Miner v. Brackney, No. 82-2267
| Court | United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (8th Circuit) |
| Writing for the Court | Before BRIGHT, JOHN R. GIBSON and FAGG; PER CURIAM |
| Citation | 719 F.2d 954 |
| Parties | Anthony MINER and Eric Simmons, Appellants, v. Rick BRACKNEY, Appellee. |
| Docket Number | No. 82-2267 |
| Decision Date | 28 October 1983 |
Page 954
v.
Rick BRACKNEY, Appellee.
Eighth Circuit.
Decided Oct. 28, 1983.
Page 955
Brian C. Underwood, St. Louis, Mo., for appellants, Anthony Miner and Eric Simmons.
Eugene K. Buckley, Evans & Dixon, St. Louis, Mo., for appellee.
Before BRIGHT, JOHN R. GIBSON and FAGG, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM.
Anthony Miner and Eric Simmons brought this action under 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1983 claiming Rick Brackney, a police officer in Hillsdale, Missouri, filed a false report which stated that Miner had implicated Simmons in the commission of a robbery. Simmons was subsequently convicted in state court, and was in the process of appealing his conviction when this suit was filed. The district court 1 granted a motion to dismiss the complaint for failure of either appellant to state a claim upon which relief could be granted, additionally declining in Simmons's case to intervene in his state court conviction while it was on appeal in state court. We affirm.
Pro se pleadings are held to a less stringent standard and should not be dismissed unless there is proof "beyond doubt" that the claim is without merit. Haines v. Kerner, 404 U.S. 519, 520-21, 92 S.Ct. 594, 595-96, 30 L.Ed.2d 652 (1972); Woodall v. Foti, 648 F.2d 268, 271 (5th Cir.1981).
Miner's contention that Brackney's report falsely labeled him an informant among his peers is not actionable; claims for defamation and slander are not cognizable under Sec. 1983. Ellingburg v. Lucas, 518 F.2d 1196, 1197 (8th Cir.1975); Morey v. Independent School District, 429 F.2d 428 (8th Cir.1970); Heller v. Roberts, 386 F.2d 832 (2d Cir.1967). The district court correctly stated that "words and intents do not rise to the level of constitutional deprivations." Accord Collins v. Cundy, 603 F.2d 825, 827 (10th Cir.1979) (per curiam); Johnson v. Glick, 481 F.2d 1028, 1032 (2d Cir.1973)
Page 956
cert. denied 414 U.S. 1033, 94 S.Ct. 462, 38 L.Ed.2d 324, Boston v. Stanton, 450 F.Supp. 1049, 1055-56 (W.D.Mo.1978); Jones v. Superintendent, 370 F.Supp. 488, 491 (W.D.Va.1974). Even a liberal interpretation of the complaint reveals an alleged deprivation only of Simmons's constitutional rights, which Miner has no standing to assert. Singleton v. Wulff, 428 U.S. 106, 114, 96 S.Ct. 2868, 2874, 49 L.Ed.2d 826 (1976); Carter v. Romines, 560 F.2d 395 (8th Cir.1977) (per curiam) cert. denied, 436 U.S....To continue reading
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Bressman v. Farrier, Nos. 89-1186
...We found his due process claim meritorious and rejected the defendants' qualified immunity claim. Id. at 443-47. 18 Miner v. Brackney, 719 F.2d 954 (8th Cir.1983) (per curiam), cert. denied, 467 U.S. 1259, 104 S.Ct. 3554, 82 L.Ed.2d 856 (1984); Franklin v. Webb, 653 F.2d 362 (8th Cir.1981) ......
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Johnson v. City of Chicago, No. 84 C 4411.
...Williams v. Hepting, 844 F.2d 138, 144 (3d Cir.) cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 109 S.Ct. 135, 102 L.Ed.2d 107 (1988); Miner v. Brackney, 719 F.2d 954, 956 (8th Cir.1983) cert. denied, 467 U.S. 1259, 104 S.Ct. 3554, 82 L.Ed.2d 856 (1984) (per curiam); Parkhurst v. Wyoming, 641 F.2d 775, 777 (1......
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Offet v. Solem, No. 86-5209
...(1981) and Kelsey v. State of Minnesota, 565 F.2d 503 (8th Cir.1977) (permitting adjudication of damages claims) with Miner v. Brackney, 719 F.2d 954 (8th Cir.1983), cert. denied, 467 U.S. 1259, 104 S.Ct. 3554, 82 L.Ed.2d 856 (1984) and Franklin v. Webb, 653 F.2d 362 (8th Cir.1981) (requiri......
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Walker v. Rabern, CIV. 14-5095-JLV
...see also Goodin v. Hot Springs Police Dep't, No. 13-6050, 2013 WL 5423988, at *3 (W.D. Ark. Sept. 26, 2013) (citing Miner v. Brackney, 719 F.2d 954, 955 (8th Cir. 1983) ("[S]lander is not a cognizable claim underPage 9section 1983."); Zierke v. Shelton, No. 4:09CV3104, 2009 WL 2920795, at *......
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Bressman v. Farrier, Nos. 89-1186
...We found his due process claim meritorious and rejected the defendants' qualified immunity claim. Id. at 443-47. 18 Miner v. Brackney, 719 F.2d 954 (8th Cir.1983) (per curiam), cert. denied, 467 U.S. 1259, 104 S.Ct. 3554, 82 L.Ed.2d 856 (1984); Franklin v. Webb, 653 F.2d 362 (8th Cir.1981) ......
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Johnson v. City of Chicago, No. 84 C 4411.
...Williams v. Hepting, 844 F.2d 138, 144 (3d Cir.) cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 109 S.Ct. 135, 102 L.Ed.2d 107 (1988); Miner v. Brackney, 719 F.2d 954, 956 (8th Cir.1983) cert. denied, 467 U.S. 1259, 104 S.Ct. 3554, 82 L.Ed.2d 856 (1984) (per curiam); Parkhurst v. Wyoming, 641 F.2d 775, 777 (1......
-
Offet v. Solem, No. 86-5209
...(1981) and Kelsey v. State of Minnesota, 565 F.2d 503 (8th Cir.1977) (permitting adjudication of damages claims) with Miner v. Brackney, 719 F.2d 954 (8th Cir.1983), cert. denied, 467 U.S. 1259, 104 S.Ct. 3554, 82 L.Ed.2d 856 (1984) and Franklin v. Webb, 653 F.2d 362 (8th Cir.1981) (requiri......
-
Walker v. Rabern, CIV. 14-5095-JLV
...see also Goodin v. Hot Springs Police Dep't, No. 13-6050, 2013 WL 5423988, at *3 (W.D. Ark. Sept. 26, 2013) (citing Miner v. Brackney, 719 F.2d 954, 955 (8th Cir. 1983) ("[S]lander is not a cognizable claim underPage 9section 1983."); Zierke v. Shelton, No. 4:09CV3104, 2009 WL 2920795, at *......