Pennie v. Obama
| Decision Date | 02 June 2017 |
| Docket Number | Civil Action No. 3:16–cv–2010–L |
| Parties | Demetrick PENNIE and Larry Klayman, Plaintiffs, v. Barack Hussein OBAMA, Eric Holder, Louis Farrakhan, Nation of Islam, Reverend Al Sharpton, National Action Network, Black Lives Matter, Rashad Turner, Opal Tometi, Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, Deray McKesson, Johnetta Elzie, New Black Panther Party, Malik Zulu Shabazz, George Soros, and Hillary Clinton, Defendants. |
| Court | U.S. District Court — Northern District of Texas |
Larry E. Klayman, Freedom Watch, Washington, DC, for Plaintiffs.
Kenneth G. Coffin, United States Attorney's Office, Michael K. Muhammad, Muhammad Law Firm, Kevin B. Wiggins, Camille L. Stearns Miller, H. Ron White, White & Wiggins LLP, Kali Alanna Cohn, ACLU of Texas, Hal K. Gillespie, James Dennis Sanford, Joseph H. Gillespie, Gillespie Sanford LLP, Lauren Elisabeth York, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, Michael K. Hurst, Chisara Ezie–Boncoeur, Jonathan Ryan Childers, Lynn Pinker Cox & Hurst LLP, Dallas, TX, Abdul Arif Muhammad, Chicago, IL, Edgar Saldivar, American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, Houston, TX, Lisa Colburn, Scott Michael Flaherty, Briggs and Morgan PA, Minneapolis, MN, Jacob K. Weixler, Teva Sempel, William P. Gibbens, Schonekas Evans McGoey & McEachin LLC, New Orleans, LA, Andrew Hanrahan, Benjamin P. McCallen, Joseph T. Baio, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, New York, NY, David Kendall, Williams & Connolly LLP, Washington, DC, for Defendants.
Malik Zulu Shabazz, Greenbelt, MD, pro se.
Before the court are: the Individual Federal Defendants' Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 21), filed September 19, 2016; The United States of America's Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 23), filed September 19, 2016; Motion to Dismiss by Deray McKesson (Doc. 32), filed September 28, 2016; Defendant Reverend Al Sharpton and National Action Network's Alternative Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs' Amended Complaint Pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(1)(2)(6) and 12(h)(3) (Doc. 40), filed September 30, 2016; the Honorable Minister Farrakhan's Motion to Dismiss the Purported Amended Complaint Pursuant to Federal Rule[s] of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6) and 12(h)(3) (Doc. 41), filed September 30, 2016; Motion for Sanctions Against Plaintiffs and Plaintiffs' Counsel by Defendant Deray McKesson (Doc. 74), filed November 25, 2016; Plaintiffs' Cross–Motion for Sanctions (Doc. 87), filed December 16, 2016; Motion to Dismiss of Defendant George Soros (Doc. 80), filed December 5, 2016; Motion to Dismiss of Defendant Malik Zulu Shabazz, Esq. (Doc. 90), filed December 19, 2016; Motion to Dismiss of Defendant Rashad Turner (Doc. 103), filed January 23, 2017; Defendants Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors' Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 112), filed February 7, 2017; and Defendant Hillary Rodham Clinton's Motion to Dismiss the Amended Complaint (Doc. 141), filed May 8, 2017. Having considered the motions, responses, replies, pleadings, record, and applicable law, the court grants the Individual Federal Defendants' Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 21); denies the Motion for Sanctions Against Plaintiffs and Plaintiffs' Counsel by Defendant Deray McKesson (Doc. 74); denies Plaintiffs' Cross–Motion for Sanctions (Doc. 87); and denies as moot all remaining motions to dismiss (Docs. 23, 32, 40, 41, 80, 90, 103, 112, and 141).
On July 9, 2016, Larry Klayman ("Klayman") brought this purported class action lawsuit on behalf of himself and "law enforcement persons of all races and ethnicities, as well as relevant Jews, and Caucasians" against Defendants President Barack Hussein Obama ("President Obama"); former Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. ("General Holder"); Minister Louis Farrakhan ("Minister Farrakhan"); Reverend Al Sharpton ("Reverend Sharpton"); Rashad Turner ("Turner"); Patrisse Cullors ("Cullors"); Alicia Garza ("Garza"); Deray McKesson ("McKesson"); and Opal Tometi ("Tometi"). Pl.'s Orig. Class Action Compl. ¶ 5 (Doc. 1). On September 16, 2016, Klayman, along with Sergeant Demetrick Pennie ("Sergeant Pennie"), a police officer employed by the City of Dallas Police Department, filed an amended complaint in which they named as additional Defendants Nation of Islam; National Action Network ("NAN"); Black Lives Matter; Johnetta Elzie ("Elzie"); New Black Panther Party; Malik Zulu Shabazz ("Shabazz"); George Soros ("Soros"); and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ("Secretary Clinton") (collectively, "Defendants"). See Pls.' Am. Compl. (the "Amended Complaint") (Doc. 16).
Klayman is a former federal prosecutor and the "high profile" founder of Freedom Watch and Judicial Watch. Pls.' Am. Compl. ¶ 16. The mission of these entities is to "enforce the rule of law and fight against racism, public corruption, and to further civil rights and equality for all persons under the U.S. Constitution." Id. Plaintiffs assert that "Klayman has been highly visible and active in defending police, other law enforcement officials, Jews, Christians and Israel and opposing Defendants' efforts to stir up racial, ethnic and religious conflict to suit their agendas in every area of American life in court and in public." Id.
