Hampton v. Gilmore

60 F.R.D. 71, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13746
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Missouri
DecidedMay 7, 1973
DocketNo. S72 C 34
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 60 F.R.D. 71 (Hampton v. Gilmore) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hampton v. Gilmore, 60 F.R.D. 71, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13746 (E.D. Mo. 1973).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

WEBSTER, District Judge.

This matter is before the court on the separate motions of each defendant to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction over the subject matter and failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted and for summary judgment. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(1) and (6) and 56. Plaintiff is represented by counsel previously appointed by Judge Wangelin.

Plaintiff’s Allegations

The allegations of the amended complaint may be summarized as follows: Plaintiff is a resident of Missouri, presently incarcerated in the United States Penitentiary at Marion, Illinois. At the time this claim arose, defendant Thomas R. Gilmore was Prosecuting Attorney for Scott County, Missouri; defendant John Dennis was Sheriff of Scott County; defendant Arthur Bruce was Chief of Police of Sikeston, Missouri; and defendant Ed Umphres was an employee of Southwestern Bell Telephone Company. On or about May 2, 1969, shortly after 10:45 p. m., plaintiff and his wife stopped their automobile at a pay-telephone booth, the exact location of which was unknown, but apparently in or near Sikeston, Missouri. Plaintiff made a long-distance call and then he and his wife proceeded in their automobile east toward Highway 61. Prior to reaching that highway, plaintiff’s automobile was pulled over by a patrol car containing two Sikeston police officers. The two officers took plaintiff and his wife to the Sikeston city jail. At the jail, plaintiff and his wife were searched and then incarcerated. Plaintiff and his wife were incarcerated from May 3 to May 5, 1969, and “were held without benefit of counsel and subjected to repeated interrogations by officials representing the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, employees of the Police Department of the City of Sikeston, and persons from [73]*73the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney of Scott County”, and without plaintiff being informed of his Miranda warnings. The arrest, incarceration and interrogation were “committed by officers in the employ of the City of Sikeston, under the command of and at the direction of Arthur Bruce, Chief of the Sikeston Police Department, employees of the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, and agents or employees of the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney of Scott County.” Subsequently, plaintiff’s automobile was searched “by person or persons unknown to this plaintiff, said persons representing the Police Department of Sikeston, Southwestern Bell Telephone Company and the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, said search revealing a number of personal items belonging to this plaintiff, among which was his personal and private property of . $1,216.90 in cash, all of which property was seized by one or more of the defendants.”

Plaintiff and his wife were charged with one count of possession of burglary tools, four counts of burglary and stealing, and four counts of malicious destruction of property. The charges were subsequently dismissed. Plaintiff’s property was retained by the Office of the Sheriff of Scott County. The $1,216.90 was disposed of by the “Office of the Prosecuting Attorney of Scott County in conjunction with the Office of the Sheriff of Scott County pursuant to an agreement between Charles M. Shaw, attorney for this plaintiff . . ., and the employees of the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, in which all costs arising from the charges were to be paid from the money seized and the balance given to Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, all without the knowledge or agreement of this plaintiff.”

Plaintiff incorporated four exhibits, labeled A-D, which were attached to his original complaint. Exhibit A is a photocopy of a letter dated June 5, 1972, from Prosecuting Attorney Gilmore to plaintiff. The letter indicates that it is in response to papers sent by plaintiff to the clerk of the Magistrate Court of Sikeston. The letter states that enclosed are photocopies of correspondence from Charles M. Shaw on August 18, 1970, letter from Prosecuting Attorney Gilmore to Sheriff Dennis of September 17, 1970, and letter from Sheriff Dennis to defendant Umphres dated October 26, 1970, all in reference to the disposition of money “in the amount of $1,300.00.” The letter further indicates that “[t]he burglary tools and keys will not be returned [because] [t]hey are suited for . only ... an illegal use.” Finally, the letter states that if there were an air rifle and binoculars among plaintiff's property, plaintiff should write Sheriff Dennis and ask him to return that property. Exhibit B is a photocopy of a letter from Charles M. Shaw to Prosecutor Gilmore. The letter indicates that it is in response to Gilmore’s letter of August 4 and states in part:

“[I]t is perfectly agreeable that we proceed on the basis of your letter of August 4, which is as follows:
1. The State will dismiss the cases against both James Hampton and his wife, Mary Hampton.
2. The court costs shall be paid out of the seized property that the State is now holding in Scott County, Missouri.
3. After the court costs are paid, the balance of the seized property would be turned over to Southwestern Bell Telephone Company as restitution.
This is agreeable to my client and his wife, and this letter may be taken as proof thereof.”

Exhibit C is a photocopy of a letter from Prosecutor Gilmore to Sheriff Dennis, dated September 17, 1970.' This letter recites that since plaintiff has been sentenced in Oklahoma to two consecutive terms which will run approximately 19 years, the Prosecutor has en[74]*74tered into an agreement with Shaw, plaintiff’s attorney, to dismiss the cases pending in Scott County against plaintiff and his wife on the agreement that the seized funds will be used first to pay court costs, and second to pay restitution to Southwestern Bell. The letter goes on to detail the court costs and suggests that the balance be forwarded through defendant Umphres’ office to Southwestern Bell. Exhibit D is a photocopy of a letter dated October 26, 1970 from Sheriff Dennis to defendant Umphres, reciting that Dennis was enclosing a check payable to Southwestern Bell in the amount of $757.75, the balance of the “recovered stolen money” after payment of court costs. The letter states that the distribution is in compliance with instructions from Prosecutor Gilmore and Charles Shaw, attorney for plaintiff and his wife.

These allegations are detailed in what is labeled Count I of the amended complaint and incorporated by reference into what is labeled Count II. Count I alleges that the arrest, confinement and search and seizure of plaintiff’s property were illegal and that there was an “unlawful conspiracy” to dispose of plaintiff’s property, and that as a direct result plaintiff was deprived of $1,216.-90 in cash. In Count I, plaintiff seeks judgment for $1,216.90, for return of his other personal property, and for other appropriate relief. Count II alleges that the arrest and confinement were illegal and were the result of a conspiracy to deprive plaintiff of his constitutional rights; and that these acts caused plaintiff grievous mental and emotional suffering, personal humiliation and embarrassment, and irreparable injury to his character in the amount of $100,000.00.

Jurisdiction

Plaintiff complains of the following:

1. illegal arrest;

2.

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Bluebook (online)
60 F.R.D. 71, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13746, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hampton-v-gilmore-moed-1973.