, No. 11-CV-857, 2012 WL 3705009, at *17 (E.D.N.Y. Aug. 26, 2012) (denying pro se plaintiffs request for relief under 56(d) because he failed to submit an affidavit, which would be sufficient grounds for denial on its own, and he also did not provide information on the âfour categories of information requisite to [the] [c]ourtâs permission to conduct Rule 56(d) discoveryâ); see also Lunts v. Rochester City Sch. Dist., 515 Fed.Appx. 11, 13-14 (2d Cir.2013) (affirming grant of summary judgment against pro se plaintiffs because their sworn affidavit was insufficient under 56(d) and they did not identify any âpotentially discoverable evidence that would have raised a genuine issue of material fact as to any of their claimsâ), cert. denied, â U.S. â, 134
2. False Arrest
a. Applicable Law
A â§ 1983 claim for false arrest derives from [the] Fourth Amendment right to remain free from unreasonable seizures, which includes the right to remain free from arrest' absent probable cause.â Jaegly v. Couch, 439 F.3d 149, 151 (2d Cir.2006); see also Widget v. Town of Poughkeepsie, No. 12-CV-3459, 2013 WL 1104273, at *4 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 18, 2013) (same). âIn analyzing § 1983 claims for unconstitutional false arrest, [courts] have generally looked to the law of the state in which the arrest occurred.â Jaegly, 439 F.3d at 151 (internal quotation marks omitted); see also Ackerson v. City of White Plains, 702 F.3d 15, 19 (2d Cir.2012) (âA § 1983 claim for false arrest ... is substantially the same as. a claim for false arrest under New York law.â (internal quotation marks omitted)). Under New York Law, which is applicable here, âan action for false arrest requires that the plaintiff show that â(1) the defendant intended to confine him, (2) the plaintiff was conscious of the confinement, (3) the plaintiff did not consent to the confinement^] and (4) the confinement was not otherwise privileged.ââ Ackerson, 702 F.3d at 19 (quoting Broughton v. State, 37 N.Y.2d 451, 373 N.Y.S.2d 87, 335 N.E.2d 310, 314 (1975)).
âProbable cause âis a complete defense to an action for false' arrest? brought under New York law or § 1983.â Id. (quoting Weyant v. Okst, 101 F.3d 845, 852 (2d Cir.1996)); see also Conte v. Cty. of Nassau, No. 06-CV-4746, 2010 WL 3924677, at *12 (E.D.N.Y. Sept. 30, 2010) (same). âProbable cause to arrest exists when. the officers have â reasonably trustworthy information as to[ ] facts and circumstances that are sufficient to warrant a person of reasonable caution in the belief that an' offense has been ... committed by the person t,o be arrested.â Zellner v. Summerlin, 494 F.3d 344, 368 (2d Cir.2007). To determine whether probable cause existed for an arrest, a court âassesses] whether the facts known by the arresting officer at the time of the arrest objectively provided probable cause to arrest.â Ackerson, 702 F.3d at 19 (internal quotation marks omitted). Where, as here, âthere is more , than one officer cooperating in the .investigation, the knowledge of each officer is presumed to be shared by all.â Abdul-Rahman v. City of New York, No. 10-CV-2778, 2012 WL 1077762, at *5 (E.D.N.Y. Mar. 30, 2012); see also Conte v. Cty. of Nassau, No. 06-CV-4746, 2008 WL 905879, at *9 (E.D.N.Y. Mar. 31, 2008) (âUnder the collective knowledge doctrine, if one law enforcement officer had probable cause to arrest,, cooperating law- enforcement officers are deemed to haye probable cause as well.â). Moreover, âprobable cause does not require an awareness of a particular crime, but only that some crime may have been committed.â Ackerson, 702 F.3d at 20 (internal quotation marks omitted). Accordingly, âit is not relevant whether probable cause existed with respect to each individual charge, or, .indeed, any charge actually invoked by the arresting officer at . the time of arrest.â Jaegly, 439 F.3d at 154, âStated differently, when faced with-a claim for false arrest, [the focus is] on the validity- of the arrest, and not on the validity, of .each charge.â Id.
Finally, âalthough a police officer is generally not required to investigate an arresteeâs claim of innocence, âunder some circumstances, a police officerâs awareness of the facts supporting a defense can eliminate probable cause.â â Conte, 2010 WL 3924677, at *14 (quoting Jocks v. Tavernier, 316 F.3d 128, 135 (2d Cir.2003)). Nevertheless, â[o]nce a police officer has a reasonable basis for believing there is probable cause, he is not required to ... eliminate every theoretically plausible claim of innocence before making an arrest.â Widget, 2013 WL 1104273, at *6 (internal quotation marks omitted). âThe crucial question then, is whether the arresting officers deliberately disregarded facts known to them which establishedâ a defense. Id.
b. Qualified Immunity
Plaintiff argues that Marchinkow-ski is not entitled to qualified immunity because NYSIF is a private company: (Pl.âs Mem. in Oppân to Marchinkowski 27-28.) However, this argument is factually and legally incorrect. NYSIF is a state agency. See Lipofsky v. Steingut, 86 F.3d 15, 16 (2d Cir.1996) (âAlthough in certain respects SIF functions similarly to a private insurer, we conclude that it is nonetheless a State agency entitled to Eleventh Amendment immunity.â); see also Calvert Ins. Co. v. State Ins. Fund, No. 03-CV-4063, 2003 WL 21362718, at *1 (S.D.N.Y. June 12, 2003) (same). Thus, Marchinkow-ski, as a state government employee, is entitled to qualified immunity, as is Locke, a point Plaintiff does not dispute. See Seitz v. DeQuarto, 777 F.Supp.2d 492, 500 (S.D.N.Y.2011) (âIndividual state employees may claim qualified immunity âinsofar as their conduct does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known.â â (quoting Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800, 818, 102 S.Ct. 2727, 73 L.Ed.2d 396 (1982))).
A police officer or other government official will be protected from liability for his discretionary actions by the doctrine of qualified immunity âif either (1) his conduct does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known, or (2) it was objectively reasonable for him to believe that his actions were lawful at the time of the challenged act.â See Cerrone v. Brown, 246 F.3d 194, 199 (2d Cir.2001) (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). Qualified immunity âgives government officials breathing room to make reasonable but mistaken judgments,â and it protects âall but the plainly incompetent or those who knowingly violate the law.â City & Cty. of San Francisco v. Sheehan, â U.S. â, 135 S.Ct. 1765, 1774, 191 L.Ed.2d 856 (2015) (internal quotation marks omitted) (quoting Ashcroft v. al-Kidd, 563 U.S. 731, 131 S.Ct. 2074, 2085, 179 L.Ed.2d 1149 (2011)). âIn the case of allegations to which probable cause is a complete defense, such as false arrest or imprisonment, the Second Circuit has defined the standard of qualified immunity as one of âarguable probable cause.â â Betts v. Shearman, No. 12-CV-
c. Analysis
In this case the undisputed evidence overwhelmingly shows that there was probable cause to arrest - Plaintiff based on the facts in the possession of Locke and Marchinkowski. When Plaintiff was arrested on December 13, 2006, Locke and Marchinkowski'had collected a great deal of incriminating information. First, they had information that Plaintiff had previously taken out a NYSIF workersâ compensation policy in his own name, and that the policy was canceled due to nonpayment in the amount of $24,000. (See Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 42; Marchinkowski Decl. ¶9; Marchinkowski Deck Ex. C (Print Outs from the NYSIF System); see also Marchinkowski Deck Ex. B (Division of Confidential Investigations Investigation Request).) Second, they had information that Plaintiffs live-in girlfriend then took out a NYSIF policy for Desormier. (See Marchinkowski Deck Ex. S (Rose Signed Statement).) They knew that the scope of work for Desormierâs performance of the Alexander contract was spelled out on letterhead that contained only Plaintiffs name, and did hot include Roseâs name, and contained the saine office/fax and cell phone numbers as were previously on the letterhead of ICS, Plaintiffs former company. (Marehinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶¶ 48-49; Marchinkowski Deck ¶¶ 15-17.) Third, Defendants had sworn statements from Froman and Silvernail prior to the arrest. (See Marchinkowski Deck Ex. I.) Silvernail provided, information that Plaintiff was using Desormierâs insurance policy to conduct his own personal work, as he could not. get insurance in his own name due to âbad [debt].â (See id. (Typed Sworn Statement of Rodney Silvernail).) Silver-nail stated that Plaintiff told him he could not get the policy in his own name, so he would get it in his motherâs name, and then provided. a policy in the name of Desormier Contracting.., (Pkâs. Mem. Oppân to Marchinkowski Ăx. L (Handwritten Sworn Statement of Rodney Silver-nail).)
