Garcia-Melendez v. Gonzalez

227 F. Supp. 3d 160, 2017 WL 56897
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedJanuary 5, 2017
DocketCivil No. 14-1560 (SEC)
StatusPublished

This text of 227 F. Supp. 3d 160 (Garcia-Melendez v. Gonzalez) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Garcia-Melendez v. Gonzalez, 227 F. Supp. 3d 160, 2017 WL 56897 (prd 2017).

Opinion

Opinion and Order

SALVADOR E. CASELLAS, U.S. Senior District Judge

Jarida García and her immediate family (collectively, Plaintiffs) bring this action under the Civil Rights Act of 1871, 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging that Defendants, Agent José Rodríguez and Sergeant Luis López, violated their rights protected under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States.1 They also bring supplemental claims under Article II of the Commonwealth’s Constitution and general tort claims under Puerto Rico law. Pending before the Court is Defendants’ motion for summary judgment. The motion is granted in part and denied in part.

I. Factual and Procedural Background

On the afternoon of July 17, 2013, Jarida Garcia visited the Command Center of the Puerto Rico Police Department at Carolina (the police station) with her five year old daughter, V.B.G. Shortly after leaving the station, Garcia noticed that an unmarked vehicle, without sirens or police lights, was tailgating her. She switched to the right lane to let the vehicle pass, but the vehicle followed her to the right lane. Garcia became frightened and tried to call the police. Because the unmarked car was still following her, she exited to a side road and stopped to see whether the car would pass her. To Garcia’s surprise, the unmarked vehicle stopped behind her and she continued trying to call the police. When she looked back, she saw a man dressed as a poliee officer approaching her vehicle. Gar-cía lowered her window and the officer, in an aggressive manner, ordered her to hand over her license and registration. Because the officer’s uniform did not display his last name or his badge, Garcia asked him to identify himself at least twice and inquired as to the reason he had stopped her. The officer, however, responded in a harsh tone: “I am the one asking questions here.”

Garcia told the officer that she did not feel safe and that she would give him her license and registration at the police station which she had just left. According to Garcia, the unidentified officer, who was later revealed to be Defendant Agent Rodriguez, agreed to proceed with the traffic stop at the police station. Agent Rodriguez denies this, and instead alleges that Garcia declined to turn over her license and registration, and fled the scene.

Garcia then drove back to the police station and stopped at a traffic light on the left lane that turned towards the station. As she waited, Agent Rodriguez suddenly introduced his left hand through the window, grabbed Garcia by the hair, and attempted to pull her out of her vehicle. Garcia, in shock, held tightly to the steering wheel. She screamed in fear asking Rodriguez why he was attacking her. Her daughter, who witnessed the events, also started screaming. Realizing that Garcia was still wearing her seatbelt, Agent Rodriguez grabbed her right arm, bent it towards her body, and handcuffed Garcia. At some point, Agent Rodriguez managed to open the door and unlock Garcia’s seatbelt. He then pulled Garcia out of the car and onto the street. While Garcia was lying face-first on the pavement, Agent Rodriguez placed his knee and all of his weight on her back. Garcia started yelling that [166]*166she had a disability and that she was wearing a back brace but Agent Rodriguez kept pulling her and tightening the handcuffs. Moments after Rodriguez arrested Garcia, Agent Julio Toledo, two other female officers, and Sergeant López (Rodriguez’s supervisor) arrived at the scene. Agent Toledo then took Garcia to the Carolina Traffic Station in Canóvanas, where she was interviewed by Sergeant López. He noted that Garcia had marks on her arms and that she was complaining about pain in her knees.

At approximately 7:30 p.m., Garcia was taken to the Center for Diagnostic Treatment (CDT) in Canóvanas, where she was diagnosed with neck and back trauma. Five hours later, Garcia was discharged with instructions to see a specialist due to the severity of her trauma. Garcia’s independent medical examiner, Dr. Fausto Bo-ria, indicates in his expert report that, as a result of the incident, Garcia suffered a herniated disc; intercostal neuritis/neuralgia; fracture of the coronoid process or right ulna; right ulnar nerve entrapment; and bilateral shoulder tendinitis, among other things. She also required a carpal tunnel decompression surgery. Dr. Boria concluded that Garcia suffered a whole person impairment of 19% as a result of the traumas inflicted by Agent Rodriguez.

