Cavagna v. Clearlake Police Department

CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedNovember 6, 2023
Docket4:23-cv-01686
StatusUnknown

This text of Cavagna v. Clearlake Police Department (Cavagna v. Clearlake Police Department) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cavagna v. Clearlake Police Department, (N.D. Cal. 2023).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 5 NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 6 7 DAVID CAVAGNA, et al., Case No. 23-cv-01686-KAW

8 Plaintiffs, ORDER GRANTING MOTIONS TO 9 v. DISMISS AND MOTION FOR JUDGMENT ON THE PLEADINGS 10 CLEARLAKE POLICE DEPARTMENT, et al., Re: Dkt. Nos. 9, 17, 25, 33 11 Defendants. 12 13 On April 7, 2023, Plaintiffs David and Kimberly Cavagna brought the instant lawsuit 14 against Defendants Clearlake Police Department, Officer Brittany Shores, City of Clearlake, Lake 15 County, Lake County Behavioral Health, California Highway Patrol (“CHP”), and Officer Joel 16 Skeen, alleging that Defendants failed to protect the death of Plaintiffs’ son. (Compl. ¶ 1, Dkt. 17 No. 1.) Pending before the Court are: (1) Defendant CHP’s motion to dismiss for lack of 18 jurisdiction, (2) Defendant City of Clearlake and Shores’s motion to dismiss, (3) Defendant 19 Skeen’s motion to dismiss, and (4) Defendant Lake County and Lake County Behavioral Health’s 20 motion for judgment on the pleadings. (CHP Mot. to Dismiss, Dkt. No. 9; Clearlake Mot. to 21 Dismiss, Dkt. No. 17; Skeen Mot. to Dismiss, Dkt. No. 25; Lake Mot. for Judgment, Dkt. No. 33.) 22 Having considered the parties’ filings, the relevant legal authorities, and the arguments 23 made at the October 19, 2023 hearing, the Court GRANTS the motions to dismiss and for 24 judgment on the pleadings. 25 I. BACKGROUND 26 This case concerns the death of Jesse Cavagna (“Decedent”), who suffered from 27 schizophrenia. (Compl. ¶¶ 1, 4.) On September 15, 2022, Plaintiff Kimberly learned that 1 She called Defendant Clearlake Police Department and verbally filed a missing person report. 2 (Compl. ¶ 15.) The following day, Defendant Shores met Plaintiff Kimberly at Decedent’s 3 residence, and Plaintiff Kimberly explained that Decedent was mentally disabled. (Compl. ¶ 16.) 4 Plaintiff Kimberly also mentioned the possibility that Decedent could be visiting other RV parks 5 and that Decedent’s neighbor said he might be getting drugs. (Compl. ¶ 17.) Plaintiff Kimberly 6 believes Defendant Shores was biased about Decedent’s whereabouts and limited her search to 7 other RV parks rather than taking “reasonable steps” to locate a person with mental health 8 conditions. (Compl. ¶ 18.) Defendant Shores later called Plaintiff Kimberly and stated that 9 Plaintiff Kimberly needed to file a written missing person’s report, and that Defendant Shores had 10 been actively searching for Decedent in nearby RV parks. (Compl. ¶ 19.) 11 Between September 15, 2022 and September 23, 2022, Plaintiff David called Defendant 12 Lake County Behavioral Health. (Compl. ¶ 21.) He was told by a receptionist that they had no 13 information about Decedent or his whereabouts. (Compl. ¶ 21.) Around September 13, 2022, 14 however, Defendant Lake County Behavioral Health had received a photo of Decedent from 15 Defendant Skeen. (Compl. ¶¶ 22, 49.) Specifically, Defendant Skeen had investigated an 16 unidentified person walking on a road without shoes, wearing pajamas, who turned out to be 17 Decedent. (Compl. ¶ 22.) Based on their interaction, Defendant Skeen knew Decedent was 18 suffering from mental illness; Defendant Skeen took a photo of Decedent and sent it to Defendant 19 Lake County Behavioral Health but made no effort to hold or take Decedent into custody. 20 (Compl. ¶ 22, 48, 49.) Instead, Defendant Skeen permitted Decedent to leave, making no attempt 21 to stop him or call for assistance. (Compl. ¶¶ 22, 49.) 22 Between September 21 and 28, 2022, Detective Flores from Defendant Clearlake Police 23 Department informed Plaintiff Kimberly that he was the lead investigator, but “only asked for 24 vague general information” about Decedent. (Compl. ¶ 23.) Plaintiff David made multiple calls 25 to Detective Flores and Defendant Shores for updates, but neither answered their phones. (Compl. 