Finally, .Locke and Marchinkowski learned from their interview with Rose that after Plaintiffs insurance policy was canceled, he first âattempted to have his mother, Janet Berry, take out a policy with the NYS Insurance Fund for him,â that Rose agreed to.take out a policy in her name, that Rose ânever had any active participation in the company whatsoever such as estimates, billing, actual physical
Based On the information possessed by Defendants at the time of the [arrest, there was probable cause to arrest Plaintiff forâa violation of N.Y. Workersâ Compensation Law § 114(1), which provides in relevant part:
Any person who, knowingly and with intent to defraud presents, causes to be presented, or prepares with knowledge or belief that it will be presented to or by an insurer or purported insurer, or any agent thereof, any written statement as part of, or in support of, an application for the issuance of or the rating of an insurance policy for compensation' insurance, oĂr a claim for payment or other benefit pursuant to a compensation policy which he or she knows to: (i) contain a false statement or representation concerning any fact material thereto; or (ii) omits any fact material thereto, shall "be guilty of a class E felony. - â
N.Y. Workersâ Comp. Law § 114(1).
Plaintiffs arguments that there was not probable cause (or arguable probable cause) to arrest fall into two categories: (1) that Roseâs statement was coerced and Defendants knew the information provided to be untrue, and (2) 'that Defendants knew about Plaintiffs bankruptcy proceeding and intentionally disregarded this evidence he asserts established his innocence.
Turning -first to Plaintiffs assertion that Roseâs statement was coerced, the following is undisputed., Locke and Marchin-kowski went .to Roseâs work and began asking her questions. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 61; Marchinkowski Decl. ¶ 33.) They asked her to come to the Sheriffs Office, she agreed, and she followed in her own car; (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 61; Marchinkowski Decl. ¶ 33.) Upon arrival, Locke informed her of her Miranda rights, and she signed a Miranda waiver. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 62; Marchinkow-ski Decl. ¶ 34; Marchinkowski Decl. Ex. R (Roseâs Miranda Waiver).) Rose was interviewed, a secretary typed a statement for her, she was told to review it for accuracy and she signed both pages without indicating that anything was incorrect or that she wished to make any changes. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 66; Marchinkow-ski Decl. ¶ 38.) Rose has stated that she did not read the statement before signing it because she felt intimated. (Rose Tr. 197-202). Rose also has claimed that she felt intimidated because âit just seemed like the answers I was giving them, they werenât having it. They were just saying, âNo, no.â â (Id, 197-202.) The only other thing Rose points to for why she felt intimidated and nervous was the following:
I had said, you know, âWhatâs going to happen to me?â And he said, âYou have a son to think about.â He said, âYouâre going to be fingerprinted and booked.â And I just wanted to get the heck out of there, and I signed the statement. I never looked at it, never.
(Id.) The evidence shows that about forty-five minutes into the interview, Rose began to feel nervous, but still did not ask for a lawyer. (Rose Tr. 216.) Additionally, the evidence shows that Rose was at the Sheriffs Office for a total of an hour to an hour-and-a-half. (Rose Tr. 224-25.)
Rose now claims that' her statement to Defendants was false. (See Pl.âs Mem. in Oppân to Marchinkowski Ex. S2 (Rose. Aff.).) However, the probable cause, or arguable probable cause, determination depends on the information Defendants knew, at the time of the. arrest. See Panetta v. Crowley, 460 F.3d 388, 395 (2d Cir.2006) (âWhen determining whether probable cause exists courts must consider those, facts, available to the officer at the time of the arrest and immediately before it, as probable cause does not require absolute certainty.â (emphasis, citations, alterations, and internal quotation marks omitted) (emphasis added)); Cooper v. City of New Rochelle, 925 F.Supp.2d 588, 610 (S.D.N.Y.2013) (âWhether or not an officer had probable cause to make an arrest is a question of what the officer knew at the time of the arrest and whether she or he was reasonable in relying on that knowledge." (internal quotation marks omitted)). Therefore, even if Rose later claims, after the arrest, that her statement contained false information, this âdoes not change the analysis unless [Defendants] knew that her statements were false.â Lederman v. Benepe, No. 12-CV-6028, 2014 WL 1318356, at *11 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 28, 2014) (emphasis added). There is no evidence that either Locke or Marchinkow-ski knew or had any reason to suspect the information Rose provided was false. See id. (âWhen information is received from a putative victim or an eyewitness, probable cause exists, unless the circumstances raise doubt as to the personâs veracity.â (internal quotation marks omitted)); see also Bouehe, 2013 WL 322613, at *6 (â[I]f a defendant knows that witness statements are false or coerced, this will defeat probable cause.. However, a plaintiff cannot defeat a motion for summary judgment by simply responding with affidavits recanting earlier testimony.â); Guthrie v. U.S. Govât, No. 11-CV-211, 2011 WL 832251, at *3 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 2, 2011) (â[The] [plaintiff makes no allegation that the arresting officer knew, or had reason to know, that the accusations of the complaining witness were false and therefore fails sufficiently to allege that the .officer did not have probable cause to arrest him.â). Rose did not recant her statement until 2012, (PLâs Mem. in Oppân to Marchinkowski Ex. S2 (Rose Aff,)), and, as explained above, the undisputed evidence shows that the statement â was not coerced. Furthermore, Rose provided Defendants with additional information they did not previously possess, which' they were able to independently verify. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶67;-Marchinkowski â Decl. ¶¶ 40-41.) Notably, Rose informed Defendants that Plaintiff previously unsuccessfully tried to have his mother take out insurance for him in her name, which Defendants confirmed by interviewing the insurance agent who submitted Janet Berryâs application, who stated that Plaintiff brought his mother in to the office to try to obtain an insurance policy, and further corroborated by Silver-nailâs, statement that Plaintiff told him that he could not get insurance in his name due to his debt, and would get it .in his motherâs name. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 IT 67; Marchinkowski Decl. ¶¶ 40-41; PLâs Mem. in Oppân to Marchinkowski Ex. L (Hand
Furthermore, the conduct by Locke and Marchinkowski in their interview of Rose did not amount to coercion as a matter of law. âWhether a statement was voluntary depends 'not on a single factor, but upon an âexamination of] all of the circumstances surrounding the interrogation to see if police overi'eaching overcame a suspectâs will and led to an involuntary' statement.â United States v. Abu Ghayth, 945 F.Supp.2d 511, 515 (S.D.N.Y.2013) (quoting Weaver v. Brenner, 40 F.3d 527, 536 (2d Cir.1994)); see also United States v. Vado, 87 F.Supp.3d 472, 480-81 (S.D.N.Y.2015) (same). A number of circumstances may support a finding of involuntariness, including the âyouth of the accused, [her] lack of education, or [her] low intelligence, the lack of any advice to the accused of his constitutional rights, the length of detention, the repeated and prolonged nature of the questioning, and the use of physical punishment such as depri vation of food or sleep.â United States v. Guarno, 819 F.2d 28, 30 (2d Cir.1987) (internal quotation marks removed) (quoting Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 226, 93 S.Ct. 2041, 36 L.Ed.2d 854 (1973) (citations omitted)); see also Vado, 87 F.Supp.3d at 480-81 (same); Abu Ghayth, 945 F.Supp.2d at 515 (noting circumstances relevant to voluntariness inquiry include the characteristics of the accused, the interrogation conditions, and policeâs conduct).
