Blevens v. Town of Bow

USCA1 Opinion




April 25, 1995 [NOT FOR PUBLICATION]
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT





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No. 94-2177

KENNETH E. BLEVENS, SR., ET AL.,

Plaintiffs, Appellants,

v.

TOWN OF BOW, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ET AL.,

Defendants, Appellees.


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APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

[Hon. Shane Devine, Senior U.S. District Judge] __________________________

____________________

Before

Torruella, Chief Judge, ___________
Selya and Stahl, Circuit Judges. ______________

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John E. Laboe and Laboe Associates on brief for appellants. _____________ ________________
Gary B. Richardson and Upton, Sanders & Smith on brief for appellees. __________________ ______________________


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Per Curiam. Appellants Kenneth Blevens, Sr., ____________

Christopher Blevens, and Kenneth Blevens, Jr. appeal the

grant of appellees' motion for summary judgment on

appellants' federal claims and the dismissal of appellants'

state claims without prejudice. Appellants seek relief,

pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 1983 and state law, for alleged

violations of their rights arising out actions by appellees

Town of Bow, members of its planning board, and its town

planner. We affirm essentially for the reasons given in the

district court order dated October 12, 1994. We add only the

following.

Even if we assume arguendo that appellees violated the ________

Blevens' property rights by, in effect, consolidating

historically separate lots in October 1991, thereby

establishing a violation of their rights to procedural due

process, the Blevenses must also show that they lacked

adequate postdeprivation remedies for the alleged deprivation

of their property rights. See Licari v. Ferruzzi, 22 F.3d ___ ______ ________

344, 347 (1st Cir. 1994) (no violation of right to procedural

due process where adequate postdeprivation remedies are

available). In the instant case, the Blevenses failed even

to seek, pursuant to state law, relief from the town planning

board, the board of adjustment, or the superior court. See ___

N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. 676:4; 676:5; 677:15.

"[A]ppellants cannot complain of a violation of procedural



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due process rights when appellants have made no attempt to

avail themselves of existing state procedures." Boston ______

Environmental Sanitation Inspectors Asso. v. Boston, 794 F.2d ________________________________________ ______

12, 13 (1st Cir. 1986).

The judgment of the district court is summarily _________

affirmed. See 1st Cir. Loc. R. 27.1. ________ ____









































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