Brown v. County of San Bernardino

250 F. Supp. 3d 568, 2017 WL 1398639, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 59250
CourtDistrict Court, C.D. California
DecidedApril 17, 2017
DocketNO. ED CV 15-294-CJC(E)
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 250 F. Supp. 3d 568 (Brown v. County of San Bernardino) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brown v. County of San Bernardino, 250 F. Supp. 3d 568, 2017 WL 1398639, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 59250 (C.D. Cal. 2017).

Opinion

ORDER ADOPTING FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

CORMAC J. CARNEY, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. section 636, the Court has reviewed the Third Amended Complaint, all of the records herein and the attached Report and Recommendation of United States Magistrate Judge. Further, the Court has engaged in a de novo review of those portions of the Report and Recommendation to which any objections have been made. The Court accepts and adopts the Magistrate Judge’s Report and Recommendation.

IT IS ORDERED that Judgment shall be entered in favor of Defendants.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Clerk serve forthwith a copy of this Order, the Magistrate Judge’s Report and Recommendation and the Judgment of this date on Plaintiff and counsel for Defendants.

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION OF UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

CHARLES F. EICK, UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

This Report and Recommendation is submitted to the Honorable Cormac J. Carney, United States District Judge, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. section 636 and General Order 06-07 of the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

BACKGROUND

On February 19, 2015, Plaintiff filed a pro se civil rights Complaint for damages pursuant to 42 U.S.C. section Í983. The Complaint named as Defendants the County of San Bernardino, the San Bernardino Sheriffs Department Big Bear Lake Station, Deputy Sheriff Scott Burton, Deputy Sheriff Travis Wijnhamer, Deputy Sheriff Tom Hollenbaugh and five “John Doe” Defendants. Plaintiff purported to sue the individual Defendants in their individual and official capacities.

On March 9, 2015, the Court issued an “Order Dismissing Complaint With Leave to Amend.” On April 8, 2015 Plaintiff filed a First Amended Complaint.

On April 16, 2015, the Court issued an “Order Dismissing Certain Claims From First Amended Complaint.” The April 16, 2015 Order dismissed without leave to amend and with prejudice Plaintiffs Mo-nell claims1 against the County of San Bernardino and the San Bernardino Sheriffs Department Big Bear Lake station, as well as Plaintiffs official capacity claims against the individual Defendants.

On June -29, 2015, Defendants Burton, Wijnhamer and Hollenbaugh filed a “Motion to Dismiss for Failure to State a Claim, etc.” On August 3, 2015, Plaintiff filed an’ Opposition to the Motion to Dismiss. On August 19, 2015, the moving Defendants filed a Reply. On August 25, 2015, the Court issued an “Order Dismissing First Amended Complaint With Leave to [572]*572Amend.” On September 24, 2015, Plaintiff filed a Second Amended Complaint,

On October 7, 2015, Defendants filed a Motion to Dismiss the Second Amended Complaint. On December 11, 2015, Plaintiff filed an Opposition to the Motion to Dismiss. On December 26, 2015, the Court issued an “Order re Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss Second Amended Complaint.” The Order: (1) dismissed Plaintiffs state law claims without leave to amend but without prejudice; (2) dismissed Plaintiffs Second Amendment claims and Eighth Amendment claims without leave to amend and with prejudice; and (3) otherwise dismissed the Second Amended Complaint with leave to amend.

On January 25, 2016, Plaintiff filed a Third Amended Complaint, the operative pleading. The Third Amended Complaint names as. Defendants Scott Burton, Tom Hollenbaugh and Travis Wijnhamer, sued in their individual capacities only (“Defendants”). On February 17, 2016, Defendants filed an Answer.

On October 31, 2016, Defendants filed a “Motion for Summary Judgment bn Plaintiffs Third Amended Complaint” (“Motion for Summary Judgment”). On November 30, 2016, Plaintiff' filed an “Opposition to Defendants^] Motion for Summary Judgment, etc.” (“Opposition”). On December 14, 2016, Defendants filed a “Reply to Opposition, etc.”

On January 3, 2017, Plaintiff filed “Plaintiffs Corrected Opposition to Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment, etc.” (“Corrected Opposition”). On January 9, 2017, Plaintiff filed a “Submission of Evidence in Support of Plaintiffs Corrected Opposition, etc.” (“Plaintiffs Submission of Evidence”). On January 10, 2017, Defendants filed an “Objection to Plaintiffs Corrected Opposition, etc.”

SUMMARY OF ALLEGATIONS OF THIRD AMENDED COMPLAINT

The unverified Third Amended Complaint alleges:

On February 16, 2013, at 9:30 p.m. Plaintiff went to. the apartment of her then boyfriend in Sugarloaf, California (Third Amended Complaint, p. 4, ¶7). Upon Plaintiffs arrival, an ex-boyfriend of Plaintiff who lived in a basement apartment at the same location began to argue with Plaintiff (id.). Plaintiffs then boyfriend, the apartment tenant,: allegedly called the Big Bear Lake Sheriffs Department to have Plaintiffs ex-boyfriend escorted from the home for Plaintiffs protection “due to incident two days prior.... ”
At 10:15 p.m. Deputies Burton, Wi-jnhamer and ' Hollenbaugh arrived. Plaintiff and the tenant explained to the deputies that the man who had caused the disturbance had already -fled and that “there was no problem anymore and plaintiff had a ride home when needed,” Defendant Burton grabbed Plaintiff by the right arm and, assisted by Defendants Wijnhamer and Hollen-baugh, forcibly dragged Plaintiff outside of the residence, placed Plaintiff under arrest and handcuffed Plaintiff, “without plaintiffs consent nor boyfriend’s command” and without a search warrant or court order. Plaintiff was not on probation or parole and was not a danger or threat to herself or others. ■
Burton, the arresting officer, drove Plaintiff to the San Bernardino main jail. Subsequently,, while at .the jail overnight, Plaintiff was stripped naked, strapped into a low chair and injected with' an unknown drug. Plaintiff was left alone all night, strapped naked to the chair. Plaintiff did not consent to anything done to her during this ordeal.
[573]*573The next morning, a deputy whom Plaintiff “believes” was Defendant Burton drove Plaintiff to the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center -[“ARMC”] mental ward. Plaintiff was held at the hospital until February 21, 2013, without need and without Plaintiffs consent.
Defendant Burton had arrested Plaintiff for a violation of California Penal Code section 138(a)(1), obstructing or delaying an officer. The court dismissed the charge in the interest of justice.
Plaintiff alleges Defendant Burton violated Plaintiffs constitutional rights by arresting Plaintiff, “without probable cause, a search warrant or court order, nor [sic] plaintiffs consent, nor (at) [sic] tenant’s' command.” Deputies Wijnhamer and Hollenbaugh assisted Burton in the unlawful arrest. Plaintiff seeks damages for the cost of transportation back to her home and damages for mental and emotional distress, including nightmares, fear of driving at night and fear of law enforcement, in the total sum of $5,000,050.

DEFENDANTS’ CONTENTIONS

Defendants contend that probable cause existed to arrest Plaintiff and to detain and refér Plaintiff for mental health treatment.

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250 F. Supp. 3d 568, 2017 WL 1398639, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 59250, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brown-v-county-of-san-bernardino-cacd-2017.