Here, all factors point to the vol-untariness of Roseâs statement. First and foremost, there is no dispute that Rose was advised of her Miranda rights, signed a form waiving those rights, and chose to continue with the interview. (Marchin-kowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 62; â Marchinkowski Decl. ¶ 34; Marchinkowski Deck Ex. R (Roseâs Miranda Waiver).) This, in and of itself, is- highly probative of voluntariness, and Rose makes no assertion that -she was coerced into signing the waiver. See Missouri v. Seibert, 542 U.S. 600, 608-09, 124 S.Ct. 2601, 159 L.Ed.2d 643 (2004) (â[Giving the warnings and getting a waiver has gĂ©nerally produced a virtual ticket of admissibility; maintaining that a statement is involuntary even though given after warnings and voluntary waiver of rights requires unusual stamina, and litigation over voluntariness tends to end with the finding of a valid waiver.â); Oregon v. Elstad, 470 U.S. 298, 318, 105 S.Ct. 1285, 84 L.Ed.2d 222 (1985) (âThe fact that a suspect chooses to speak after being informed of his rights is, of course, highly probative.â); Berkemer v. McCarty, 468 U.S. 420, 433 n. 20, 104 S.Ct. 3138, 82 L.Ed.2d 317 (1984) (â[C]ases in which a defendant can make a colorable argument that a self-incriminating statement was âcompelledâ despite the fact that the law enforcement authorities adhered to the dictates of Miranda are rare.â). Second, Rose was at the Station for a total of one to one and one-half hours, (Rose Tr. 224-25), significantly less time than other interrogations found to be non-coercive. See Saunders v. Lavalley, No. 10-CV-5896, 2014 WL 2624763, at *16 (S.D.N.Y. June 10, 2014) (collecting cases holding that interrogations lasting from two to three hours were not coercive); Harris v. Woods, No. 05-CV-5582, 2006 WL 1140888, at *30 (S.D.N.Y. May 1, 2006) (collecting cases holding that interrogations in the two to two and one-half hour range were not coercive), adopted by 2006 WL 1975990 (S.D.N.Y. July 10, 2006). Third, it was also not coercive as a matter of law to tell Rose that she â[has] a son to think aboutâ and that she was âgoing to be fingerprinted and booked,â. (Rose Tr. 197-202 (internal quotation marks removed)), since there was also probable cause to arrest Rose. See United States v. Barro,
Finally, even assuming that Roseâs statement was false and that Defendants should have known as much, Defendants nonetheless would have had probable cause to arrest Plaintiff, even setting aside Roseâs statement in its entirety. Disregarding Roseâs statement, Defendants still had independent information that Plaintiffs previous insurance policy was- canceled due to approximately $24,000 in' debt. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 42; Marchinkow-ski Decl. ¶ 9; see also Marchinkowski Decl. Ex. C (Print Outs from the NYSIF System); see also Marchinkowski Decl. Ex.- B (Division of Confidential Investigations Investigation Request).) They knew that the scope of work for Desormierâs performance of the Alexander contract was spelled out' on letterhead that contained only Plaintiffâs name, and did not include Roseâs name, and contained the same office/fax and cell phone numbers as were previously on the letterhead of ICS, Plaintiffs former company. '(Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶¶ 48-49; Marchinkowski Decl. ¶¶ 15-17.) They further had sworn statements from Silvernail that Plaintiff was using Desormierâs insurance policy to conduct his own personal work, as he could not get insurance in his own name due to âbad [debt],â (Marchinkowski Decl. Ex. I (Typed Sworn Statement of Rodney Silver-nail)), and that Plaintiff also told him he could not get the policy in his own name, so he would get it in his motherâs name, and "then provided a policy in the name of Desormier Contracting, (see PLâs Mem. in Ăppân to Marchinkowski Ex. L (Handwritten Sworn Statement of Rodney Silver-nail), at 1-2). Finally, -âDefendants had information from BrussĂ©l-Smith, whose agency did Plaintiffs initial application for insurance, that she also submitted both Janet Berryâs and Roseâs application, and that Plaintiff went with his mother to apply for the insurance policy. (Marchin-kowskiâs 56.1 1167; Marchinkowski Decl. ¶¶ 40-41; Posner Aff. Ex. F (Statement of Leslie Brussel-Smith).) Thus, even without Roseâs statement, there was more than sufficient information to establish probable cause to arrest Plaintiff.
Plaintiff also argues that Defendants knew that Plaintiff filed for bankruptcy in June 2006 and his debt was discharged in September 2006, before his arrest in December 2006. (See Pl.âs Mem. in Oppân to Marchinkowski Ex. D (Discharge of Debtor), at 1.) With regard to Plaintiffs bankruptcy-related claims, as noted above, â[o]nce a police officer has a reasonable basis for believing there is probable cause, he is not required to ... eliminate every
Here, Locke and Marchinkowski have put forth unrefuted evidence, namely their deposition testimony, that- they did not know about Plaintiffs bankruptcy proceedings, as well as evidence that the notice of the bankruptcy proceedings was not sent to the places where either Locke or Mar-chinkowski worked and that they did. not have access to this information. (Marchin-kowsldâs Reply 18-19; see also Marchin-kowski Deck. ¶¶2â3; Berry Aff. in Oppân to Marchinkowski Ex. 4 (Marchinkowski Tr.), at 18, 71, 73-75; Berry. Aff. in Oppân to Locke Ex. 3 (Locke Tr.), at 40-41; Lockeâs Reply 5.)
Additionally, Plaintiff .asserts in his Memorandum, âDetective Locke was told personally by Robert Berry that he had filed bankruptcy, and his response was T didnât care and just wanted to get this over and get on with his day.â â (Id. at 9-10; see also id. at 16 (âRobert Berry called immediately (being approximately 4:30 pm) and spoke to. the .detective. Detective Lock[e] demanded that he come to the station and turn himself in. Robert Berry asked him why and the detective stated for Grand Larceny of $24,000.00 to the New York State. Insurance Fund. Robert responded with âI went bankrupt.â Detective Locke was not interested in .any explanations regarding Mr. Berryâs innocence.â).) Although this assertion is not supported by any citation to the record, and Plaintiffs unsworn Memorandum of Law is un-sworn, the Court will nonetheless consider it because it is based on Plaintiffs personal knowledge, and in light of the special solicitude due to pro se parties in opposing summary judgment. See, e.g., Shepherd v. Fischer, No. 10-CV-1524, 2015 WL 1246049, at *8 n. 22 (N.D.N.Y. Feb. 23, 2015) (âAlthough the allegations are contained in [the] plaintiffs unsworn memorandum of law in support of his opposition, courts in this circuit routinely consider such statements in connection with a motion for summary judgment where the proponent of the statements is a pro se litigant, mindful of the duty to extend special solicitude to those individuals.â), adopted by 2015 WL 1275298 (N.D.N.Y. Mar. 18, 2015); Hamm v. Hatcher, No. 05-CV-503, 2013 WL 71770, at *7 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 7, 2013) (considering unsworn statements in pro se plaintiffs memorandum of law, but-âoñly to the extent that they are based on personal knowledge or supported by other admissible evidence in the recordâ). Finally, as evidence of the fact that Locke
However, with respect to the false arrest claim, the question about whether Defendants knew about Plaintiffs bankruptcy is immaterial. As explained above, when considering whether there is probable cause or arguable probable cause for arrest, there only must have been arguable probable cause that a crime had been committed. Thus, even if the knowledge of the bankruptcy proceeding undercut probable cause for the larceny charge, as Plaintiff argues, it still says nothing about probable cause to arrest under § 114(1) of the Workersâ Compensation Law discussed above. Therefore,, both Locke and Mar-chinkowskiâs Motions for Summary Judgment aye granted as to the false arrest claim.
