Meadows v. Oklahoma City City of et al

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE
WESTERN DISTRICT OF OKLAHOMA
CORTEZ MEADOWS, )
)
Plaintiff, )
)
v. ) Case No. CIV-24-981-G
)
CITY OF OKLAHOMA CITY et al., )
)
Defendants. )
ORDER
On September 23, 2024, Plaintiff Cortez Meadows, appearing pro se, initiated this
federal civil rights action, bringing claims against nine defendants pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §
1983. See Compl. (Doc. No. 1). Several of the defendants have appeared and moved for
dismissal. See Doc. Nos. 9, 14, 24.
Plaintiff’s allegations arise from his 1999 conviction in Oklahoma City Municipal
Court and the defendants’ alleged misconduct in connection with that conviction. See
Compl. at 2-4. In support of his claims, Plaintiff highlights the fact that on May 7, 2024,
the District Court of Oklahoma County ordered that the 1999 conviction and sentence be
made invalid, “Expunged,” and “Destroyed.” Meadows v. City of Okla. City, No. CV-
2024-867 (Okla. Cnty. Dist. Ct. May 7, 2024) (order) (Doc. No. 1-4); see Compl. at 5.
The Court takes judicial notice that, since the commencement of this action, both
Plaintiff and the City of Oklahoma City—who is also a defendant herein—have sought
relief in the Oklahoma County District Court case that could materially affect the terms or
validity of the expungement order relied upon in the Complaint. Specifically, Plaintiff is
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seeking modification of the May 7, 2024 expungement order, while the City of Oklahoma
City is requesting that the court vacate the expungement altogether.1
A federal district court’s “broad discretion to stay proceedings,” Clinton v. Jones,
520 U.S. 681, 706 (1997), is inherent in its power to “control the disposition of the causes
on its docket with economy of time and effort for itself, for counsel, and for litigants,”
Landis v. N. Am. Co., 229 U.S. 248, 254 (1936); see also Fed. Deposit Ins. Corp. v. First
Nat’l Bank & Tr. Co. of Okla. City, 496 F. Supp. 291, 293 (W.D. Okla. 1978). In light of
the ongoing state-court proceedings, and having weighed the “competing interests,” the
Court finds that a stay of proceedings is warranted and appropriate.
CONCLUSION
IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that this case is STAYED and administratively
closed pending further order of the Court. The parties shall inform the Court in writing
when proceedings on Plaintiff’s state-court expungement proceedings have concluded.
IT IS SO ORDERED this 18th day of August, 2025.
1 The case docket for Meadows v. City of Oklahoma City is publicly available through
https://oscn.net.
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