Brown v. Holladay

918 F. Supp. 2d 809, 2013 WL 147848, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5166
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Arkansas
DecidedJanuary 14, 2013
DocketCase No. 4:12-cv-164 KGB
StatusPublished

This text of 918 F. Supp. 2d 809 (Brown v. Holladay) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brown v. Holladay, 918 F. Supp. 2d 809, 2013 WL 147848, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5166 (E.D. Ark. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

KRISTINE G. BAKER, District Judge.

Plaintiff Kimberly Brown brings this action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §. 1983 and the Arkansas Civil Rights Act, Ark.Code Ann. § 16-123-101 et seq. (“ACRA”). She filed suit against defendants Sheriff Charles “Doc” Holladay, Randy Morgan, and Shawn Smith in their individual and official capacities. Ms. Brown alleges that she was discriminated against on the basis of her gender when she was terminated from the Pulaski County Sheriffs Office. Currently before the Court is defendants’ motion for summary judgment and request for qualified immunity (Dkt. No. 11). Ms. Brown responded (Dkt. No. 18), and defendants replied (Dkt. No. 21). For the reasons that follow, defendants’ motion for summary judgment is granted (Dkt. No. 11).

I. BACKGROUND

The following facts are undisputed unless stated otherwise.1 Ms. Brown worked at the Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility (“PCRDF”) from January 5, 2009, until her termination on April 28, 2010. Mr. Morgan is the Chief of Detention for [812]*812the Pulaski County Sheriffs Office. Mr. Morgan terminated Ms. Brown based on the authority delegated to him by Sheriff Holladay. Ms. Brown contends that Mr. Smith was involved in the decision to terminate her. Defendants deny this but acknowledge that Mr. Smith recommended Mr. Morgan hold an administrative meeting and attended that meeting in regard to Ms. Brown’s termination (Dkt. No. 13, at 2).

On April 17, 2010, Ms. Brown was working in the U-Unit of the PCRDF. Deon Earnest, an inmate at the PCRDF, was going back to his cell when he stopped at the deputy’s station and asked to use a pencil sharpener. Another deputy, William Owens, was working with Ms. Brown and was at the computer behind the deputy station. Mr. Earnest told the deputies that he had ten pencils to sharpen. Ms. Brown noticed that some of Mr. Earnest’s pencils were already sharp, so Ms. Brown told Mr. Earnest that he could sharpen two pencils. Agitated, Mr. Earnest insisted on sharpening all ten pencils. Ms. Brown then placed the pencil sharpener behind the desk and ordered Mr. Earnest to go to his cell.

Mr. Earnest did not comply with Ms. Brown’s order and stated that no one was going to touch him or spray him with “OC spray” (Dkt. No. 19, at 2). Ms. Brown “started around the deputy station to call for a sergeant, and [Mr.] Owens stood up and started to walk around the other side of the station” (Dkt. No. 19, at 2). Growing more agitated, Mr. Earnest removed his shirt, told the deputies to “look at his charges,” warned them that he was “not playing,” threatened that the deputies were “going down tonight” and would “both die” (Dkt. No. 19, at 2). Mr. Owens then ordered Mr. Earnest to go to his cell. Mr. Owens reached for his pepper spray.

Ms. Brown called a “Code Blue,” which means deputy needs assistance (Dkt. No. 13, at 2-3). Ms. Brown contends that she was forced to step away from the incident with Mr. Owens and Mr. Earnest to call the Code Blue because another deputy, Mr. Garringer, stationed in the T/U Unit Control Booth, should have made the call but did not do so (Dkt. 19, at 3). Ms. Brown stated at her termination hearing that, as Mr. Owens was pulling his spray, she was simultaneously pulling out her radio to call a Code Blue. Ms. Brown states, however, that by the time she called the Code Blue, Mr. Earnest was already hitting Mr. Owens and had already knocked him down (Dkt. No. 12-7, at 15).

