Cotz v. Mastroeni

476 F. Supp. 2d 332, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13019, 2007 WL 586628
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedFebruary 23, 2007
Docket05 Civ. 2991(WCC)
StatusPublished
Cited by35 cases

This text of 476 F. Supp. 2d 332 (Cotz v. Mastroeni) 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
Cotz v. Mastroeni, 476 F. Supp. 2d 332, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13019, 2007 WL 586628 (S.D.N.Y. 2007).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

WILLIAM C. CONNER, Senior District Judge.

Plaintiff Lydia B. Cotz, proceeding pro se, brings this action, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and the New York Human Rights Law, against defendants the Village of Montebello (the “Village”), Debra Mastroeni (“Mastroeni”), Santos Luciano (“Luciano”), 1 the Town of Ramapo (“Ramapo”), Leslie Lampert (“Lampert”) 2 and Bradley Weidel (“Weidel”) 3 (collectively, “defendants”) for violations of her federal and state constitutional rights and Title III of the American with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12182 (the “ADA”), as well as for common law claims of slander and assault. Defendants move for summary judgment on all counts. For the reasons that follow, defendants’ motions are granted.

BACKGROUND

Viewed in the light most favorable to plaintiff, 4 the record reveals the following relevant facts. Plaintiff is an attorney admitted in the State of New Jersey and the *337 United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and has practiced law for more than six years. 5 (Silverman Not. Mot. Supp. Summ. J., Ex. C (PI. Dep. at 12-13, 103).) Plaintiffs Complaint, Amended Complaint 6 and submissions in opposition to defendants’ motion for summary judgment, although confusing at times and consisting of well over one thousand pages, appear to allege seven distinct incidents (or series of incidents) from which plaintiffs various causes of action arise. (See generally Complt.; Am. Complt; PI. Aff.)

I. The “Late 1993 or 1994” Traffic Stop

The earliest incident of which plaintiff complains occurred in late 1993 or 1994 and involves a traffic stop conducted by Thomas Donnelly (“Donnelly”), a Ramapo police officer. (See PI. Aff. ¶7; Complt. ¶ 16.) Plaintiff alleges that Donnelly, while off-duty, pulled her over while she was driving on Route 59 in Tallman, New York after allegedly observing plaintiff illegally cross a double-yellow line. (See id.) Plaintiff claims that he “forced her into a dark[ ] parking lot, where he blocked the only exit[,] ... threatened to arrest [pjlaintiff ’ and ultimately issued her a traffic summons. (See id.) According to plaintiff, “[w]hen [she] told him [that] she was going to report him to his superiors, he laughed and said ‘my father-in-law is the chief .... You can’t touch me.’ ” (See id.) Although plaintiff thereafter filed a complaint with the Ramapo Police Department, the Department has no record of her complaint, and the traffic summons was never prosecuted. 7 (See PI. Aff. ¶ 7.)

II. Domestic Visitation Disputes

The next series of incidents of which plaintiff complains dates back to the 1980s extending to 1999, and concerns the involvement of the Ramapo Police Department in the domestic disputes between plaintiff and her former husband regarding his visitation with their sons. (See Complt. ¶¶ 9-15.) Plaintiff and James Peikon (“Peikon”) were divorced in 1987 (see PL Aff., Ex. 10; Complt. ¶ 9), and the Family Court of the State of New York awarded plaintiff sole custody of the children ■ and awarded Peikon visitation with the child on alternate weekends commencing on January 24, 1998. (See M. Burke Aff., Ex. J; Complt. ¶ 9.)

On several occasions, however, plaintiff refused Peikon visitation with their sons when plaintiff did not believe it was in her sons’ best interest. (See Pl. Aff. ¶ 11; Complt. ¶¶ 9-15.) On such occasions, Peikon called the Ramapo Police Department to assist him in enforcing the court’s visitation order. (See M. Burke Aff., Ex. J; Complt. 11¶ 9-15.) According to plaintiff, in response to Peikon’s calls for police assistance, the Ramapo Police Department “took it upon themselves to interpret and try to enforce the [visitation order of the family court] by attempting to intimidate [p]laintiff into surrendering her children using threats of arrest and jail.” (See Complt. ¶ 9.)

*338 Specifically, in the summer of 1997, plaintiff and Peikon had frequent disagreements as to the particular weekends during which Peikon had visitation. (See Pl. Aff. ¶ 8.) On one such occasion, Peikon came to plaintiffs house to pick up their sons, and plaintiff refused to allow her sons to leave the house because she believed that Peikon did not have visitation on that particular weekend. (See id.) Peikon called the police for assistance and, according to plaintiff, Donnelly responded and tried to gain entry into plaintiffs home without a warrant or consent. (See id.) Although plaintiff claims that she and her current husband, George J. Cotz (“Cotz”), were able to prevent Donnelly from gaining entry, the record does not indicate whether plaintiff ultimately complied with Donnelly’s demands or any other fact relating thereto. (See id.)

Plaintiff also alleges that,- on December 27,1997, she refused to allow her son to go to a Giants football game with Peikon because the weather was bad and the child was not feeling well. 8 (See Complt. ¶ 15.) Peikon called the police for assistance, and Mark A. Emma (“Emma”), a police officer of the Ramapo Police Department, responded. (See Pl. Aff. ¶ 9; Complt. ¶ 15.) Plaintiff claims that Emma attempted to gain entry into her home and threatened to arrest plaintiff if she did not allow her son to go with Peikon. (See Pl. Aff. ¶ 9; Complt. ¶ 15; G. Cotz Aff. ¶¶ 3-4.) At the time, plaintiff had just finished showering and was wrapped only in a towel, and Emma threatened,to “take her to the station ‘just as [she] was.’ ” (See Pl. Aff. ¶ 9; Complt. ¶ 15; G. Cotz Aff. ¶¶ 3-4.) In fear of arrest, plaintiff acquiesced and allowed her son to leave with Peikon. (G. Cotz Aff. ¶ 4.)

Approximately seven months later, on July 24, 1998, plaintiff called Peikon and informed him that their son was sick and that Peikon’s visitation the next day would be cancelled or at least delayed. (See Pl. Aff. ¶ 12; Complt. ¶ 13.) Plaintiff claims that her son had chest pains and that they were waiting to hear back from the child’s cardiologist and to receive the results of a chest x-ray. (See PI. Aff. ¶ 12; Complt. ¶ 13; G. Cotz Aff. ¶ 5.) The next day, however, Peikon went to plaintiffs house and plaintiff refused to allow her son to go with him. 9 (See id.)

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Bluebook (online)
476 F. Supp. 2d 332, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13019, 2007 WL 586628, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cotz-v-mastroeni-nysd-2007.