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Smith v. County of Riverside

United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Jun 22, 2005
135 F. App'x 966 (9th Cir. 2005)

Opinion

Submitted June 14, 2005.

The panel unanimously finds this case suitable for decision without oral argument. See Fed. R.App. P. 34(a)(2).

NOT FOR PUBLICATION. (See Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure Rule 36-3)

Michael Smith, Desert Hot Springs, CA, pro se.

Bruce E. Disenhouse, Kinkle, Rodiger & Spriggs, Riverside, CA, Christopher D. Lockwood, Arias Lockwood & Gray, San Bernadino, CA, for Defendants--Appellees.


Appeal from the United States District Court for the Central District of California; Robert J. Timlin, District Judge, Presiding.

Before KLEINFELD, TASHIMA, and THOMAS, Circuit Judges.

MEMORANDUM

This disposition is not appropriate for publication and may not be cited to or by the courts of this circuit except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3.

Michael Smith appeals pro se the district court's order dismissing his 42 U.S.C. § 1983 action alleging that various state and county officials deprived him of his constitutional rights when they removed

Page 967.

his daughter from his home following allegations of child abuse. We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291. We review de novo a dismissal pursuant to the Rooker-Feldman doctrine. See Noel v. Hall, 341 F.3d 1148, 1154 (9th Cir.2003). We vacate and remand.

The gravamen of Smith's federal action is that the county officials who removed Smith's minor daughter, Angela, from his home, and Judge Block, who presided over Smith's state action, violated his federal constitutional rights. In light of an intervening Supreme Court decision, Smith's action is not barred by the Rooker-Feldman doctrine because his complaint does not allege that the state court judgment was erroneous. See Exxon Mobil Corp. v. Saudi Basic Indus. Corp., --- U.S. ----, 125 S.Ct. 1517, 1521-22, 161 L.Ed.2d 454 (2005) (confining application of the Rooker-Feldman doctrine to state-court losers complaining of injuries caused by state-court judgments and seeking review and rejection of those judgments).

Smith's pending motions are denied.

VACATED and REMANDED.


Summaries of

Smith v. County of Riverside

United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Jun 22, 2005
135 F. App'x 966 (9th Cir. 2005)
Case details for

Smith v. County of Riverside

Case Details

Full title:Michael SMITH, individually and as Parent and Natural Guardian of Angela…

Court:United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

Date published: Jun 22, 2005

Citations

135 F. App'x 966 (9th Cir. 2005)