Walton v. Rogers, 88-3307

Citation860 F.2d 1081
Decision Date19 October 1988
Docket NumberNo. 88-3307,88-3307
PartiesUnpublished Disposition NOTICE: Sixth Circuit Rule 24(c) states that citation of unpublished dispositions is disfavored except for establishing res judicata, estoppel, or the law of the case and requires service of copies of cited unpublished dispositions of the Sixth Circuit. Frederick W. WALTON, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Richard M. ROGERS; J.R. Dickey, Officer; Defendants 1-50, Defendants, Wright Sheffield, Officer; Richard B. McQuade, Jr., Judge; James G. Carr, Mag., Defendants-Appellees.
CourtU.S. Court of Appeals — Sixth Circuit

Before KRUPANSKY and RALPH B. GUY, Jr., Circuit Judges, and JAMES L. GRAHAM, District Judge. *

ORDER

This pro se plaintiff appeals the district court's judgment in his civil rights action filed under 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1983. The case has been referred to a panel of the court pursuant to Rule 9(a), Rules of the Sixth Circuit. Upon examination of the record and the briefs, this panel unanimously agrees that oral argument is not needed. Fed.R.App.P. 34(a).

Frederick W. Walton originally sued defendant police officer Sheffield and other defendants who are not parties to this appeal, seeking compensatory and punitive damages for alleged violations of plaintiff's rights arising out of the issuance of several traffic citations. After the other defendants were granted dismissal and summary judgment, plaintiff filed a supplemental complaint against the district court judge and magistrate, alleging that they had denied him a jury trial, default judgment and discovery. The case was transferred to another district court judge, who granted defendant Sheffield's motion for summary judgment and the defendant judge and magistrate's motion to dismiss.

Upon consideration, we conclude that plaintiff was not entitled to a default judgment against defendant Sheffield, as he failed to comply with Fed.R.Civ.P. 4. Default judgments are disfavored, and there must be strict compliance with the legal prerequisites establishing the court's power to render the judgment. Varnes v. Local 91, Glass Bottle Blowers Ass'n of the U.S. and Can., 674 F.2d 1365, 1369 (11th Cir.1982). Furthermore, we find no error in the district court's granting of summary judgment to defendant Sheffield on the basis of qualified immunity. Plaintiff did not respond to the motion by pleading facts describing a violation of a clearly established right. See Mitchell v. Forsyth, 472 U.S. 511, 526 (1985). Finally, the...

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9 cases
  • Kana Inv. Corp. v. Fed. Deposit Ins. Corp.
    • United States
    • U.S. District Court — Eastern District of Michigan
    • October 7, 2014
    ...there must be strict compliance with the legal prerequisites establishing the court's power to render the judgment." Walton v. Rogers, 860 F.2d 1081, 1988 WL 109859, *1 (6th Cir. 1988)(Table), citing Varnes v. Local 91, Glass Bottle Blowers Ass'n of the U.S. and Can., 674 F.2d 1365, 1369 (1......
  • Berkley v. Williams
    • United States
    • U.S. District Court — Western District of Tennessee
    • February 14, 2019
    ...there must be "strict compliance with the legal prerequisites establishing the court's power to render the judgment." Walton v. Rogers, 860 F.2d 1081 (6th Cir. 1988). A default judgment "is a drastic step which should be resorted to only in the most extreme cases." United Coin Meter Co. v. ......
  • McBroom v. HR Dir. Franklin Cnty. Bd. of Elections
    • United States
    • U.S. District Court — Southern District of Ohio
    • January 10, 2014
    ...granted by the Court (Doc. 16). Accordingly, there is no basis to grant a motion for default judgment. See Walton v. Rogers, No. 88-3307, 860 F.2d 1081, at *1 (6th Cir. Oct. 19, 1988) ("Default judgments are disfavored, and there must be strict compliance with the legal prerequisites establ......
  • Trs. of the Laborers' Dist. Council v. Massie
    • United States
    • U.S. District Court — Southern District of Ohio
    • April 25, 2014
    ...Cty. Bd. of Elections, No. 2:12-CV-01074, 2014 WL 116369, at * 5 (S.D. Ohio Jan. 14, 2014) (citing Walton v. Rogers, No. 88-3307, 860 F.2d 1081, at *1 (6th Cir. Oct. 19, 1988). Moreover,[w]hen considering whether to enter a default judgment, a court should take into account: 1) possible pre......
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