3. Malicious Prosecution
Plaintiff separately brings a malicious prosecution claim. (Third Am. Verified Compl. ¶¶ 34-41 (Dkt. No. 65).) âWhile the tort of malicious prosecution protects against the consequences of wrongful prosecution, public policy favors bringing criminals to justice, and accusers must be allowed room for benign misjudgments.â Smith-Hunter v. Harvey, 95 N.Y.2d 191, 712 N.Y.S.2d 438, 734 N.E.2d 750, 752 (2000). âThe law therefore places a heavy burden on malicious prosecution plaintiffs....â Id. Under New York law, â[t]he elements of a malicious prosecution claim ... are â(1) that the defendant initiated a prosecution against the plaintiff, (2) that the defendant lacked probable cause to believe the proceeding could succeed, (3) that the defendant acted with malice, and (4) that the prosecution was terminated in the plaintiffs favor.ââ Rohman v. N.Y.C. Transit Auth., 215 F.3d 208, 215 (2d Cir.2000) (quoting Posr v. Court Officer Shield # 207, 180 F.3d 409, 417 (2d Cir.1999)). âIn order to allege a cause of action for malicious prosecution under § 1983, [Plaintiff] must assert, in addition to the elements of malicious prosecution under state law, that there was (5) a sufficient post-arraignment liberty restraint to implicate [ ][P]laintiffs Fourth Amendment rights.â Id. Defendants dispute that Plaintiff has sufficient evidence to support the first four elements.
a. Initiation of the Prosecution
Marchinkowski and Locke both contend that they cannot be found to have initiated the prosecution because of the intervening authorization of the DAâs Office. (Charles Lockeâs Mem. of Law in Supp. of Summ. J. 18-19 (Dkt. No. 132); Mem. of Law in Supp. of Def. Stanley .Marchinkowskiâs Mot. for Summ. J. 20-21 (Dkt. No. 138).) Under New York law, criminal actions can be commenced in several ways. â[I]f there has been no indictment, a criminal action is commenced by the filing of an accusatory instrument, to wit, a âfelony
With respect to Locke, it is undisputed that he swore out the felony complaint, the accusatory instrument brought against Plaintiff. (See Marchinkowski Decl. Ex. V (Felony Complaint).) Therefore, a jury could decide that Locke initiated the prosecution. See Cameron v. City of New York, 598 F.3d 50, 63 (2d Cir.2010) (âUnder New York law, police officers can âinitiateâ prosecution by filing charges or other accusatory instruments.... As - a matter of law, [the defendant police officersâ] filing of the Criminal Court Complaint âinitiatedâ the prosecution against [the plaintiff].â); Ricciuti v. N.Y.C. Transit Auth., 124 F.3d 123, 130 (2d Cir.1997) (â[A] jury could clearly find that [a police lieutenant] started the assault prosecution because no one disputes that he started the prosecution by filing the charges of second-degree assault.â); Rounseville v. Zahl, 13 F.3d 625, 628 (2d Cir.1994) (âThere is no dispute that the defendants swore out an accusatory instrument, which would appear under New York law to satisfy the requirement that the defendantsâ initiated a criminal proceeding against the [plaintiffs].â); Bonds v. City of New York, No. 12-CV-1772, 2014 WL 2440542, at *6 (E.D.N.Y. May 30, 2014) (âWhen asserting a malicious prosecution claim against a law enforcement officer, a plaintiff must overcome the presumption that a prosecutor exercises independent judgment in deciding whether to initiate and continue a criminal proceeding. Courts have frequently found this element of a malicious prosecution claim can be satisfied where, as here, the law enforcement officer filed the criminal complaint.â (citation and internal quotation marks omitted)); Minott v. Duffy, No. 11-CV-1217, 2014 WL 1386583, at *16 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 8, 2014) (â[I]t is well-established that a criminal complaint filed by a police officer can serve as the initiating act for malicious prosecution purposes.â); Struthers v. City of New York, No. 12-CV-242, 2013 WL 2390721, at *10 (E.D.N.Y. May 31, 2013) (âWith respect to [one defendant police officer], it is undisputed that he swore out the criminal complaint charging [the plaintiff] with assault[ ] and harass[ment].... This action alone is sufficient to satisfying the first element [of initiation of the prosecution].â). Therefore, summary judgment is inappropriate as to Locke on this ground.
Marchinkowski, however, did not bring formal charges, fill out a complaining or corroborating affidavit, or swear to or sign a felony complaint. Nor is there any evidence that he created false information and gave it to prosecuting authorities. Furthermore, there is no evidence that he induced Locke to bring the criminal charges. Thus, there is no evidence that can create a material issue of fact as to whether Marchinkowski initiated the prosecution, and he is therefore âą entitled to summary judgment on this claim. See Bonds, 2014 WL 2440542, at *6 (denying summary judgment on malicious prosecution claim as to officer who signed the criminal complaint, but granting it as to the other officer who investigated the crime because the ârecord does not show that [he] had any role in [the] plaintiffs prosecution or any of the events following his arrestâ); Hart v. City of New York, No. 11-CV-4678, 2013 WL 6139648, at *6 n. 4 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 18, 2013) (noting, in granting a motion for summary judgment
b. Favorable Termination
Next, to bring a malicious prosecution charge, Plaintiff must establish that the prosecution was terminated in his favor. Petitionerâs case was terminated on January 15, 2009 pursuant to N.Y. C.P.L. §§ 180.85(2)-(3). (See Posner Aff. Ex. W (Decision and Order Terminating Prosecution).) N.Y. C.P.L. § 180.85 was put in place in 2004 to âpartially close[ ] a technical gap in criminal procedure.â People v. Hassim, No. 017841C-2010, 32 Misc.3d 1204(A), 932 N.Y.S.2d 762, 2011 WL 2536211, at *1 (Sup.Ct.2011) (internal quotation marks omitted). As one court explained,
Essentially,, the basic problem was that after a defendantâs arraignment on a felony complaint in a local criminal court, the papers were transferred to the superior court, divesting the local criminal court of jurisdictional authority. Consequently, the matter would remain in limbo until the People presented the case to a grand jury, often well beyond the six[-]month speedy trial requirement for the-Peopleâs announcement of readiness. Because the superior court had no statutory or supervisory authority to dismiss the felony complaint,â the charge(s) remained in suspension, burdening defendant with the impediment of a pending felony charge.
Id. (citations omitted). Section 180.85 provides that if a defendant is arraigned upon a felony complaint, other than for certain offenses, and if the count or counts have not been presented to a grand jury within twelve months of the date of the arraignment, a party can file a motion to dismiss the indictment. See N.Y.Crim. Proc. Law §§ 180.85(l)-(3). .On consent, the charges will be dismissed. Id. § 180.85(3). However, â[w]here a prosecution is terminated pursuant to this section, nothing ... shall preclude the people from subsequently filing an indictment charging the same count or counts provided such filing is in accordance with the provisions of this section, article thirty and any other relevant provisions of this chapter.â Id. § 180.85(7).
