Bowen v. County of Westchester

706 F. Supp. 2d 475, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43068, 2010 WL 1529397
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedMarch 31, 2010
DocketCase 07-CV-6277 (KMK)
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 706 F. Supp. 2d 475 (Bowen v. County of Westchester) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bowen v. County of Westchester, 706 F. Supp. 2d 475, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43068, 2010 WL 1529397 (S.D.N.Y. 2010).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

KENNETH M. KARAS, District Judge:

Plaintiff Indira Bowen, and her children, Plaintiffs Mia Bowen and Raylyn Fairclough (collectively, “Plaintiffs”), bring this action alleging violation of their Fourth Amendment rights, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, as well as the New York Constitution, and the commission of common law torts. As defendants, Plaintiffs name the County of Westchester, the Town of Greenburgh, and John Does 1-10 (collectively, “Defendants”). The Doe Defendants are employees of the two named Defendants. The County of Westchester and the Town of Greenburgh have each moved for summary judgment. 1 For the forgoing reasons, both motions are granted.

I. Background

A. Facts

This suit arises from a search of Plaintiffs’ home conducted by police officers employed by the Town of Greenburgh and officers of the Westchester County Department of Probation (“WCDP”) on October 7, 2004. (Def. Greenburgh’s Statement of Undisputed Material Facts Pursuant to Local Rule 56.1 (“Green-burgh 56.1”) ¶¶ 20-37; Def. Westchester’s Rule 56.1 Statement (“Westchester 56.1”) ¶ 46.) 2 The Greenburgh officers were executing a search order obtained by WCDP officers. (Westchester 56.1 ¶¶29-30.) The target of the search was Roylin *480 Fairclough, the father of Plaintiff Raylyn Fairclough. (Id ¶¶22, 39.) The search order was issued for Plaintiffs’ apartment at 5 Maple Street (and another residence believed to be used by Roylin Fairclough’s mother) based on the affidavit of Westchester Probation Officer Lorin Stapleton (“PO Stapleton”), which asserted his belief that Mr. Fairclough resided both at that address with Plaintiffs and at another address with his mother. (Id ¶ 28.) Plaintiffs contend that PO Staple-ton had no basis to assert that Mr. Fairclough resided (even on a part-time basis) with Plaintiffs. (Pis’ Statement in Accordance with Local Rule 56.1 and in Resp. and Opp. to Def. Westchester County’s Mot. for Summ. J. (“Pis.’ 56.1 in Resp. to Westchester”) ¶ 28.)

PO Stapleton believed that Mr. Fairclough resided with Plaintiffs based on the following undisputed facts. On September 8, 2004, Detective Kenneth Schaeffer, a Westchester Police Officer and a member of an FBI Violent Crimes Task Force, contacted PO Stapleton concerning Mr. Fairclough, a WCDP probationer. (Westchester 56.1 ¶ 20.) The FBI Task Force suspected that Mr. Fairclough was a member of a twenty-six person conspiracy to traffic narcotics and firearms, and had evidence that he had sold a nine millimeter pistol to an undercover officer. (Id ¶ 23(a).) In fact, PO Stapleton was informed that Roylin Fairclough had been named in a sealed indictment in federal court. (Id) At the time that PO Stapleton learned all of this, Roylin Fairclough was serving five years’ probation for being convicted of Attempted Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in New York State Supreme Court for Westchester County. (Id ¶ 21(a).) The Pre-Sentence report submitted in that case described Roylin Fairclough as a “young man with an extensive history of highly violent acts.” (Id) PO Stapleton was aware that Fairclough lived at 123 Tarryhill Way in White Plains, New York (id ¶ 21(a)), and that Fairclough’s daughter, Plaintiff Raylyn Fairclough, and her mother, Plaintiff Indira Bowen, resided at 5 Maple Street, located within 100 yards of 123 Tarryhill Way. (Id ¶ 21(c)-(d).)

WCDP files indicated that Roylin Fairclough had an ongoing relationship with his daughter and Ms. Bowen (id ¶ 22), although the Parties now dispute “the degree of the relationship.” (Pis.’ 56.1 in Resp. to Westchester ¶ 22.) In particular, the WCDP files that PO Stapleton indisputably reviewed indicated that Plaintiff Bowen was referred to as Roylin Fairclough’s “girlfriend,” that Roylin Fairclough had claimed to have provided support to his and Bowen’s child, Raylin, “on [his] own,” and not due to any court orders, and that Roylin Fairclough had excused himself from court-ordered treatment “to watch his child.” (Westchester 56.1 ¶ 21(c)-(e).) Based on this information, PO Stapleton believed that Roylin Fairclough had an “ongoing relationship” with Bowen and Raylin Fairclough.

Detective Kenneth Schaeffer also informed PO Stapleton that the FBI Task Force had a police source who indicated that Mr. Fairclough was also residing at 5 Maple Street, with his daughter and her mother. (Westchester 56.1 ¶ 23(d).) Although Plaintiffs claim this information was false, they do not dispute that the source provided the information to the FBI Task Force, or that Detective Schaeffer relayed it to PO Stapleton. (Pis.’ 56.1 in Resp. to Westchester ¶ 23(d).). Based on the information summarized above, PO Stapleton and his superior, Assistant Commissioner James O’Shea, decided to seek a court order to search both of Mr. Fairclough’s reported residences, 123 Terryhill Way and 5 Maple Street. (Westchester 56.1 ¶ 25.) It was important that the order authorize searches of both Mr. Fairc *481 lough’s believed residences because the FBI Task Force, having obtained a sealed indictment of Mr. Fairclough and others, hoped to arrest each of the twenty-six co-conspirators at the same time. (Id. ¶ 23(c).) 3

PO Stapleton drafted an affidavit for a search order based on the above information, and submitted it to Assistant Commissioner O’Shea and Deputy Commissioner Jacolyn Levin, who reviewed it for form and legal sufficiency. (Id. ¶¶ 26-30.) Specifically, PO Stapleton noted Mr. Fairelough’s prior conviction (Gallagher Decl. Ex. E ¶ 4), his probation (id. ¶¶ 4-5), the FBI Task Force’s investigation of the gang with whom Mr. Fairclough was allegedly involved (id. ¶ 7), and Mr. Fairclough’s alleged sale of a handgun to an undercover officer (id.). PO Stapleton further stated that Mr. Fairclough “currently maintains two addresses as per field observations conducted by members of the Westchester County Department of Public Safety/FBI Violent Crime Task Force as well as based upon statements made by [Fairclough] to Probation Officer Sandra Molinari.” (Id. ¶ 9.) 4 PO Stapleton stated that those addresses were 123 Tarryhill Way and 5 Maple St. (Id.) The affidavit indicated that “all of the information [it] contained” was “based either upon [PO Stapleton’s] knowledge as gained through the records and files of [WCDP] as well as [sic] upon information obtained from the Westchester County Department of Public Safety.” (Id. ¶ 3.)

PO Stapleton’s affidavit was also reviewed by Detective Schaeffer and Assistant County Attorney Richard Harris. (Id. ¶¶ 33-36.) PO Stapleton and Assistant County Attorney Harris then submitted the search order application to Judge Robert DiBella who questioned PO Stapleton. After PO Stapleton spoke with Detective Shaeffer to confirm certain information, Judge DiBella signed the Order. (Id. ¶¶ 37-39.)

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
706 F. Supp. 2d 475, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43068, 2010 WL 1529397, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bowen-v-county-of-westchester-nysd-2010.