Galella v. Onassis

353 F. Supp. 196, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12906
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedJuly 5, 1972
Docket70 Civ. 4348
StatusPublished
Cited by46 cases

This text of 353 F. Supp. 196 (Galella v. Onassis) 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
Galella v. Onassis, 353 F. Supp. 196, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12906 (S.D.N.Y. 1972).

Opinion

COOPER, District Judge.

OPINION

I

PROCEEDINGS OTHER THAN TRIAL

A. Pleadings and restraining orders

In the fall of 1970, plaintiff a professional free-lance photographer, instituted an action 1 against defendant Onassis and three agents of the United States Secret Service (Agents) — Walsh, Kalafatis and Connelly. The verified complaint 2 seeks damages for alleged false arrest and malicious prosecution and damages for, and an injunction against, the interference with his business by the alleged acts 3 of defendant Onassis in resisting his efforts to photograph her, and by the alleged acts of defendant Agents in obstructing these efforts at the contended behest and inducement of defendant Onassis. The damage claims aggregated $1.3 million. 4

The answer of defendant Onassis was filed March 8, 1971 with a counterclaim seeking compensatory and punitive damages 5 of $1.5 million and injunctive relief, based on claimed violations of her common law, statutory and constitutional rights of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress, assault, harassment and malicious prosecution. Reply papers were filed March 25, 1971.

On July 6, 1971 Judge McLean of this Court granted a motion by the United States Government (Government) to intervene. The complaint in intervention, filed October 20, 1971 sought injunctive relief (pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3056) against the plaintiff for alleged interference with the protective duties of the United States Secret Service (Secret Service) toward the minor children of defendant Onassis and her late husband, John F. Kennedy, a former President of the United States; on the same day, summary judgment was granted dismissing the case against the Agents on the ground that no triable issue of fact existed as to whether the Agents were acting within the scope of their employment as Government agents and so were *200 immune from suit as a matter of law. The dismissal is presently on appeal with extended time afforded at plaintiff’s request. On July 7, 1971 the motions of defendant Onassis for summary judgment on both the complaint and her counterclaim were denied.

Assigned to the motion part, we were presented on October 8, 1971 with an application for an order to show cause coupled with a request for a temporary restraining order prepared by McHugh, Heckman, Smith and Leonard, the attorneys for defendant Onassis. The application was based largely upon the tennis incident of October 4, 1971 and the residence episode of October 5, 1971, described infra, alleging continued harassment, surveillance and fear. On that day we signed an order providing protection for defendant Onassis and her children. 6 Following a hearing the order was extended upon good cause shown 7 and by consent in an order filed October 28, 1971.

*201 On November 3, 1971 we signed an order to show cause why the plaintiff should not be held in contempt of our October 8, 1971 order. This contempt motion (but not the underlying October 8, 1971 order) was ultimately withdrawn at trial. (766)

On December 2, 1971 the firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, substituted as counsel for defendant, brought on an order to show cause, coupled with a temporary retraining order, to punish the plaintiff for contempt of the October 8, 1971 order. This order 8 based upon the alleged surveillance of defendant and her children, was signed on December 2, 1971 and provided in essence that plaintiff and his agents cease surveillance and following, remain at least 100 yards from the home and 50 yards from the person of Mrs. Onassis and her children 9 (200 yards and 100 *202 yards respectively were requested), and that plaintiff be enjoined from communicating or attempting to communicate with them.

On December 10, 1971 the firm of Julien, Glazer, Blitz & Schlesinger entered the action as plaintiff’s trial counsel in addition to Bennett Brown, Esq., attorney of record.

A second motion to punish plaintiff for civil contempt was brought on by order to show cause signed March 23, 1972. 10 Plaintiff’s sworn answer of March 31, 1972 consists merely of a general denial stating no facts whatever.

During the trial, defendant sought additional injunctive relief for alleged violation of New York Civil Rights Law §§ 50-51, McKinney’s Consol.Laws, c. 6, dealing with use of defendant’s photograph for advertising purposes.

B. Jury demand, consolidation and removal

Despite the very simple legal procedure therefor, no demand for a jury trial was made before the mandatory date, approximately April 4, 1971. On January 25, 1972, over nine (9) months late, plaintiff filed a jury demand. By law we had no alternative but to strike it as worthless. Noonan v. Cunard Steamship Co., 375 F.2d 69 (2d Cir.1967).

By letter of January 25, 1972 we notified the parties that the trial would begin February 14, 1972 (later extended to February 16, 1972 following a request by plaintiff) and suggested consolidation of the proceedings including the preliminary injunction and trial of the main action (which was implemented by order February 3, 1972) consistent with the requests of each party in pretrial memoranda and in the affidavit of plaintiff in support thereof. See Galella affidavit, October 20, 1971, p. 6.

On February 2, 1972 we denied a motion to remand for want of jurisdiction in view of the already considerable expenditure of federal judicial time in an action which was properly removed at the time of removal. 11

*203 C. The failure to file an affidavit or certificate to disqualify the trial judge

On January 19, 1972 almost a full month before the trial date, Mr. Julien, plaintiff’s trial attorney, requested an off-the-record discussion in the; robing room. All counsel for the litigants were present (our law clerks as well). Mr. Julien then and there made it perfectly plain that he was contemplating an application to have another judge preside at trial on the ground that having been nominated by President Kennedy, we could not render an unbiased judgment. At the close of that meeting (no other matter was mentioned), we suggested that if such an application were sought, it would be well to bring it on promptly in light of the trial date. Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
353 F. Supp. 196, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12906, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/galella-v-onassis-nysd-1972.