Immediately after being discharged from the CDT, Garcia was taken to the Rio Grande Courthouse where she was criminally charged with obstruction of justice pursuant to Article 246(a) of the Puerto Rico Penal Code of 2012. See P.R. Laws. Ann. tit. 33, § 5336.2 This provision makes it unlawful for any person to delay or interfere with any public officer or employee in the discharge or attempt to discharge any of his duties, see id. This misdemeanor carries a maximum prison sentence of six months or a fine not to exceed $5,000. See id., § 5022. Garcia was not represented by counsel at the probable cause hearing. The presiding judge found probable cause for her arrest. Following the judge’s instructions, Agent Rodriguez, on behalf of V.B.G., filed a complaint for a protective order with the Puerto Rico Department of Family Affairs against García and her husband. On August 5, 2013, the complaint was dismissed.

On top of the obstruction of justice charge, Agent Rodriguez also issued two traffic tickets to Garcia; one for talking on the phone while driving and another for disregarding his order to stop the vehicle. Garcia filed a petition seeking review of the traffic tickets. On September 11, 2013, after a hearing where both García and Agent Rodriguez testified, the court dismissed the traffic violations stating that it gave “complete credibility to [Garcia’s] testimony.” Docket # 60-5, p. 2.

A month later, on October 14, Garcia was tried for the obstruction of justice charge. She was represented by counsel from the Puerto Rico Legal Assistance Society. Docket # 60-3, p. 3. At the hearing, the government introduced the testimony of Agent Rodríguez and Sergeant López. The record does not reveal whether defense counsel cross-examined either of these witnesses. The only evidence presented by the defense, as far as the record reveals, was Garcia’s testimony. The presiding judge convicted Garcia for obstruction of justice and sentenced her to pay a [167]*167$500 fine. Contrary to the judge that dismissed the traffic violations, the judge in the criminal trial said that she gave no credibility to Garcia’s testimony. See Docket # 49-2, p. 13. Defense counsel did not appeal her conviction.

On July 15, 2014, García and her immediate family filed this action against Agent Rodríguez and Sergeant López alleging a plethora of constitutional violations. In due course, Defendants moved for summary judgment raising several defenses, including collateral estoppel, qualified immunity, and failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.

II. Standard of Review

Summary judgment is appropriate only if the “movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a).

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

Related

Scribner v. Dillard
141 F. App'x 240 (Fifth Circuit, 2005)
Ballard v. Burton
444 F.3d 391 (Fifth Circuit, 2006)
United States v. International Building Co.
345 U.S. 502 (Supreme Court, 1953)
McGowan v. Maryland
366 U.S. 420 (Supreme Court, 1961)
Pierson v. Ray
386 U.S. 547 (Supreme Court, 1967)
Gomez v. Toledo
446 U.S. 635 (Supreme Court, 1980)
Allen v. McCurry
449 U.S. 90 (Supreme Court, 1980)
Santosky v. Kramer
455 U.S. 745 (Supreme Court, 1982)
Pennhurst State School and Hospital v. Halderman
465 U.S. 89 (Supreme Court, 1984)
Graham v. Connor
490 U.S. 386 (Supreme Court, 1989)
Wyatt v. Cole
504 U.S. 158 (Supreme Court, 1992)
Heck v. Humphrey
512 U.S. 477 (Supreme Court, 1994)
Spencer v. Kemna
523 U.S. 1 (Supreme Court, 1998)
Rodriguez-Garcia v. Miranda-Marin
610 F.3d 756 (First Circuit, 2010)
Raiche v. Pietroski
623 F.3d 30 (First Circuit, 2010)
Cruz-Berrios v. Gonzalez Rosario
630 F.3d 7 (First Circuit, 2010)
Febus-Rodriguez v. Betancourt-Lebron
14 F.3d 87 (First Circuit, 1994)
Maldonado-Denis v. Castillo-Rodriguez
23 F.3d 576 (First Circuit, 1994)
Hegarty v. Somerset County
53 F.3d 1367 (First Circuit, 1995)
White v. Gittens
121 F.3d 803 (First Circuit, 1997)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
227 F. Supp. 3d 160, 2017 WL 56897, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/garcia-melendez-v-gonzalez-prd-2017.