Under New York law, a plaintiff need not âdemonstrate innocence in order to satisfy the favorable termination
The Parties have offered no case, state or federal, analyzing whether a dismissal pursuant to § 180.85 can constitute or always constitutes a final favorable termination for malicious prosecution purposes. Here, § 180.85 explicitly provides that a prosecution terminated pursuant to that section may be reinstituted, subject to compliance with other New York rules of criminal procedure. N.Y.Crim. Proc. Law .§ 180.85(7). The.question is whether the decision not to renew the charges or the fact that the BAâs Office would have been barred from renewing charges can turn a § 180.85. dismissal into a final and favorable termination.. Most instructive here is Rogers v. City of Amsterdam, 303 F.3d 155 (2d Cir.2002), which was decided before § 180.85 was enacted. In Rogers, the plaintiffs were subject to the legal limbo that § 180.85 was designed to eliminate. Felony prosecutions were brought in local criminal court, which had no jurisdiction to dispose of the felony complaint. Id. at 160 n. 1. No indictments were brought, and therefore the superior court did not have jurisdiction to dismiss the complaint. Id. However, dismissal was warranted on speedy trial grounds, N.Y. C.P.L. § 30.30, because no action had been taken in four years since the filing of the criminal complaint. Id. at 160. Therefore, the âplaintiffs ha[d] no forum to obtain a formal dismissal of the underlying criminal action even though such a dismissal [was] preordained.â Id. at 160 n. 1. The Second Circuit held that because âany attempt ... by the [defendant] to proceed with criminal action against [the plaintiff] [would] necessarily result in a dismissal pursuant to New York Criminal Procedure Law § 30.30,â there was âno relevant distinction between this case and Smith-Huntedâ and that âdue to the [defendantâs] abandonment of the criminal action, it [had] been constructively dismissed.â Id. at 160-61. Although the posture of this case is different because here the charges were dropped due under § 180.85, the Court finds the reasoning of Rogers instructive.
Section 180.85(7) provides that charges dismissed under that § 180.85(7) can only be renewed if doing so would be permitted
For the purposes of speedy trial calculations, a criminal action âcommences with the filing of an accusatory instrument against a defendant in a criminal court,â and âincludes the filing of all further accusatory instruments directly derived from the initial one,â and âterminates with the imposition of sentence or some other final disposition in a criminal court of the last accusatory instrument filed in the case.â N.Y.Crim. Proc. Law § 1.20(16), A later accusatory instrument is âdirectly derivedâ when âthe indictment can be traced to or originates from the prior accusatory instrument.â People v. Farkas, 16 N.Y.3d 190, 919 N.Y.S.2d 488, 944 N.E.2d 1127, 1129 (2011) (internal quotation marks omitted). Here, if the dismissed charges were renewed, they would be directly derived from the previous complaint and the speedy trial clock from the first complaint would begin to run again. See People v. Osgood, 52 N.Y.2d 37, 436 N.Y.S.2d 213, 417 N.E.2d 507, 509-10 (1980) (holding that the speedy trial clock did not start anew with the filing of indictment of charges directly derived from the previous complaint, which was dismissed on speedy trial grounds). Thus, the question is whether the speedy trial clock already expired on the previous complaint. The Court has insufficient evidence to determine whether the speedy trial clock expired in this case. Because the movants have the burden of persuasion, and Defendants did not meet this burden here, the Court assumes that the case would be barred under § 30.30 if the charges were renewed.
Under New York law, a dismissal under N.Y. C.P.L. § 30.30 generally constitutes a favorable disposition for malicious prosecution purposes. See Smith-Hunter, 712 N.Y.S.2d 438, 734 N.E.2d at 753 (reasoning that a § 30.30 dismissal is generally favorable because âthere can be no further prosecution of the offenseâ). However, the Ne\v York Court of Appeals also has recognized that âthere may be instances where a malicious prosecution defendant can show that the circumstances surrounding a CPL 30.30 dismissal are inconsistent with a plaintiffs innocence.â Id., 712 N.Y.S.2d 438, 734 N.E.2d at 755-56. In particular, the Court of Appeals noted that dismissal may not form the basis of a malicious prosecution claim if it is dismissed because of misconduct on the part of the accused or if the charges were withdrawn as part of a compromise or out of mercy to the accused. Id., 712 N.Y.S.2d 438, 734 N.E.2d at 753-54; see also Rothstein v. Carriere, 373 F.3d 275, 286-87 (2d Cir.2004); Cantalino v. Danner, 96 N.Y.2d 391, 729 N.Y.S.2d 405, 754 N.E.2d 164, 167 (2001). This case does not fit into any one of these exceptions, and Defendants do not identify any case in which an inadvertent error by the prosecutors leading to a speedy trial dismissal can constitute an exception to New Yorkâs general rule that a speedy trial violation is a favorable termination, nor did the Court find any case so holding. Therefore, summary judgment is not warranted as to the malicious prosecution claim against Locke on this basis.
c. Probable Cause and Malice
Defendants spill much ink on the lack of evidence of malice on the part of Locke and Marchinkowski. The Court agrees with Defendants that there is no
âAs with false arrest claims, âthe existence of probable cause is a complete defense to a claim of malicious prosecution in New York,â but unlike false arrest claims, the defendant must have possessed probable cause as to each offense charged.â Costello v. Milano, 20 F.Supp.3d 406, 415 (S.D.N.Y.2014) (citations omitted) (quoting Savino v. City of New York, 331 F.3d 63, 72 (2d Cir.2003)); see also Jean-Laurent v. Hennessy, No. 05-CV-1155, 2008 WL 3049875, at *8 n. 14 (E.D.N.Y. Aug. 1, 2008) (âThe Court recognizes that a plaintiffs conviction on one offense does not automatically bar a malicious prosecution claim for-other offenses that were terminated in [the] plaintiffs favor.â); cf. Manganiello v. City of New York, 612 F.3d 149, 161-62 (2d Cir.2010) (âThe existence of probable cause is a complete defense to a claim of malicious prosecution in New York.â (internal quotation marks and alterations omitted)). In particular, where an officer has probable cause or arguable probable cause for a lesser offense, the existence of that probable cause does not bar a malicious prosecution claim on a greater offense. See Posr v. Doherty, 944 F.2d 91, 100 (2d Cir.1991) (â[W]e should not allow a finding of probable cause on ... [a disorderly conduct] charge to foreclose a malicious prosecution cause of action on charges requiring different, and more culpable, behavior.... [Under the opposite rule,] an officer with probable cause as to a lesser offense could tack on more serious, unfounded charges which would support a high bail or a lengthy detention, knowing that the probable cause on the lesser offense would insulate him from liability for malicious prosecution on the other offenses.â); Johnson v. New York City, No. 12-CV-4379, 2013 WL 950870, at *1 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 7, 2013) (â[T]he Second Circuit requires the Court to separately analyze the charges claimed to have been maliciously prosecuted.â (internal quotation marks. omitted)), aff'd sub nom. Johnson v. City of New York, 551 Fed.Appx. 14 (2d Cir.2014); Davis v. City of New York, 373 F.Supp.2d 322, 334 (S.D.N.Y.2005) (âSince there are two distinct charges underlying the prosecution at issue here, the [c]ourt must sepa
As with a false arrest claim, â[i]n the context of a malicious prosecution claim, probable cause under New York law is the knowledge of facts, actual or apparent, strong enough to justify a reasonable man in the belief that he has lawful grounds for prosecuting the defendant in the manner complained of.â Rounseville, 13 F.3d at 629 (internal quotation marks omitted). Additionally, probable cause is measured at the time of the judicial proceeding, not the time of the arrest, though if it existed at the time of the arrest âit continues to exist at the time of prosecution unless undermined by the discovery of some intervening fact.â Costello, 20 F.Supp.3d at 415.
