Hall v. InPhoto Surveillance Co.

649 N.E.2d 83, 208 Ill. Dec. 251, 271 Ill. App. 3d 852
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedApril 13, 1995
Docket4-94-0864
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 649 N.E.2d 83 (Hall v. InPhoto Surveillance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hall v. InPhoto Surveillance Co., 649 N.E.2d 83, 208 Ill. Dec. 251, 271 Ill. App. 3d 852 (Ill. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinion

JUSTICE GREEN

delivered the opinion of the court:

Plaintiffs Carol Hall (Carol) and Carl Hall brought suit against defendants InPhoto Surveillance Company and its agents, Phillip McLaughlin and Scott Jackson, charging them with "intentional violation of plaintiffs’ right to privacy” predicated on surveillance activities conducted near plaintiffs’ rural residence. Summary judgment was granted to defendants after the trial court found plaintiffs had no evidence to support their claim that the surveillance activities were objectively unreasonable. Plaintiffs appeal from the adverse summary judgment determination. Defendants cross-appeal from the denial of their motion for attorney fees under Supreme Court Rule 137. Official Reports Advance Sheet No. 26 (December 22, 1993), R. 137, eff. February 1, 1994.

The events giving rise to the lawsuit began with back surgery performed on Carol on February 21, 1990, at St. John’s Hospital (St. John’s). The surgeon allegedly fused the wrong disc, which necessitated a subsequent operation. Anticipating litigation, but before plaintiffs filed suit, St. John’s hired defendants to conduct surveillance of Carol. Two counts of the original complaint, which was never amended, charged defendants with the following:

"3. On or about August 23, 1990, Defendant, InPhoto Surveillance Company, by and'through its agents and employees, Phillip A. McLaughlin and Scott A. Jackson, entered Plaintiffs’ property for the purpose of photographing Plaintiffs through Plaintiffs’ bedroom window in an attempt to determine the accuracy and allegations of disability on the part of the Plaintiff, Carol Hall.
4. This use of Plaintiffs’ photographic images was unauthorized and Plaintiffs at no time have consented to be photographed by Defendants’ agents and employees.
5. The use of photographs taken of Plaintiffs through their bedroom window by Defendants’ agent and employees was willful and wanton, and was an intentional violation of Plaintiffs’ right to privacy.
6. Defendants’ use of photographs taken of Plaintiffs has caused Plaintiffs mental anguish.
7. The photographing of Plaintiffs and the use of photographs taken of Plaintiffs has violated and destroyed the rights of privacy which Plaintiffs are legally entitled to.”

Following discovery, defendants filed their summary judgment motion relying on the following evidence. McLaughlin and Jackson, private investigators employed by InPhoto, drove by plaintiffs’ rural farm residence on August 22, 1990, for the purpose of locating the farmhouse and making a preliminary choice of a vantage point from which to conduct surveillance. They returned very early the next morning. Jackson positioned himself across the road from plaintiffs’ property so that he could see the front and side of the house. His location made it possible for him to see plaintiffs’ bedroom windows, which were not covered by curtains. He dressed in camouflage fatigues and had a video camera which he set up on a tripod. Jackson stated that when he first saw Carol, she had walked into the yard of the farm. She carried two buckets of material which she threw into a hogpen. Jackson attempted to turn on the video camera to photograph her, but it malfunctioned.

Jackson testified in his deposition that he was never able to operate the video camera, never took any pictures of anyone, never trespassed on plaintiffs’ property, never looked in plaintiffs’ bedroom windows, and never saw plaintiffs inside their house. Carol discovered Jackson when she saw him across the road. When confronted by Carol’s husband, Jackson stated he was a wildlife photographer. The police were summoned, but they and the State’s Attorney, after questioning, declined to arrest defendants because they concluded no laws had been broken and no trespass committed.

In their depositions, both plaintiffs admitted they had no evidence any photographs were taken, defendants ever trespassed upon their property, or defendants looked into their bedroom windows. In granting summary judgment, the trial court’s memorandum opinion stated, in part:

"In conducting surveillance of the Plaintiffs, the uncontradicted evidence is that the Defendants positioned themselves on either private property or property not owned or possessed by the Plaintiffs. In addition, although Defendants used a video tape camera the uncontradicted testimony establishes that no photographs or video tapes of the Plaintiffs was accomplished due to equipment malfunction. The evidence also establishes that any surveillance conducted was done while Plaintiff was outside of her residence and clearly in public view.
* * *
An individual who seeks to recover damages for personal injuries should not be surprised that some investigation into her claim will be undertaken. A review of all of the materials submitted on the Motion for Summary Judgment even when viewed most favorably to the Plaintiff, establish[es] no objectively unreasonable or highly offensive conduct on the part of the Defendants to give rise to an intentional violation of the right to privacy.”

On appeal, citing only Leopold v. Levin (1970), 45 Ill. 2d 434, 259 N.E.2d 250, for the general proposition that there is a right to privacy, plaintiffs proceed on the premise that Illinois recognizes a cause of action for "intrusion upon the seclusion of another.” Defendants have not challenged that assumption. However, the supreme court has specifically declined to settle the issue of whether the "intrusion upon seclusion” tort is actionable in Illinois. (Lovgren v. Citizens First National Bank (1989), 126 Ill. 2d 411, 417, 534 N.E.2d 987, 989.) In Lovgren, the supreme court also observed that there remains a conflict between the districts as to whether this cause of action is recognized. (See Melvin v. Burling (1986), 141 Ill. App. 3d 786, 490 N.E.2d 1011 (third district, recognizing cause of action); Kelly v. Franco (1979), 72 Ill. App. 3d 642, 391 N.E.2d 54 (first district, not recognizing the cause of action); Bank of Indiana v. Tremunde (1977), 50 Ill. App. 3d 480, 365 N.E.2d 295 (fifth district, impliedly recognizing cause of action); Bureau of Credit Control v. Scott (1976), 36 Ill. App. 3d 1006, 345 N.E.2d 37 (fourth district, not recognizing cause of action).) We need not determine whether this court would continue to subscribe to the holding in Scott that this cause is not actionable because, even if it is, plaintiffs’ claim fails because there is no proof to support the pleadings.

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Bluebook (online)
649 N.E.2d 83, 208 Ill. Dec. 251, 271 Ill. App. 3d 852, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hall-v-inphoto-surveillance-co-illappct-1995.