In the Amended Complaint, Plaintiffs purport to bring this lawsuit on behalf of themselves, and a proposed class that they define as including: "all police officers and other law enforcement persons of all races and ethnicities including but not limited to Jews, Christians and Caucasians who have been threatened and targeted and harmed by the Defendants' ignited race war, and who reside within this district and the domestic United States." Id. ¶ 5.
The gravamen of Plaintiffs' claims is that Defendants have made public statements that have incited criminal activity by others across the country, including riots, murders, and threats of death and bodily injury, as well as the Dallas Police Shooting in July 2016. Plaintiffs allege that Defendants participated in a conspiracy to incite "their supporters and others to engage in threats of [sic] and attacks to cause serious bodily injury or death upon police officers and other law enforcement persons of all races and ethnicities including but not limited to Jews, Christians and Caucasians." Id. ¶ 1. Plaintiffs allege that Defendants undertook these actions with the aim of "incit[ing] a racial war in America." Id. ¶ 54. Among other things, Plaintiffs allege that Defendants, acting in concert, have: fomented a race war (¶ 16); encouraged disaffected minority groups to ignore, disrespect, and assault law enforcement officials (¶ 27); incited violence by publicly stating that law enforcement are disproportionately arresting and prosecuting minority groups (¶ 30); caused an increase in crime rates by preventing law enforcement officials from doing their duties (¶ 31); sent a "clear signal that it is acceptable and required to kill white people, especially white police officers and other law enforcement[ ]" (¶ 42); and accused the legal system of a conspiracy to kill black men (¶ 44). Plaintiffs allege that:
The inevitable, entirely foreseeable, and predictable result directly and proximately caused by the war on police and law enforcement incited by each and ever[y] Defendant[ ] came to a head on July 7, 2016[,] in Dallas, Texas. At around 9:00 p.m., on July 7, 2016, at a "Black Live Matters" protest, at least one sniper shot twelve (12) police officers that were on duty to keep the peace at the rally. ("Dallas Police Shooting").
With respect to President Obama, Plaintiffs allege that he "used his position of great authority to ratify, endorse, embrace, and condone the violence against police officers and other law enforcement persons of all races and ethnicities including but not limited to Jews, Christians and Caucasians perpetrated by his co–Defendants[.]" Id. ¶ 169. Plaintiffs allege that:
when someone as influential as the President of the United States of America affirmatively acts to perpetrate, incite, condone, ratify and further propagate the violent and hateful dogmas guiding [Black Lives Matter, Nation of Islam, and New Black Panther Party], as well as the other Defendants, the predictable result is the explosion of violence against police officers and other law enforcement persons of all races and ethnicities including but not limited to Jews, Christians and Caucasians[.]
Id. Plaintiffs further allege that "[r]evealing the knowing, willful, and intentional purpose of the Defendants' concerted actions, on October 30, 2008, then[-]candidate Defendant Obama roared to an excited crowd of his supporters: ‘We are five days away from fundamentally transforming America.’ " Id. ¶ 170. Plaintiffs allege that by definition, "to fundamentally transform an entire society, requires replacing the old society with a new version of society." Id. ¶ 171. Plaintiffs allege that to effect this, President Obama used a "divide and conquer" strategy, by furthering, in concert with the other Defendants, "a race war pitting blacks against whites, furthering the mission and credo of Muslims and Black Muslims such as Defendant Farrakhan and others against police officers and other law enforcement persons of all races and ethnicities including but not limited to Jews, Christians and Caucasians." Id. Plaintiffs allege that President Obama "fueled [and] incited discord by stating in his frequent and persistent theme ‘that there's a long history in the country of African Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately.’ " Id. ¶ 174. Plaintiffs allege that President Obama used "anti-police rhetoric" following various high profile shootings of African Americans and did not try to stop riots related to the shootings, stirring up racial tensions and hatred for police officers. Id. ¶¶ 175–77.
According to Plaintiffs, President Obama has "conspired with all Defendants and others to...
To continue reading
Request your trial
-
Copeland v. Internal Revenue Servs.
... ... lack of subject matter jurisdiction. See Lujan , 504 ... U.S. at 560-61; Spokeo , 136 S.Ct. at 1547; ... Pennie v. Obama , 255 F.Supp.3d 648, 661 (N.D. Tex ... 2017) (dismissing claims for lack of standing where plaintiff ... failed to establish ... ...
-
Deljavan v. Goodwill Indus. of Fort Worth
...law claims and has discretion whether to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over the remaining state law claims. Pennie v. Obama, 255 F. Supp. 3d 648, 677 n.5 (N.D. Tex. 2017) (citing 28 U.S.C. § 1367). But, a district court may "decline to exercise supplemental jurisdiction" when it "has d......
-
Elliott v. Tucker
...jurisdiction over the abuse of process and malicious prosecution claims if the separate grounds for federal jurisdiction no longer exist. Id. at 657; See 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331, 1332(a). 2. Constitutional claims for interference with custody In the last unnumbered count of the Complaint, Elliott......
-
Baumgartner v. Thomas
... ... exercise supplemental jurisdiction over his state law claims ... See 28 U.S.C. §§ 1367(c), 1331, 1332(a); ... Pennie v. Obama, 255 F.Supp.3d 648, 672 n.5 (N.D ... Tex. 2017). Judge O'Connor should dismiss ... Baumgartner's state law claims without ... ...
-
Turtles All The Way Down? New Amendment Requires Disclosure Of Ultimate Ownership Of LLCs
...(permitting); Sanchez v. Aburto, No. 3:18-CV-2460, 2018 WL 4953147, at *2 (N.D. Tex. Oct. 12, 2018) (not permitting); Pennie v. Obama, 255 F.Supp.3d 648, 671 (N.D. Tex. 2017) (not While the Fifth Circuit has not yet provided clear guidance on the permissibility of this pleading practice, fo......