At this time, Ms. Brown came back around to the front of the deputy station. Mr. Earnest, with the pencils still in his hand, hit Mr. Owens in the face several times. Mr. Owens fell backwards to the floor with his head propped on a windowsill. Mr. Earnest stomped his foot on Mr. Owens’s face several times, broke Mr. Owens’s glasses, and severely injured him. Mr. Earnest straddled Mr. Owens and punched him.

After calling the Code Blue, Ms. Brown ordered Mr. Earnest to cease his attack and pulled her pepper spray. At that point, Mr. Earnest discontinued his attack on Mr. Owens, but, when Ms. Brown pointed her pepper spray at Mr. Earnest, Mr. Earnest gained control of Mr. Owens’s pepper spray and pointed it at Ms. Brown. Mr. Earnest threatened Ms. Brown by saying “come on bitch you’re next” (Dkt. No. 19, at 2). Ms. Brown ordered Mr. Earnest to step away from Mr. Owens and come to her position. Mr. Earnest began moving toward Ms. Brown. Ms. Brown wanted to get Mr. Earnest away from Mr. Owens. Ms. Brown did not want to force Mr. Earnest to the ground while he was straddling Mr. Owens because she was afraid doing so would break Mr. Owens’s neck.

[813]*813At this point, Sergeant Patterson came into the unit, and Mr. Earnest stopped advancing toward Ms. Brown. When Ms. Patterson entered the unit, Ms. Brown was standing by the deputy station near the deputy bathroom, Mr. Earnest was standing by the “outside activity” and Mr. Owens was on the floor between Mr. Earnest’s legs (Dkt. No. 19, at 3). Ms. Brown informed Ms. Patterson that Mr. Earnest was in possession of Mr. Owens’s pepper spray. Mr. Earnest dropped the canister. Mr. Earnest allowed Ms. Patterson to handcuff him but warned that “no one is going to touch me” (Dkt. No. 19, at 2). Mr. Earnest was still straddling Mr. Owens when Ms. Patterson handcuffed him. Ms. Patterson instructed Ms. Brown to call someone about Mr. Owens. Ms. Brown called “Central Control,” but no one answered (Dkt. No. 19, at 2). At some point after that, nursing staff entered the unit and began treating Mr. Owens.

In regard to Ms. Brown’s contention that she had to call the Code Blue because Mr. Garringer did not, Mr. Garringer was stationed in the T/U Unit Control Booth, which provides a view of both housing units. When asked about this incident, he reported that he called Ms. Patterson at 5:20 p.m. to report that Mr. Owens and Ms. Brown were talking to Mr. Earnest. According to Mr. Garringer’s report of the incident, when he hung up the phone and turned around, he saw the attack. He asserted in his report that he saw Ms. Brown “standing at the deputy station, [and that she] seemed to be watching and just frozen in place” (Dkt. No. 19, at 3). Ms. Brown asserts that Mr. Garringer’s report and the statements therein are false. Ms. Brown also asserts that Mr. Garringer failed to comply with jail policy that required him “to maintain watch and call a Code Blue immediately upon seeing conflict as [Ms. Brown] described” (Dkt. No. 19, at 3).

At Mr. Morgan’s direction, Lieutenant Martin reviewed the videotape captured at the time of the incident and reported that 21 seconds elapsed between the time of the Code Blue call and the time Ms. Patterson entered U-Unit (Dkt. 12-6).

Ms. Brown asserts that she was forced to call the Code Blue because Mr. Garringer did not. According to Ms. Brown, Mr. Garringer’s failure to call the Code Blue “is why [Mr.] Owens got hurt” (Dkt. No. 19, at 4). Ms. Brown notes that Mr. Gar-ringer was not disciplined. Defendants put forth no evidence in this record to refute that Mr. Garringer was not disciplined over this incident.

On April 22, 2010, Mr. Morgan served Ms. Brown with a notice of possible disciplinary action, which stated that Ms.

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Bluebook (online)
918 F. Supp. 2d 809, 2013 WL 147848, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5166, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brown-v-holladay-ared-2013.