Plaintiff was charged with three crimes: grand larceny in the third degree in violation of § 155.35 of the New-York Penal Code, offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree, in violation of § 175.35 of the New York Penal Code, and committing a fraudulent practice in violation of § 114(3) of the New York Workersâ Compensation Law.
A person is guilty of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree when[,] knowing that a- written instrument contains a false statement or false information, and with intent to defraud the state or any political subdivision, public authority or public benefit corporation .of the state, he or she offers or presents it to a public office, public servant, public authority or public benefit corporation with the knowledge or belief*538 that it will be filed with, registered or recorded in or otherwise become a part of the records of such public office, public servant, public authority or public benefit corporation.
Moreover, New York Penal Law § 20.20 states: âWhen one person engages in conduct which constitutes an offense, another person is criminally liable for such conduct when, acting with the mental culpability required for the commission thereof, he solicits, requests, commands, importunes, or intentionally aids such person to engage in such conduct.â N.Y. Penal Law § 20.20. â
Here, Defendants had probable cause, and certainly arguable probable cause, to believe that Rose violated § 175.35(1), and that Plaintiff could be held liable under § 20.20 for soliciting her commission of the crime. The evidence in Defendantsâ possession at the time charges were brought showed that Rose violated that provision by creating Desormier Contracting and submitting an insurance application representing that Rose had never been insured in the New York State Insurance Fund where the application clearly stated:
You must answer âYESâ if you or any. person who directly or indirectly owns or controls or is the president, vice president, secretary or treasurer of [ICS] either directly or indirectly owns or controls or is president, vice president, secretary or treasurer of an employer that has had a workersâ compensation policy with the State Insurance Fund that was cancelled, or directly or indirectly owned or controlled or was president, vice president, secretary or treasurer of an employer at the time that employerâs workersâ compensation insurance policy with the State Insurance Fund was cancelled. The Workersâ Compensation Law prohibits any person from contracting for a subsequent policy with the State Insurance Fund while the billed premium on such a cancelled policy remains uncollected.
(Posner Aff. Ex. J (Marcia Rose NYSIF Application), at 3.) In particular, at the time that charges were brought, Defendants had Roseâs statement that Plaintiff discussed with her that he could not take out a policy in his name because of the $24,000 in NYSIF debt, and that she therefore agreed to take out a policy in her name to allow Plaintiff to perform work on the Alexander project. (See Marchinkow-ski Decl. Ex. S (Rose Signed Statement), at T.) Indeed, Defendants had information that the Rose application was Plaintiffs second attempt to circumvent the application process to acquire insurance without paying his delinquent debt. (See id.) In the statement, Rose also said that she ânever had any active participation in the company whatsoever such as estimates, billing, actual physical labor, or scheduling appointments,â and that she âknew the only reason [her] name was needed to take out the. policy was that Robert Berry was unable to use his name due to the previous monies owed.â (Id. at 2) This statement was corroborated by other evidence in Defendantsâ possession at the time the charges were brought, for example, that: (1) the July 5, 2005 Alexander estimate was on Plaintiffs letterhead, (2) Plaintiff submitted the building permit application dated September 26, 2005, which listed Desormier as the contractor, (3) the scope of work for the Alexander project; dated September 29, 2005 was on letterhead of Desormier Contractors/Robert D. Berry. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 46; Marchinkow-ski Deck ¶ 14.) Additionally, Marchinkow-ski noted the similarities between the letterhead used for the July 5 estimate and the September 29 scope of work for the Alexander project, noting that the office/fax and cell phone numbers were the same, that Berry had previously identified
With regard to the second charge, N.Y. Workersâ Compensation law § 114(3) provides:
A person who knowingly makes a false statement or representation as to a material fact for the purpose of obtaining, maintaining or renewing insurance under this chapter, whether for himself or herself or for any other person or entity or for the purpose of evading the requirements of section fifty of this chapter shall be guilty of a class E felony.
There is essentially no lawâstate or federalâthat interprets what is required for a conviction under this provision, for example, interpreting to whom -the false statement must be made, nor is there any indication that vicarious liability, for example, accomplice liability, applies to this section.
However, after reviewing the evidence, the Court concludes that Defendants had arguable probable cause to prosecute Plaintiff for violating this provision. Before bringing the prosecution, Defendants had the following information. First, they had a sworn statement from Richard Morrison, Manager of Policyholder Services at NYSIF, in which he stated that DeForest conducted several audits of Desormier Contracting that Plaintiff attended and that Plaintiff ,indicated that he was a friend of the owner. (See Posner Aft. Ex. U (Decl. of Richard Morrison), at Ă.) At the same time, Defendants' had substantial evidence that Plaintiff was the actual owner of Desormier Contracting and that Plaintiff was using Desormier Contracting as a way to fraudulently get insurance coverage despite the fact that he was ineligible because of his debt. This evidence included Silvernailâs sworn statement that Plaintiff told him that he could not get insurance in his name due to bad debt and that Plaintiff provided Silvernail an insurance certificate in the name of Desormier Contracting. (Marchinkowski Decl. Ex. I (Sworn Statement of Rodney Silvernail); see also Pl.âs Mem', in Oppân to Marchinkowski Ex. L (Handwritten Sworn Statement of Rodney Silvernail).) Additionally, as discussed in detail above, Rose provided information to Defendants that Plaintiff was unable to obtain insurance
As discussed above, Marchinkowski also reviewed documents provided to DeForest during the audit. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 46; Marchinkowski Deck ¶ 13; Ex. F (attaching the documents provided during the audit).) In particular, in reviewing the documents, Marchinkowski noted that: (1) the July 5, 2005 Alexander estimate was on Plaintiffâs letterhead, (2) .the building permit application dated September 26, 2005 listed Desormier as the contractor and was submitted by Plaintiff, (3) that the scope of work for the AlexandĂ©r project dated September 29, 2005 was on letterhead stating Desormier Contractors/Robert D. Berry. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶ 46; Marchinkowski Deck ¶ 14.) Additionally, Marchinkowski noted the similarities between the letterhead u'sed for the July 5 estimate and the September 29 scope of work'for the Alexander project, that Berry had previously identified the fax number used as belonging to ICS Inc., and that Berry was the only name listed on Desor-mierâs letterhead, despite Rose stating that she was the sole proprietor of Desor-mier. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶¶ 48-49; Marchinkowski Deck ¶¶ 15-17.) Furthermore, before the prosecution was brought, Defendants learned that Plaintiff had previously transferred ownership of his company to his mother and had her try to take out insurance coverage but was denied because of the previous policy based on the information provided by RosĂ© in the interview, (see Marchinkowski Deck Ex. S (Rose SignĂ©d" Statement) (âRobert Berry then attempted to have his mother, Janet Berry, take out a policy with the NYS Insurance Fund for him because he was unable to due to premium owed to the NYS Insurance Fund. He could not acquire insurance while there was a balance due. . The George. T. Whalen Insurance Company did not accept that policy because the names were the same.â)), which they confirmed following the interview with Rose, (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 1167; Marchinkowski Deck ¶¶ 40-41). Furthermore, Alexander told Marchinkowski that Berry had problems obtaining insurance coverage and that he ultimately used someone else to get the necessary policy. (Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 If 53; Marchinkow-ski Deck ¶ 23.) Based on all of this evidence in Defendantsâ possession at the time the prosecution was brought, there was certainly arguable probable cause to prosecute Plaintiff for knowingly making a false statement or representation as to a material fact for the purpose maintaining insurance for Desormier Contracting, based on the statement he made to DeForest that he was not the owner of Desormier. Thus, the Court grants summary judgment as to the malicious prosecution claim based on Plaintiff being charged with N.Y. Workersâ Compensation law § 114(3).
