Shane Michael Backes v. Christine Renee Wojtasik, Individually

United States Court of Appeals
For the Eighth Circuit
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No. 25-2581
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Shane Michael Backes
lllllllllllllllllllllPlaintiff - Appellant
v.
Christine Renee Wojtasik, Individually and in her official capacity as
Administrator of the Judiciary for the Office of the State Court Administrator of Missouri
lllllllllllllllllllllDefendant - Appellee
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Appeal from United States District Court
for the Western District of Missouri - Jefferson City
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Submitted: March 12, 2026
Filed: March 17, 2026
[Unpublished]
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Before SHEPHERD, KELLY, and ERICKSON, Circuit Judges.
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PER CURIAM.
Shane Michael Backes appeals following the district court’s1 dismissal of his
42 U.S.C. § 1983 action as barred by the Rooker-Feldman2 doctrine. After careful
consideration of the record, and setting aside whether Backes raised any independent
claims that did not seek to overturn the state court’s judgment, we conclude that he
failed to state a claim, and we affirm on that basis. See Arseneau v. Pudlowski, 110
F.4th 1114, 1117 (8th Cir. 2024) (bypassing “murky” Rooker-Feldman issue for easy
resolution on merits, as doctrine is matter of statutory rather than Article III standing);
Fullington v. Pfizer, Inc., 720 F.3d 739, 747 (8th Cir. 2013) (court of appeals may
affirm for any reason supported by record); see also Kvalvog v. Park Christian Sch.,
Inc., 66 F.4th 1147, 1152-53 (8th Cir. 2023) (Rooker-Feldman does not bar
jurisdiction if plaintiff presents some independent claim). Backes alleged that the
defendant engaged in misconduct related to a state court custody proceeding, but his
conclusory allegations did not provide adequate support for his claim that the
purported misconduct violated his due process and equal protection rights. See
Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (complaint does not suffice if it offers
labels and conclusions, or tenders naked assertions devoid of factual enhancement;
complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to state claim
plausible on its face, and contain more than accusations of unlawful harm).
Accordingly, we affirm. See 8th Cir. R. 47B. We also deny Backes’s pending
motion.
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1The Honorable Beth Phillips, then Chief Judge, now United States District
Judge for the Western District of Missouri.
2Rooker v. Fidelity Tr. Co., 263 U.S. 413 (1923); D.C. Ct. Of Appeals v.
Feldman, 460 U.S. 462 (1983).
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