Correia v. Town of Framingham

969 F. Supp. 2d 89, 2013 WL 4737033, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 126026
CourtDistrict Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedSeptember 3, 2013
DocketCivil Action No. 12-10828-NMG
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 969 F. Supp. 2d 89 (Correia v. Town of Framingham) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Correia v. Town of Framingham, 969 F. Supp. 2d 89, 2013 WL 4737033, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 126026 (D. Mass. 2013).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM & ORDER

GORTON, District Judge.

Plaintiffs allege that several police officers of the Town of Framingham, the Town itself, and an officer of the Boston Police Department violated plaintiffs’ civil rights by threatening them at their place of work and then conspiring to cover up that conduct and to harass them. Defendants now move for summary judgment on nearly all claims against them while plaintiff Jorge Correia cross-moves for partial summary judgment on his claim for assault and battery.

By prior order, the Court allowed the motion of defendant Sergeant Detective Michael Stratton (Docket No. 64) and denied the motion of plaintiff Jorge Correia for partial summary judgment (Docket No. 68) in accordance with a memorandum to follow. The Court now publishes that memorandum and rules upon the motion of defendants Brown, Blue, Avila and the Town of Framingham (Docket No. 58).

[93]*93I. Factual Background

On April 29, 2010 plaintiffs Jorge Correia (“Correia”) and Kathleen Runnals (“Runnals”) were employed as resident property managers at the EZ Storage facility in Framingham, Massachusetts. On that day, defendant Scott Brown (“Brown”) and non-party Leonard Pini, both officers in the Framingham Police Department, drove an unmarked police vehicle onto the facility lot. Officer Brown, who had allegedly been drinking while attending an awards ceremony earlier that day, got out of the vehicle and urinated near one of the facility buildings. Plaintiff Runnals, who was working in a nearby office, called out to admonish him. Officer Brown turned to address her, purportedly exposing himself in the process and then returned to the vehicle and began to drive, away.

Plaintiff Correia, driving a golf cart, intercepted defendant Brown as he drove toward the exit. The two exchanged words after which Correia moved his golf cart out of the way and defendants left the premises in their vehicle. The nature of. their exchange is disputed, i.e. plaintiff Correia claims that defendant Brown turned on the vehicle’s blue lights, brandished his firearm and told Correia to “move it or get shot,” allegations which defendants deny.

Plaintiffs reported the incident to the Framingham Police Department on the same day and defendant Officer Brian Blue (“Blue”) responded to the EZ Storage facility shortly thereafter. Officer Blue interviewed both plaintiffs. They described the details of the incident, including plaintiff Correia’s claim that defendant Brown had threatened him with a firearm while speaking to him. Plaintiffs also showed Officer Blue a surveillance video of the incident that depicted some of the exchange between plaintiff Correia and Officer Brown, including the moment when Officer Brown purportedly pointed a gun at Correia. Officer Blue then departed. He made several phone calls that evening to other officers with the Framingham Police Department (“the Department”) but he did not write a police report nor contact his superiors about plaintiffs’ allegations.

A few days later, defendant Officer Dims Avila drove an unmarked police vehicle onto the EZ Storage facility lot, stopped in the vicinity of where defendant Officers Brown and Pini had parked four days earlier and then backed up and drove away. Officer Avila purportedly paused when he noticed plaintiff Runnals observing him from the door of her office, called out “police,” and then drove his vehicle off of the lot. Defendant Officer Avila’s intentions are disputed. Plaintiffs claim to have been threatened by his presence and believe that he came to the facility to intimidate them. Officer Avila responds that he turned into the facility by mistake, a commonplace occurrence according to defendants.

Plaintiffs again called the Framingham Police Department, this time prompting an internal investigation.- Plaintiffs met with several Framingham police officers and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. Among other actions taken, on May 20, 2010,' the Chief of Police, Steven Carl, told plaintiffs that police officers would no longer visit the EZ Storage facility unsupervised.

Plaintiffs subsequently observed two unmarked police vehicles enter and exit the EZ Storage facility. On May 25, 2010, defendant Sergeant Michael Stratton, a member of the Boston Police Department, drove an unmarked police vehicle onto the facility lot, turned around and drove away. Plaintiff Runnals, noticing the vehicle, • stepped out of her office. She observed a police uniform hanging above the rear seat [94]*94of the vehicle, although she and defendant Stratton did not make eye contact, speak or otherwise interact with one another. Plaintiff Runnals claims that again she felt the police presence was intentional and harassing. Defendant Sergeant Stratton, meanwhile, responds that he entered the facility lot inadvertently and merely intended to purchase pool supplies from a neighboring store. On June 1, 2010, plaintiffs observed another unmarked police vehicle drive onto the EZ Storage facility lot, turn around and drive away.

II. Procedural History

Plaintiffs brought suit against defendants in Middlesex Superior Court in March, 2012. The original Complaint includes 12 counts, alleging that: Officer Brown violated federal (Count I) and state (Count II) civil rights of both plaintiffs, the Town failed to train and supervise adequately its officers and is therefore liable for causing plaintiffs’ injuries under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Count III) and M.G.L.C. 258 (Count IV), Officer Brown assaulted (Counts V, VI) and intentionally inflicted emotional distress (Counts VII, VIII) upon both plaintiffs, Officers Brown and Blue conspired to violate plaintiffs’ federal and state civil rights by attempting to cover-up the April, 2010 incident (Counts IX, X), and that Officers Brown, Avila and Stratton conspired to violate plaintiffs’ federal and state civil rights by harassing plaintiffs in their home in May, 2010 (Counts XI, XII).

Defendants duly removed the case to this Court in May, 2012. Following extensive discovery, in May, 2013, plaintiffs moved to file an amended complaint (1) to consolidate the state law tort counts, (2) to add factual allegations in support of the existing claims and (3) to add Officers Pini, Michael Esposito and Steven Carl as defendants to the civil rights conspiracy claims based upon a cover-up. In July, 2013, in a brief but thorough Report and Recommendation, Chief Magistrate Judge Leo T. Sorokin recommended denying the motion to amend because the Amended Complaint fails to state a claim against proposed defendants Pini, Esposito and Carl. Neither side objected to that Report and Recommendation and it was subsequently accepted and adopted by this Court.

Following the publication of the Report and Recommendation, plaintiffs, citing a footnote therein, renewed their motion to file an amended complaint which incorporated the same new factual allegations while purporting to “assert no new claims” and “add no new defendants.” The proposed amended complaint did, however, reorder the counts and purport to add the Town as defendant on the conspiracy to cover up plaintiffs’ allegations. The Court denied plaintiffs’ renewed motion by endorsement.

The parties filed the pending motions for summary judgment in June, 2013, prior to the resolution of plaintiffs’ motion to file an amended complaint.

III. Motions for Summary Judyment filed by the Defendants

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
969 F. Supp. 2d 89, 2013 WL 4737033, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 126026, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/correia-v-town-of-framingham-mad-2013.