Finally, the Court will address whether Defendants had arguable probable. cause to prosecute Plaintiff for grand larceny in the third degree under N.Y.
Both Defendants argue that there was arguable probable cause to charge Plaintiff with grand larceny based on the evidence that he received $15,000 from. Silvernail and Froman to build the art studio, that he never built it, and that he never returned the money. (See Charles Lockeâs Mem. of Law in Resp. to Order of the Honorable Kenneth'M. Karas Dated July 10, 2015 1-2 (Dkt. No. 157); Supp. Mem. of Law in Further Supp. of Def. Stanley Marchin-kowskiâs Mot. for Sunim. J. 4 (Dkt. No. 159).) However, this was not the basis- for the felony complaint and neither Defendant provides any case law suggesting that merely because, assuming arguendo, Plaintiff could have been charged with grand larceny based on the $15,000 he did not return to Silvernail and Froman, there was probable cause to charge him with grand larceny based on his withholding of the $24,000 from NYSIF, a totally unrelated crime.
Nonetheless, Defendants did have arguable probable cause to charge Plaintiff with larceny- based on a theory of false promise or wrongful withholding. As the New York Court of Appeals has explained:
A person obtains property by false promise when, pursuant to a scheme to defraud, he obtains property of another by means of ĂĄ representation, express or implied, that he or a third person will in the future engage in'particular conduct, and whenâhe does not intend to engage in such conduct, or,as the case may be, does not believe that' the third person Intends to engage in such conduct.
People v. Churchill, 47 N.Y.2d 151, 417 N.Y.S.2d 221, 390 N.E.2d 1146, 1150 (1979) (internal quotation marks omitted). â[T]he mere failure to pay oneâs debts does not constitute larceny.â People v. Kozlowski, 47 A.D.3d 111, 846 N.Y.S.2d 44, 47 (2007), aff'd, 11 N.Y.3d 223, 869 N.Y.S.2d 848, 898 N.E.2d 891 (2008). However, âthere is rarely direct proof of intent,â and therefore intent âmust be inferred from the. facts and circumstance.â People v. Carey, 103 A.D.2d 934, 479 N.Y.S.2d 789, 790 (1984). In. similar situations, courts have allowed juries to infer that defendants, incurred debt with the intention of not repaying it from conduct that-exclusively occurred after the debt was incurred, and to convict such defendants beyond a reasonable doubt based on that evidence. Indeed, âevidence of subsequent or additional fraudulent activity can prove larcenous intent.â Besser v. Walsh, No. 02-CV-6775, 2003 WL 22093477, at *18 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 10, 2003), adopted by 2003 WL 22846044 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 2, 2003). For example, in Ponnapula v. Spitzer, 297 F.3d 172 (2d Cir.2002), the Second Circuit held that there was sufficient evidence for the jury to reasonably infer that the habe-as petitioner had no intent to repay a loan he took out because he knew his resources would be inadequate, he ignored the de
Here, Defendants had evidence that between taking out the ICS policy in April 2003 and its cancellation less than eight months later in November 2004, Plaintiff had run up more than $24,000 in debt to NYSIF. (Marchinkowski Deck , Ăx. S (Rose Signed Statement); Lockeâs 56.1 ¶ 4; Marchinkowskiâs 56.1'¶ 4; Berry Tr. 63-69.) Defendants further had substantial evidence, as discussed above, that after his policy was cancelled, Plaintiff had his mother and then his girlfriendâattempt to take out policies On his behalf. Moreover, they had evidence that Desormier Contracting owed approximately $5,000 on its policy. â (Marchinkowskiâs'56.1 ¶ 42; 'Mar-chinkowski Deck ¶ 9; Marchinkowski-Dech Ex. C (Print Outs from the NYSIF System), at unnumbered 2.) Finally, they had evidence that Plaintiff had been hired to do a project worth approximately $80,000 and had obtained $15,000 from Froman and Silvernail, but that Plaintiff failed to make any payments on the debt. (See Lockeâs 56.1 IT 5; Marchinkowskiâs 56.1 ¶¶ 6, 26; Berry Tr. 67, 83-85; Posner Aff. Ex. C (July 5, 2005 Berry Estimate for Alexander)); -Marchinkowski Deck Ex. I (Sworn Statement of Rodney Silvernail); (Pkâs Mem. in Oppân to Marchinkowski Ex. O, at unnumbered 3.)
The Court holds that a reasonable officer in Defendantsâ position had sufficient information to conclude that Plaintiff did not intend to repay the policy at the time he took it out in April 2003 based on his subsequent conduct, and therefore there was arguable probable cause to charge him with larceny by false promise. The same evidence also provided arguable probable cause to charge Plaintiff with larceny based on a theory of wrongful withholding. Plaintiffs subsequent fraudulent conduct and the fact that Plaintiff had substantial income would allow a reasonable officer to infer Plaintiffs intent to withhold money from NYSIF. See People v. Crean, 115 Misc.2d 996, 454 N.Y.S.2d 943, 946 (Sup.Ct.1982) (â[Ljareeny essentially consists of an intent to steal combined with the actual wrongful taking, obtaining, or withholding of oneâs property.â). Finally, to the extent that there is evidence Defendants knew Plaintiff had filed for bankruptcy, this is not material, as bankruptcy does not discharge fraudulently incurred debt. See In re Bogdanovich, 292 F.3d 104, 107 (2d Cir.2002) (âCongress made it a central purpose of the bankruptcy code to give debtors a fresh start in life and a clear field for future effort unburdened by the existence of old debts. This policy is limited to the so-called âhonest debtor,â such that certain debts incurred, for example, by fraud are not dischargeable in bankruptcy.â). Accordingly, it is not the case that Defendants only had evidence of Plaintiff failing to repay a debt; rather, Defendants had sufficient evidence of post-conduct actions by Plaintiff that reasonable officers in their position could reasonably believe there was sufficient evidence from which to infer intent to steak Therefore, Defendantsâ Motions for Summary Judgment are granted as to this charge.
III. Conclusion
For the foregoing reasons, Marchinkow-skiâs and Lockeâs Motions for Summary Judgment are .granted. The Clerk of the Court is respectfully directed to terminate the pending Motions, enter judgment for
SO ORDERED.
. The Notice states that Plaintiff owed $22,607.02, but Plaintiff disputes that amount, stating that he owed $13,000 to $14,000. In any event, he admits that he did not pay the amount he says 'that he owes, (see
. Remarkably, Plaintiff asserts that these misstatements were due to misunderstandings by Janet Berry. (Pl.âs Mem. in Oppân to Mar-chinkowski 6; Janet Berry Tr. 103-04.)
Additionally, because the page numbers listed at the bottom of Plaintiff's Memorandum start over after page 19, the Court will cite to this document using the ECF page numbers at the top of each page. (See Dkt. No. 143.) The Court will use the same convention for Plaintiffâs Memorandum of Law in Opposition to Locke. (See Dkt. No. 145.)
. The transcript of Roseâs deposition is excerpted in several locations. (See Deck of Eva Dietz Ex, 3 (Dkt. No. 139); Aff. of Robert Berry Ex. 5 (Dkt. No. 144); Aff. of Robert Berry Ex. 5 (Dkt. No. 146); Reply Deck of Eva Dietz Ex. 1 (Dkt. No. 154).)
