Bair v. Snohomish County

District Court, W.D. Washington·Decided February 2, 2021·No. 2:19-cv-00998·Unknown

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE AT SEATTLE ) CHERYL BAIR, ) CASE NO. 2:19-cv-00998-BJR ) Plaintiff, ) ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND ) DENYING IN PART DEFENDANT v. ) SNOHOMISH COUNTY AND ) DEFENDANT SISAWO’S MOTIONS SNOHOMISH COUNTY, et al., ) FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT; DENYING ) PLAINTIFF’S MOTIONS FOR PARTIAL Defendants. ) SUMMARY JUDGMENT; HOLDING IN ) ABEYANCE DEFENDANT SISAWO’S ) MOTION TO EXCLUDE; AND ) ORDERING PROPOSED CASE ____________________________________) SCHEDULE

Plaintiff Cheryl Bair brings the current suit claiming she was assaulted by Snohomish County Jail staff, and her wounds left unattended for two days while she remained in the Jail, after an alleged, but uncharged, DUI arrest. She sues two sets of defendants; first, the County and its employees (collectively, the “Snohomish Defendants”) who she claims were responsible for the assault and her subsequent neglect and, second, Defendant Hamadi Sisawo, a Registered Nurse, who at the time of Plaintiff’s jailing worked as a contractor at the Jail and examined Plaintiff for fitness for jail. 1 Currently before the Court are five separate motions: the County/Snohomish Defendants and Nurse Sisawo each bring their own Motions for Summary Judgment,1 see Dkt. Nos. 64 (“Snohomish Mot.”), 95 (“Sisawo Mot.”),2 and Plaintiff brings a Motion for Partial Summary Judgment against each set of Defendants, see Dkt. Nos. 87 (“Pl.’s Sisawo Mot. ”), 91 (“Pl.’s Snohomish Mot.”). Additionally, Nurse Sisawo brings a Motion to Exclude Opinions and Testimony of Alexis Telles, one of Plaintiff’s expert witnesses. Dkt. No. 97 (“Mot. to Exclude”).3 All parties agree, however, that at least some disputes of fact exist preventing full summary judgment and necessitating a trial. Having reviewed the Motions, the oppositions thereto, the record of the case, and the relevant legal authorities, the Court will grant in part and deny in part the County/Snohomish Defendants and Nurse Sisawo’s Motions for Summary Judgment, deny in full Plaintiff’s Motions, and hold in abeyance Nurse Sisawo’s Motion to Exclude. The reasoning for the Court’s decision follows. II. BACKGROUND A. Plaintiff’s Arrest Plaintiff reports that she has suffered from bipolar disorder and depression for most of her adult life. See Second Am. Compl., Dkt. No. 28, ¶ 59; see also Decl. of Cheryl Bair, Dkt. No. 78

