Fares Pawn, LLC v. Indiana Dept. of Financial Institutions

Dist. Ct. did not err in granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment in section 1983 action alleging that defendant violated equal protection clause by initially denying plaintiff’s pawn shop license application and then granting said license only after plaintiff agreed not to hire individual with criminal history as manager of plaintiff’s pawn shop. None of plaintiff’s proposed three comparatives were suitable comparatives where: (1) defendant was unaware at time of one comparative’s application that its manager had criminal history; (2) second comparative’s “bad acts” concerned valid self-defense claim not at issue in plaintiff’s application; and (3) third comparative, like plaintiff, also was required to sign memorandum agreeing not to hire individual with criminal history.