Curry v. Yachera — civil rights — affirmance– Chagares

The quote that forms the title of this post comes from the introduction of today’s notable opinion upholding the dismissal of a civil rights complaint.

The court summarizes the facts underlying the suit like this (appendix cites and footnotes omitted):

In the fall of 2012, Curry read a newspaper article that stated there was an outstanding warrant for his arrest, related to a theft at a Wal-Mart store in Lower Macungie Township, Pennsylvania. Wal-Mart security employee Kerrie Fitcher identified Curry. Curry insists that he had never been in that Wal-Mart store. Curry called the Wal-Mart store and spoke to a security employee, John Doe, who refused to review the store surveillance video. Curry then called the Pennsylvania State Police and spoke to Trooper Brianne Yachera. Yachera informed Curry that he was going to jail and that the courts would “figure it out.”

On October 29, 2012, Curry was arrested and charged with (1) theft by deception and (2) conspiracy. Unable to afford bail, Curry was jailed. On November 14, 2012, while Curry was still in jail, he was charged with “theft by deception – false imprisonment” by Exeter Township Police Detective Richard McClure. This charge was separate and apparently unrelated to the charges brought by Yachera. Two months later, McClure met Curry in prison, admitted Curry was innocent of the November 14 charges, apologized, and said he would do whatever he could to help. In or about February 2013, McClure’s charges against Curry were dropped, but he remained in jail on the charges brought by Yachera. Curry was told he would need to wait until September 2013 for the case to proceed. During his imprisonment, Curry missed the birth of his child and lost his job. Curry feared losing his home and motor vehicle. He decided to plead nolo contendere to the remaining charges, theft by deception and conspiracy. Following his plea, he was released and returned home.

The court’s analysis begins with this remarkable passage (footnotes omitted):

The broader context of this matter is disturbing, as it shines a light on what has become a threat to equal justice under the law. That is, the problem of individuals posing little flight or public safety risk, who are detained in jail because they cannot afford the bail set for criminal charges that are often minor in nature. One recent report concluded that “[m]oney, or the lack thereof, is now the most important factor in determining whether someone is held in jail pretrial” and that “the majority of defendants cannot raise the money quickly or, in some cases, at all.” By way of example, in New York City in 2013, fifty-four percent of those jailed until their cases were resolved “remained in jail because they could not afford bail of $2,500 or less.” It seems anomalous that in our system of justice, the access to wealth is what often determines whether a defendant is freed or must stay in jail. Further, those unable to pay who remain in jail may not have the “luxury” of awaiting a trial on the merits of their charges; they are often forced to accept a plea deal to leave the jail environment and be freed.

“Curry’s inability to post bail,” the court observed, “deprived him not only of his freedom, but also of his ability to seek redress for the potentially unconstitutional prosecution that landed him in jail in the first place.” The court denied the malicious prosecution claim because his conviction stood. The court did rule that his malicious prosecution claims should have been dismissed without prejudice because his claim will not accrue unless and until his conviction is reversed.

Joining Chagares were Fuentes and Greenberg. The case was decided without oral argument.

Auto-Owners Insurance Co. v. Stevens & Ricci — insurance — affirmance — Jordan

A divided Third Circuit panel affirmed a district court ruling in favor of the insurance company in a coverage dispute.

Joining Jordan was Hardiman; Greenaway dissented, arguing that the majority misapplied a rule against aggregation. Arguing counsel were David Oppenheim from Illinois for the appellant and Timothy Tobin from Minnesota for the appellee.