The Court notes that while Lockeâs Rule 56.1 statement refers to the Rose deposition transcript as Exhibit Z, it is not actually attached to Locke's papers. Therefore, where Locke's Rule 56.1 statement refers to pages of the Rose transcript, included in Marchinkow-skiâs or Plaintiff's papers, the Court relies on the transcripts attached by the other Parties, However, where Lockeâs Rule 56.1 statement cites to pages of the Rose transcript not in the record, the Court disregards those assertions. See Local Civ. R. 56.1(d).
. Locke's Rule 56.1 statement asserts that Rose did not sign the application because the signature states "Marcy Roseâ and Rose always spells, her name Marcie, not Marcy, (Lockeâs 56.1 ¶¶ 37-39.)
. At his deposition, Plaintiff insisted that Rose told Plaintiff to make these personal payments from Desormier's account, (Berry Tr. 271-72), though he offered no explanation as to why she would make that suggestion. Interestingly, when Rose was asked why Plaintiff used the Desormier account to make the payments to his ex-wife, she said that Defendantsâ counsel would "have to ask [Plaintiff].â (Rose Tr. 182-83.)
. As discussed below, the undisputed evidence is not that Plaintiff was denied a trial on the criminal charges brought against him.
. Plaintiff disputes this, asserting that the DAâs notes on this case indicate that Whitesell knew about the waiver. (See Pl.'s Mem. in Oppân to Marchinkowski 2.) However, the document cited by Plaintiff supports White-sell's version of events, not Plaintiff's. The document states that on June 24, 2008, Plaintiffâs then-lawyer Kilpatrick notified the DAâs Office that Plaintiff intended to waiver to the . grand jury, and that on July 22, 2008, Plaintiff's new lawyer, Russo, notified the DAâs Office that the waiver had indeed already been filed in April. (Pl.'s Mem. in Oppân to Locke Ex. Al, at unnumbered 2.)
. Plaintiff asserts that the case was terminated due to the fact that there was no evidence against him, as well .as under § 180.85(3). (Pl.âs Mem. in Oppân to Marchinkowski 2.) In support, Plaintiff cites the brief in support of the motion his attorney filed for the case to be dismissed. (Pl.âs Mem. in Oppân to Locke Ex. B1 (Motion To Dismiss).) However, the dismissal by the Court contains no indication that there was any basis for the dismissal other than § 180.85(3). (See Posner Aff. Ex. W (Decision and Order Terminating Prosecution).)
. Plaintiffâs assertion to the contrary is unsupported, as he cites only a letter from his attorney to him, indicating that his attorney was still investigating whether his conduct rose to a criminal level. (Pl.âs Mem. in Oppân to Marchinkowski 2; Pl.âs Mem.- in Oppân to Locke Ex. B (Letter from William M. Tendy, Jr. to Robert Berry).)
. In his Third Amended Complaint, Plaintiff identifies as defendants "JOHN AND/OR JANE DOE,â (see Third Am. Verified Compl. at unnumbered 1), who, Plaintiff asserts, "are, fictitious individuals'' Or corporate entities whose true identities may be revealed as the case unfolds,â (id. ¶ 6), ,At no point in his Third Amended Complaint, however, does â Plaintiff allege what, if anything, John or Jane Doe did. Accordingly, any claims against John and/or Jane Doe are. dismissed. See Claude v. Wells Fargo Home Mortg., No. 13-CV-535, 2014 WL 4073215, at *1 n. 1 (D.Conn. Aug. 14, 2014) (dismissing complaint against unnamed John Doe 1 and Jane Doe 1 defendants for failure to .plead a claim upon which relief may be granted where the plaĂntiĂf "ma[d]e[] no allegations against [either] and [did] not attempt to explain the-basis for naming them as [defendantsâ); Almonte v. McGoldrick, No. 06-CV-15217, 2009 WL 528609, at *4 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 2, 2009) (noting that â[n]o allegations are made with respect to John Does #9-# 11â arid dismissing claims against them accordingly).
. The Court will note other such unsupported factual assertions, as-are relevant, below.
. Fromanâs statement did not provide information pertaining to Plaintiffâs insurance policy.
. Included on the list of creditors to be served were the Dutchess County Sheriff Civil, 150 North Hamilton St., PO Box 389, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 and New York State Ins. Fund, PO Box 4788, Syracuse, NY 13221-4788. (See 'Pl.âs Mem. Oppân to Mar-chinkowski Ex. D (Discharge of Debtor), at 34-35.) However, Marchinkowski works in a different office in Albany, (see Marchinkow-skiâs Reply 18-19; see also Marchinkowski Decl. ¶¶ 2-3; Berry Aff. in Oppân to Marchin-kowski Ex. 4 (Marchinkowski Tr.), at 18, 71, -73-75), and Locke works in the Criminal Division of the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office, which has a different computer system than the Civil Division, (see Lockeâs Reply 5; Berry Aff. in Oppân to Locke Ex. 3 (Locke Tr.), at 40-41).
. The Court notes that Plaintiff raises a general argument that there could not have been probable cause for any of the charges because Locke lied about having personal knowledge when he swore out the felony complaint and therefore there was no probable cause to charge him. (See, e.g., Pl.'s Mem. of Law in Supp. of Oppân to Defs.â Summ. J. Mot. to Dismiss 3 (Dkt. No. 162),) However, it is clear from the complaint that Locke stated that there were several sources for his knowledge. In particular, the complaint stated:
The foregoing factual allegations are based upon personal knowledge of the complainant and upon information and belief, the sources of complainantâs information and belief being, depositions of Richard Morrison, Ann Froman, Rodney Silvemail, Russell DeForest, voluntary statement of Marcia Rose, applications of insurance by Robert Berry and Marcia Rose, audits conducted by the New York State Insurance Fund, written estimates of âDesormier Contractingâ written by Robert Berry; banking records of []Desormier Contracting, and investigation by Stan Marchin-kowski of the New York State Insurance Fund and the Dutchess County Sheriffâs Office.
(Marchinkowski Deck Ex. V (Felony Complaint).) Thus, it is simply not the case thĂĄt Locke lied that he had personal knowledge of the facts creating probable cause, and Locke was allowed to rely on the other sources referred to in order to make a probable cause determination. See, e.g., Loria v. Gorman, 306 F.3d 1271, 1289-90 (2d Cir.2002) (holding . that, even if the officer who wrote a warrant application âfalsely stated that the allegations in the warrant application were based on his personal knowledge,â the malicious prosecution' claim would still fail because the corrected affidavit, which would say that the officer âhad been informed by ... an identified citizen witnessâ of the events in question, âwould be sufficient as a matter of law to support probable causeâ); Thornton v. City of Albany, 831 F.Supp. 970, 987 (N.D.N.Y.1993) (holding that an officer need not ârely solely upon his own personal observations,â but rather, â âmay rely upon information received through [a third party], rather than- upon his direct observations, so long as the [third partyâs] statement is reasonably corroborated by other matters within the officerâs knowledgeâ â (alterations in original) (some internal quotation marks omitted) (quoting Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213, 242, 103 S.Ct. 2317, 76 L.Ed.2d 527 (1983))).
. The Court notes that Lockeâs discussion of the arguable probable cause for this cause really relies on § 114(1), which refers to "causingâ a written statement to be' filed. (Charles Lockeâs Mem. of Law in Resp. to Order of the Honorable Kenneth M. Karas Dated My 10, 2015 4-5 (Dkt. No. 157).) However, Plaintiff was not charged with this provision. (See Marchinkowski Decl. Ex. V (Felony Complaint) (invoking only § 114(3)).)