1 The County/Snohomish Defendants’ move only for partial summary judgment as they concede to several disputes of fact regarding some of Plaintiff’s claims. See infra at 10–11. 2 Nurse Sisawo’s Motion requests oral argument. Sisawo Mot. at 1. The Court determines that oral argument is unnecessary to resolve the motions and will, therefore, deny the request. See Local Rules WD. Wash. LCR 7(b)(4) (“Unless otherwise ordered by the court, all motions will be decided by the court without oral argument.”). 3 The Snohomish Defendants join in Nurse Sisawo’s Motion to Exclude. See Snohomish County Defs.’ Resp. to Pl.’s Mot. for Summ. J., Dkt. No. 105 at 2 (“Resp. to Pl.’s Snohomish Mot.”). 2 ¶ 3 (“First Bair Decl.”); Decl. of Cheryl Bair, Dkt. No. 89. ¶ 3 (“Second Bair Decl.”). On July 14, 2017, she was driving in stop-and-go traffic when she rear-ended the car in front of her. While the airbags in her car deployed, Plaintiff claims she was not injured during the accident and her car was not damaged. First Bair Decl. ¶ 5; Second Bair Decl. ¶ 5. Washington State Troopers were called to the scene, including Trooper Willard Collier. In interacting with Plaintiff, Trooper Collier suspected she had been driving under the influence of a controlled substance as she was “talkative” but “lethargic,” occasionally slurred her speech, and had droopy, red eyes. Decl. of Emory Wogenstahl, Ex. B, Dkt. No. 96-2 at 7 (“DUI Arrest Report”). Plaintiff claims she was not under the influence, but had difficulty standing due to a hip replacement and several knee surgeries, and that the appearance of her eyes is a side effect of medication she is prescribed. First Bair Decl. ¶ 6; Second Bair Decl. ¶ 6. Trooper Collier administered a breathalyzer, which registered zero presence of alcohol. He then administered a field sobriety test, which Plaintiff allegedly failed. DUI Arrest Report at 7. Based on her failed field sobriety test, Trooper Collier placed Plaintiff under arrest and obtained a telephonic warrant for a blood test. Id. He also conducted a search of her vehicle subsequent to the arrest and found two prescription medication bottles, including one for Clonazepam, which is a type of benzodiazepine used to treat Plaintiff’s bipolar disorder. Id. B. First Visit to the Hospital Trooper Collier then transported Plaintiff to Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett to administer the blood test. See Decl. of Darryl Parker, Ex. D, Dkt. No. 77-1 at 51–66 (“July 14 Providence Regional Medical Center Records”); Decl. of Emory Wogenstahl, Ex. D, Dkt. No. 96-4 (“Toxicology Test Report”). While at the hospital, Defendants claim that Plaintiff’s 3 mood was “volatile” and that she refused medical examination or treatment by the doctors. Snohomish Mot. at 4; see also DUI Arrest Report at 7 (describing Plaintiff as having “mood swings” and “cursing allot” [sic]). Plaintiff claims that at no time during this hospital visit did she show signs of injury or intoxication and that she refused medical treatment because she knew she was uninjured. First Bair Decl. ¶ 7; Second Bair Decl. ¶ 7. Doctors administered the blood test, which confirmed the presence of Clonazepam in Plaintiff’s system, but no alcohol or other illegal drug. Toxicology Test Report at 3–4. While Plaintiff’s medical records from the hospital confirm that a full physical was not conducted, the doctor’s observations indicate that she was in good health, alert, without signs of head, face, or neck trauma, and was “breathing comfortably and speaking in full sentences.” July 14 Providence Regional Medical Center Records at 55, 61–62. C. Snohomish County Jail Trooper Willard then transported Plaintiff to the Snohomish County Jail, arriving at approximately 8:10 p.m. Snohomish Mot. at 5. There is a dispute of fact over what happened when County staff attempted to book Plaintiff into the Jail (hereinafter referred to as the “Booking Incident”). Defendants allege that during booking Plaintiff attempted to kick one of the corrections officers and, consequentially, she was restrained. See, e.g., id.; see also DUI Arrest Report at 7. Plaintiff, on the other hand, claims she was merely slow to respond to directions issued by the correctional officers because of her knee and hip. First Bair Decl. ¶¶ 9–13; Second Bair Decl. ¶¶ 9–13. She claims that Corrections Deputies (and Defendants) Olyntia Sewell, Taylor Jones, Scott Warnken, Sergeant Scott Lewis, and Lieutenant Robert Ogawa first slammed her against a wall, took her to the ground, and proceeded to land multiple blows to her face, torso, arms, and lower 4 body, causing her severe injury. No use of force report was written in relation to the incident, see Second Am. Compl. ¶ 26; Snohomish Mot. at 2, and Plaintiff claims she was not given a handbook or instructions on how to make a medical complaint or request medical care, Second Bair Decl. ¶ 14; see also Suppl. Decl. of Darryl Parker, Ex. A, Dkt. No. 111-1 at 2–6 (“Inmate Orientation Handbook” including instructions for inmates to submit formal requests for medical attention). Shortly after the Booking Incident, Defendants allege that Plaintiff made suicidal statements necessitating placing her on suicide watch, which entails corrections deputies conducting welfare checks every ten minutes and recording their observations in a log. See Decl. of David Hall, Ex. B, Dkt. No. 66 at 9–11 (“Suicide Watch Logs”). Inmates on suicide watch are also given a safety smock, which covers their bodies from shoulder to shin, and a blanket. Additionally, because she had been brought in on a suspected DUI, Plaintiff was placed on withdr

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