Denmark v. Lee County

931 F. Supp. 831, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9344, 1996 WL 380629
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedJuly 1, 1996
Docket94-150-CIV-FTM-17D
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 931 F. Supp. 831 (Denmark v. Lee County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Denmark v. Lee County, 931 F. Supp. 831, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9344, 1996 WL 380629 (M.D. Fla. 1996).

Opinion

ORDER ON DEFENDANTS’MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

KOVACHEVICH, Chief Judge.

This cause is before the Court on Defendants John McDougall and Charles J. Schramm, Jr.’s Motions for Summary Judgment (Dkt. # 53-54) and response thereto (Dkt. # 60).

BACKGROUND

Plaintiff Terrence Denmark (hereinafter “Denmark”) has brought this cause of action against Defendants Lee County, John McDougall (hereinafter “McDougall”), and Charles J. Schramm, Jr. (hereinafter “Schramm”) pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Plaintiff alleges: 1) in Count I, that Defendants Schramm and McDougall have caused Plaintiff to be deprived of his constitutional rights; 2) Count II, that Defendant Schramm committed battery on the Plaintiff under the laws of the State of Florida; 3) Count III, that Defendant Schramm falsely imprisoned Plaintiff under the laws of the State of Florida; 4) Count IV, that Defendant Schramm falsely arrested Plaintiff under the laws of the State of Florida; and, 5) Count V, that Defendants Schramm and McDougall have subjected Plaintiff to “continuous intimidation and harassment.” (Amended Complaint ¶ 40) Both Defendants, separately, seek Summary Judgment in this case.

Defendant Schramm seeks Summary Judgment against Plaintiff with respect to the claims against him in his individual capacity. Schramm argues that he is protected from suit by qualified immunity with regard to the § 1983 claims, that probable cause bars Plaintiffs state law claims for false arrest and false imprisonment, and that the use of reasonable force invalidates Plaintiffs battery claim. Both Defendants request oral argument on their motions.

Defendant McDougall also seeks Summary Judgement against Plaintiff with respect to the claims against him in his individual capacity. McDougall argues that he cannot be held individually liable for acts occurring outside of his presence, that little evidence supports Plaintiffs allegations of a policy or custom of the Lee County Sheriffs Office, and that he is protected from suit by qualified immunity.

FACTS

The pertinent facts in this case are as follows:

Plaintiff, on or about May 8, 1991, at or around 2:30 a.m., was on Davis Street, just outside of Fort Myers, entering an area known to be littered with abandoned automobiles. Defendant Schramm, a deputy with the Lee County Sheriffs Department, arrived at the scene and shined his flashlight toward Plaintiff. Plaintiff alleges that, being startled, he began to run. Defendant Schramm, on foot, pursued and caught Plaintiff.

Plaintiff alleges that, on realizing Defendant Schramm was a Sheriffs deputy, he relaxed his body and submitted to Defendant Schramm’s show of force. Defendant Schramm made Plaintiff lie on the ground and proceeded to restrain Plaintiff by applying a headlock and choke hold. Plaintiff alleges that the use of this choke hold by Defendant Schramm cut off Plaintiff air intake, causing him to further relax his body. Plaintiff further alleges that Defendant Schramm beat Plaintiff on the head with his flashlight and threatened Plaintiffs life. Plaintiff then lost consciousness.

As a result of this incident, Plaintiff was arrested for Grand Theft Auto. However, Plaintiff alleges that this arrest was groundless, and that Defendants Schramm and *834 McDougall “knew or should have known that the Plaintiff could not be implicated in any illegal activity.” (Complaint ¶ 18) Plaintiff was later found not guilty of Grand Theft Auto. In addition, Plaintiff alleges that he has been intimidated and harassed by the “friends, co-workers, and co-conspirators of Defendant Schramm and certain other deputies under the command of Defendant McDougall in an effort to cow Plaintiff into not vindicating his rights.” (Complaint ¶ 40)

Plaintiff, on or about September 5, 1991, was arrested by the Lee County Sheriffs Department and charged with attempted murder. Plaintiff alleges that he was arrested by “co-workers and friends of Defendant Schramm and employees of Defendant McDougall who conspired together to arrest Plaintiff and charge him with crimes he did not commit,” in an effort to see that Plaintiff was convicted and sent to jail so he would abandon any lawsuits against Defendants. (Complaint ¶ 40D) Further, Plaintiff alleges that “Defendants Schramm and McDougall knew of the ongoing efforts of other Deputy Sheriffs to arrest and prosecute the Plaintiff for crimes he did not necessarily commit and acted in concert to effectuate the repeated harassments, unlawful stops and arrests of the Plaintiff.” (Complaint ¶4(®) Plaintiff alleges that McDougall either approved or ratified Plaintiffs arrest, and that Defendants Schramm and McDougall knew or should have known of evidence proving Plaintiffs innocence of the Attempted Murder charge.

Plaintiff also alleges that Defendants Schramm and McDougall permitted the harassment and intimidation to continue, and that Defendant McDougall had the “power, right and duty to insure that the Deputies under his command followed a policy and procedure” that afforded those rights secured by the United States Constitution. (Amend.Comp. ¶ 401) In addition, Defendants Schramm and McDougall, “separately and in concert, acted outside the scope of their jurisdiction and without authorization of law,” and acted “willfully, knowingly and purposely, or in reckless disregard of Plaintiffs rights ...” (Amend.Comp. ¶ 40J)

Defendant Schramm, in his affidavit filed with this Court, claims that he did not use excessive or unreasonable force, but rather the “minimum amount reasonably necessary in self-defense to stop [Pjlaintiff from his attempts to grab [his] gun.” Schramm Affidavit ¶3. In addition, Defendant Schramm states that “[ajny use of force was immediately terminated when [Pjlaintiff stopped his attempts to grab the gun and otherwise violently resist arrest.” Id. Defendant Schramm further states that he has, “at no time ... been involved in a conspiracy or taken any actions directed at harassment or intimidation of individuals, including [Pjlain-tiff, for the purpose of abandoning lawsuits against [himself] or any other party.” Schramm Aff. ¶ 4. In further support, Defendant Schramm submits certified copies of the Information and completed Jury Verdict Form in the State of Florida’s prosecution against Plaintiff for Grand Theft Auto. Plaintiff, at that trial, was found guilty of resisting arrest without violence.

Defendant McDougall, in his affidavit filed with this Court, claims that he was not personally involved in the alleged altercation between Defendant Schramm and the Plaintiff, nor in Plaintiffs prosecution. Further, MeDougall claims that it was both his and the Lee County Sheriffs Department’s policy that: 1) officers “who unlawfully use excessive and unreasonable force, unlawfully detain or arrest" individuals, or fail to prevent constitutional violations be disciplined and terminated from employment, if necessary,”; 2) “there exist an internal affairs investigation process'in order to investigate allegations of wrongdoing,”; and 3) “to require law enforcement officers to undergo sufficient training and supervision which is in compliance with or beyond the standards dictated by the state of Florida.” (McDougall Affidavit ¶ 4 — 5, 7)

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Bash v. Patrick
608 F. Supp. 2d 1285 (M.D. Alabama, 2009)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
931 F. Supp. 831, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9344, 1996 WL 380629, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/denmark-v-lee-county-flmd-1996.