Green v. Cauthen

379 F. Supp. 361, 1974 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8465
CourtDistrict Court, D. South Carolina
DecidedMay 20, 1974
DocketCiv. A. 72-1410
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 379 F. Supp. 361 (Green v. Cauthen) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. South Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Green v. Cauthen, 379 F. Supp. 361, 1974 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8465 (D.S.C. 1974).

Opinion

ORDER

HEMPHILL, District Judge.

ON DEFENDANTS’ MOTIONS TO DISMISS UNDER RULES 12(b) (6) and 12(b) (7); DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT UNDER RULE 56(b); AND PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR PRODUCTION OF EVIDENCE UNDER RULE 45(b).

Plaintiff, Paul Green, filed suit against the Chief and several officers of the Columbia, South Carolina, Police Department, the senior federal field representative for the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, the Executive Director of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Assistance Program, the City Manager of the City of Columbia, the members of the Columbia, South Carolina, Civil Service Commission, and the Columbia City Police Department, alleging that actions of the Columbia Police in connection with the arrest of plaintiff on July 24, 1972, caused monetary damage to plaintiff and entitled him, and the class which he seeks to represent, to injunctive relief requiring the Columbia, South Carolina, Civil Service Commission to conduct screening and psychological testing of present and prospective police officers for racially biased attitudes and predispositions toward brutality and to discharge or refuse to hire any person who is found to be incapable of enforcing the laws fairly and indiscriminately in regard to plaintiff and the class which he seeks to represent, to tory injunction ordering the Chief of Police of the City of Columbia to inform other law enforcement agencies when an individual is discharged or refused employment by the police department because of said screening procedure or illegal activities toward plaintiff or his class. Plaintiff further seeks to have federal funds under the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration withheld until the court can be shown that a good faith attempt is being made to insure that officers of the police department do not participate in racially discriminatory acts. Plaintiff seeks to invoke jurisdiction of this court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1343, this action being authorized by 42 U.S.C. § 1983, 1985, 1988, and 2000d. Plaintiff seeks monetary damages and other relief to redress the alleged deprivation, under color of the state law, custom or usage, of rights, privileges and immunities secured by the Constitution, particularly the privileges and immunities clause, Article IV, Section 2, the Fourth Amendment; the Sixth Amendment; the Eighth Amendment ; and the equal protection and due process clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution • of the United States. The pendent jurisdiction of this court is also invoked over plaintiff’s claim against the defendants pursuant to the laws of South Carolina.

PARTIES

Plaintiff is a black male, over the age of twenty-one years and is a resident and citizen of Richland County, South Carolina.

Defendant, William Cauthen, is a white male, a resident and citizen of Richland County, South Carolina, and at all times material to this action was allegedly acting under color and pretense of state law, custom and usage in his official capacity as chief of police of the Columbia, South Carolina, Police Department.

Defendants Chambers, Connell, Bran-ham, and Keefe are white males, residents and citizens of Richland County, South Carolina, and at all times material to this action were allegedly acting under color and pretense of state law, custom and usage in their capacity as officers of the Columbia, South Carolina, Police Department.

Defendant Hannon, is a white male, a resident and citizen of Fulton County, Georgia, and makes weekly visits to Richland County, South Carolina, as part of his duties as senior field repre *366 sentative over the State of South Carolina for the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration. Allegedly, defendant Hannon, at all times material to this action, continues to act in concert with defendants Cauthen, Reasonover, and/or Thomas, in his official capacity, while having the duty to supervise the use of federal monies allotted to various South Carolina law enforcement agencies under the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA). One such agency is the Columbia, South Carolina, Police Department.

Defendant Reasonover is a white male, a resident and citizen of Kershaw County, South Carolina, and, allegedly, at all times material to this action acted in concert with defendants Hannon and Cauthen in his official capacity, as Executive Director of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Assistance Program (LEAP), having the duty to supervise the various South Carolina law enforcement agencies who are recipients of federal monies made available through 'the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration. One such agency is the Columbia, South Carolina, Police Department.

Defendant Thomas is a white male, a resident and citizen of Richland County, South Carolina, and is the present Executive Director of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Assistance Program, having assumed the position in November, 1972. It is claimed that Thomas has the duty of supervising the various South Carolina law enforcement agencies who are recipients of federal monies made available through the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration.

Defendant Olive is a white male, a resident and citizen of Richland County, South Carolina, and serves as the city manager for the City of Columbia, South Carolina. In this official capacity defendant Olive in conjunction with defendants Foster, Taylor and Donny allegedly has the authority to suspend and dismiss employees of said police department.

Defendants Foster, Taylor and Donny are white males, residents and citizens of Richland County, South Carolina, and make up the membership of the Columbia, South Carolina, Civil Service Commission. It is claimed defendants have the authority in conjunction with defendant Olive, to suspend or dismiss employees of the Columbia Police Department as well as the authority to prescribe testing to be administered to prospective employees of said department. 1

Defendant Columbia City Police Department is a law enforcement agency of the City of Columbia, South Carolina, a municipal corporation.

CLASS ACTION

This is a class action brought by plaintiff on his own behalf and on behalf of others similarly situated, pursuant to Rule 23(a) and (b)(2), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The class represented by plaintiff consists of all residents of the City of Columbia, County of Richland, State of South Carolina who are members of the black race. It is alleged that this class is so numerous that joinder of all members is impracticable; that there are questions of law and of fact common to the class; that the *367

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
379 F. Supp. 361, 1974 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8465, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/green-v-cauthen-scd-1974.