26 ¶ 24.) At an unknown point, an unidentified sergeant contacted Plaintiff David and expressed his 27 belief that Decedent was probably in a drug house. (Compl. ¶ 25.) When Plaintiff David 1 were poor due to his schizophrenia, the sergeant was unsympathetic. (Compl. ¶ 25.) 2 Plaintiff Kimberly also made multiple calls to Detective Flores. (Compl. ¶ 26.) When 3 Detective Flores responded, he only asked for dental records, and made no effort to profile 4 Decedent correctly. (Compl. ¶ 26.) In another call, Detective Flores told Plaintiff Kimberly that 5 he had other cases he was working on, including a homicide. (Compl. ¶ 27.) 6 On September 28, 2022, Defendant Clearlake Police Department posted a missing person 7 poster for Decedent. (Compl. ¶ 31.) Between October 2 and 24, 2022, Detective Flores provided 8 no updates, phone calls, or check ins. (Compl. ¶ 34.) 9 On October 24, 2022, Decedent’s sister received an anonymous tip from Defendant Lake 10 County Behavioral Health that they had information about Decedent’s whereabouts. (Compl. ¶ 11 35.) Plaintiff David called Defendant Lake County Behavioral Health, and learned about 12 Defendant Skeen’s September 13, 2022 interaction with Decedent. (Compl. ¶ 36.) The social 13 worker speaking to Plaintiff David stated that he had turned down the request to assist Decedent 14 because of lack of cell phone service in that area. (Compl. ¶ 36.) Plaintiff David called Detective 15 Flores and left a message about this new information. (Compl. ¶ 37.) Plaintiff David also 16 contacted Defendant DHP to speak to Defendant Skeen but was told Defendant Skeen was on 17 vacation. (Compl. ¶ 38.) 18 Based on this information, Plaintiff Kimberly searched Sulphur Bank, where Decedent was 19 last seen. (Compl. ¶¶ 39-40.) Plaintiff Kimberly saw Detective Flores driving around the area, 20 looking for Decedent. (Compl. ¶ 40.) As Detectives Flores was only looking through the window 21 of his vehicle while driving the area, Plaintiff Kimberly told him he needed a search and rescue 22 party. (Compl. ¶ 40.) Between October 25 and 27, 2022, Plaintiff David also spoke with 23 Detective Flores, stressing the urgency of locating Decedent. (Compl. ¶ 41.) Detective Flores 24 responded that Decedent was probably visiting shelters or with friends and appeared unmotivated 25 to find Decedent quickly. (Compl. ¶ 41.) While Detective Flores interviewed residents living at 26 the bottom of the Sulphur Bank Drive area, he never requested a search and rescue party. (Compl. 27 ¶ 43.) 1 (Compl. ¶ 44.) A resident told them that Decedent had been seen in the area, but the residents had 2 driven him away because they thought he was a squatter. (Compl. ¶ 44.) 3 On October 29, 2022, Decedent’s body was found on the lake at Sulphur Bank. (Compl. ¶ 4 45.) On November 1, 2022, Plaintiffs were notified of Decedent’s death. (Compl. ¶ 46.) 5 On April 7, 2023, Plaintiffs filed the instant lawsuit, alleging the following claims: (1) 42 6 U.S.C. § 1983 violation of due process and equal protection; (2) violation of Title III of the 7 Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”); (3) violation of the Unruh Civil Rights Act as to 8 Defendants Clearlake Police Department, City of Clearlake, Lake County, Lake County 9 Behavioral Health, and CHP; and (4) wrongful death and survival.1 (Compl. at 13-18.) 10 On May 22, 2023, Defendant CHP filed a motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction, on the 11 ground that Plaintiffs could not state a claim against it. On June 9, 2023, Plaintiffs filed their 12 opposition. (Pls.’ Opp’n to CHP Mot. to Dismiss, Dkt. No. 14.) On June 16, 2023, Defendant 13 CHP filed its reply. (CHP Reply, Dkt. No. 15.) 14 On June 20, 2023, Defendants City of Clearlake and Shores (collectively, “Clearlake 15 Defendants”) filed their motion to dismiss. On September 1, 2023, Plaintiffs filed their 16 opposition. (Pls.’ Opp’n to Clearlake Mot. to Dismiss, Dkt. No. 37.) On September 15, 2023, the 17 Clearlake Defendants filed their reply. (Clearlake Reply, Dkt. No.

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Cavagna v. Clearlake Police Department, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cavagna-v-clearlake-police-department-cand-2023.