James Carmi v. City of St. Ann , 22 F. App'x 674 ( 2001 )


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  •                    United States Court of Appeals
    FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT
    ___________
    No. 01-1041
    ___________
    James M. Carmi,                           *
    *
    Appellant,                    *
    *
    v.                                  *
    *
    City of St. Ann, Missouri, a Municipal    *
    corporation; City of Overland,            *
    Missouri, a Municipal corporation; City   *
    of Bridgeton, Missouri, a Municipal       *
    corporation; City of Hazelwood,           *
    Missouri, a Municipal corporation; City   *
    of Florissant, Missouri, a Municipal      *
    corporation; Carl Wolff, as an            *
    individual and in his capacity as the     *
    Chairman of the NorthWest                 *   Appeal from the United States
    Multijurisdictional Enforcement Group,    *   District Court for the
    (NWMEG);                                  *   Eastern District of Missouri
    *
    Appellees,                    *    [UNPUBLISHED]
    *
    Unknown Rogers, Detective, NWMEG;         *
    *
    Defendant,                    *
    *
    Unknown Drews, Detective, NWMEG;          *
    Unknown Bingilli, Detective,              *
    NWMEG; Unknown Albers, Detective,         *
    NWMEG; Andrew Eagan, Detective,           *
    *
    Appellees.                    *
    ___________
    Submitted: October 5, 2001
    Filed: December 3, 2001
    ___________
    Before McMILLIAN, MORRIS SHEPPARD ARNOLD, and BYE, Circuit Judges.
    ___________
    PER CURIAM.
    James M. Carmi appeals from the final judgment entered in the District Court1
    for the Eastern District of Missouri granting summary judgment to appellees in his
    42 U.S.C. § 1983 action. For reversal, Carmi argues the district court erred in
    denying his motion to strike appellees’ summary judgment motions and in granting
    summary judgment to appellees. For the reasons discussed below, we affirm the
    judgment of the district court.
    We find no abuse of discretion in the district court’s denial of Carmi’s motion
    to strike. See Chock v. Northwest Airlines, Inc., 
    113 F.3d 861
    , 863 (8th Cir. 1997).
    Upon de novo review, we conclude that the grant of summary judgment was
    appropriate. See Cooper v. Olin Corp., 
    246 F.3d 1083
    , 1087 (8th Cir. 2001). Carmi’s
    Alford plea extinguished his arrest and search claims. See Williams v. Schario, 
    93 F.3d 527
    , 528-29 (8th Cir. 1996) (per curiam). In any event, appellees did not violate
    Carmi’s federal rights by arresting and searching him in the circumstances of this
    case. See United States v. Thompson, 
    210 F.3d 855
    , 860 (8th Cir. 2000) (probable
    cause to make warrantless arrest requires officers to make reasonable inference from
    facts known to them), cert. denied, 
    121 S. Ct. 1658
    (2001); United States v. Dawdy,
    1
    The Honorable Mary Ann L. Medler, United States Magistrate Judge for the
    Eastern District of Missouri, to whom the case was referred for final disposition by
    consent of the parties pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(c).
    -2-
    
    46 F.3d 1427
    , 1430 (8th Cir.) (once police arrested defendant, they could search his
    person and car), cert. denied, 
    516 U.S. 872
    (1995); see also Marler v. Mo. State Bd.
    of Optometry, 
    102 F.3d 1453
    , 1457 (8th Cir. 1996) (violation of state law without
    more does not state federal constitutional or § 1983 claim).
    We also conclude that appellees did not violate Carmi’s federal procedural due
    process rights in connection with the seizure of property taken from him at the time
    of his arrest. See Hudson v. Palmer, 
    468 U.S. 517
    , 534 (1984) (“controlling inquiry
    is solely whether the state is in a position to provide for predeprivation process”).
    Further, we find that Carmi’s available postdeprivation remedies under state law
    foreclose any federal claims related to appellees’ alleged wrongful post-arrest
    retention of the property. See 
    id. at 536.
    Last, we conclude that Carmi’s excessive force claim was not raised in his
    complaint.
    Accordingly, we affirm. We deny Carmi’s motion to strike appellees’ brief.
    A true copy.
    Attest:
    CLERK, U.S. COURT OF APPEALS, EIGHTH CIRCUIT.
    -3-