Megginson v. The City of New York
- John Koeltl
- 1:22-cv-00051
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 3
In Megginson v. The City of New York, Magistrate Judge Gorenstein denied part of the City’s stay request and temporarily stayed other deadlines pending the plaintiff’s response.
Michael E. Megginson, the City of New York, and the individually named defendants were affected by the temporary changes to case deadlines. The order required the City to comply with the March 2, 2022 order by June 1, 2022, except that the deadline for any served defendant to answer was stayed, and temporarily stayed other deadlines while Megginson considered whether to respond.
What happened
In Megginson v. The City of New York, Michael E. Megginson alleged that correction officers used excessive force and failed to provide needed medical care after spraying him with chemical spray, hitting him with a shield, and leaving him shackled in a shower. The City asked the court to pause the case while the New York City Department of Correction investigated.
The City said the investigation could affect whether its lawyers could represent the individual defendants and could limit access to information needed to respond to the amended complaint. It also argued that a temporary pause would not unfairly harm Megginson.
Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein denied the request to pause the deadline for complying with an earlier order, except for the deadline for any served defendant to answer. He temporarily paused the other deadlines so Megginson could submit a letter stating his position within seven days.
The detailed version
- Megginson v. The City of New York · No. 1:22-cv-00051
- John Koeltl
- May 19, 2022
Background
Michael E. Megginson brought claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against correction-related defendants. In his amended complaint, he named the City of New York, Captain Cesar, Captain Christian, Correction Officer Rhooms, and one John Doe defendant. He alleged that the defendants, along with other correction officers and captains, used excessive force and were deliberately indifferent to his medical needs when they sprayed him with OC spray, struck him with a shield, and left him shackled in a shower.
The City asked the court to stay, or pause, the action and all deadlines while the New York City Department of Correction investigated the incident. The City stated that the investigation was open and ongoing. It argued that the investigation could affect whether the Office of Corporation Counsel could represent the individual defendants, and that legal protections concerning investigative materials limited the City’s ability to interview officers and obtain documents, recordings, and other information needed to respond to the amended complaint.
Ruling
The court did not decide whether Megginson’s excessive-force or medical-care allegations were legally or factually valid. The court denied the request to stay the deadline for complying with the March 2, 2022 order, except with respect to the deadline for any served defendant to answer. The City was ordered to comply with that March 2 order by June 1, 2022. As to the other deadlines, the court temporarily stayed them so that Megginson could file a letter stating his position on the City’s request, if he wished, within seven days. The order was signed by Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein.
Read the full 3-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.