Harrington-Wisely v. California CA2/7

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 28, 2015
DocketB248565
StatusUnpublished

This text of Harrington-Wisely v. California CA2/7 (Harrington-Wisely v. California CA2/7) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harrington-Wisely v. California CA2/7, (Cal. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

Filed 4/28/15 Harrington-Wisely v. California CA2/7 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION SEVEN

GAIL MARIE HARRINGTON-WISELY B248565 et al., (Los Angeles County Plaintiffs and Appellants, Super. Ct. No. BC227373)

v.

THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA et al.,

Defendant and Respondent.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Victoria G. Chaney, Judge. Affirmed in part and reversed in part. Kaye, McLane, Bednarski & Litt and Barrett S. Litt for Plaintiffs and Appellants. Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Jonathan L. Wolff, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Thomas S. Patterson and Jose A. Zelidon-Zepeda, Deputy Attorneys General, for Defendants and Respondents. ___________________________ Gail Marie Harrington-Wisely and several additional plaintiffs (collectively Wisely) sued the State of California, the California Department of Corrections (now the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation) (CDC), the California State Prison at Lancaster and five senior prison officials (collectively government defendants) in a class action complaint alleging violations of state and federal constitutional rights and several common law tort claims relating to the use of a backscatter X-ray machine, the Secure 1000, to scan visitors at 11 California prisons as a means of detecting concealed weapons and other contraband. After the trial court granted summary adjudication on 10 causes of action for damages in favor of the government defendants, the parties entered into a settlement and stipulated judgment, thereby avoiding trial on Wisely’s claims for equitable relief. On May 24, 2013 all remaining claims, including open issues reserved in the earlier stipulated judgment, were dismissed pursuant to a further stipulation; and a final judgment was entered. Wisely now appeals several aspects of the trial court’s rulings on the damage claims. We reverse in part as to the State and other public entity defendants, affirm as to the individual defendants and remand for further proceedings. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND 1. California State Prisons’ X-ray and Search of Visitors From 1999 through March 2001 eleven institutions operated by the CDC required all visitors to pass through the Secure 1000 to detect weapons and other contraband, such as money and narcotics. The Secure 1000 discharged low-level backscatter X-rays that penetrated a few centimeters into a person’s skin, producing a spectral-like computer image of the body, including an outline of breasts, genitalia and folds of skin. If an image showed a gray or darkened area that could not be conclusively identified, visitors were required to undergo an unclothed visual inspection and possibly a visual body cavity search (called a “proximate search”). Darkened areas were found to include feminine hygiene products, breast implants, brassiere underwire and diapers. Visitors who did not agree to be screened with the Secure 1000 were denied access to the prison for that day and told they may be subject to unclothed visual inspections on future visits.

2 2. The Initial Complaint; Suspension of Use of the Secure 1000 On March 30, 2000 Wisely filed a class action complaint alleging violations of state and federal constitutional rights to privacy and several tort claims relating to the use of the Secure 1000. On March 23, 2001, after Wisely had moved for a preliminary injunction, the CDC directed the institutions to discontinue use of the Secure 1000 until further notice. The CDC agreed it would provide 90 days’ notice before resuming use of the Secure 1000 to give Wisely time to renew her motion for a preliminary injunction. 3. The Fifth and Sixth Amended Complaints and Motions to Strike On June 6, 2003 Wisely filed a fifth amended complaint, which included claims under title 42 United States Code section 1983 for violation of visitors’ federal constitutional rights; a claim for violation of the right to privacy recognized by the California Constitution article I, section 1; a claim for interference by threats, intimidation or coercion with the exercise or enjoyment of constitutional or statutory rights under Civil Code section 52.1, including treble damages made available pursuant to Civil Code section 52; claims for violation of mandatory duties under Government 1 Code section 815.6; and claims for negligence and negligent supervision. The complaint sought both damages and equitable relief. Wisely alleged, among other things, the State violated prison visitors’ constitutional rights by X-raying them as a condition of entry into the prison without reasonable suspicion the visitors were carrying contraband or 2 posed a threat to prison security.

1 The amended complaint also asserted claims against the manufacturers of the Secure 1000, which were ultimately resolved in their favor on summary judgment. Wisely does not challenge the dismissal of those claims (the eleventh through fourteenth causes of action in the eighth amended complaint). 2 On October 15, 2004 the trial court certified a class comprised of visitors scanned with the Secure 1000 from approximately March 19, 1999 through March 23, 2001 as a condition of a prison visit. Although Wisely had moved to certify a class based on visitors scanned with the Secure 1000 and a subclass of visitors subsequently required to undergo strip/body cavity searches, the class was instead divided into subclasses based on the prison visited “because policies vary from prison to prison” and the court was “not satisfied common issues predominate[d] across the entire prison system.”

3 On October 24, 2003 the trial court granted the government defendants’ motion to strike references to damages under Civil Code section 52, subdivision (a), holding a state prison is not a business establishment, a prerequisite to recovering damages under the statutory scheme. On November 18, 2003 Wisely filed a further amended complaint, removing reference to treble damages under Civil Code section 52, subdivision (a), but seeking civil penalties and exemplary damages under Civil Code section 52, subdivision (b). On February 4, 2004 the court granted the government defendants’ motion to strike all claims for damages (including civil penalties characterized as damages) under Civil Code section 52, subdivision (b). 4. The Motions for Summary Adjudication; the Motions for Reconsideration Following additional motion and pleading practice by the parties, on July 1, 2005 the court granted the government defendants’ motions for summary adjudication of the 3 first 10 causes of action seeking damages in the operative eighth amended complaint. Wisely does not challenge the trial court’s rulings foreclosing claims for violation of federal constitutional rights (the first, second and third causes of action), violation of mandatory duties based on provisions of the California Code of Regulations (the seventh cause of action) or intentional infliction of emotional distress (the eighth cause of action). As to the remaining five causes of action at issue in this appeal, the court found violence or intimidation by threat of violence was required to establish a violation of Civil Code section 52.1 (the fifth cause of action), and it was undisputed no violence or threat of violence was used to compel visitors to be scanned with the Secure 1000.

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

Related

Cleolis Hunt v. Dental Department
865 F.2d 198 (Ninth Circuit, 1989)
Kathleen Hansen v. Ronald L. Black
885 F.2d 642 (Ninth Circuit, 1989)
C.A. v. William S. Hart Union High School District
270 P.3d 699 (California Supreme Court, 2012)
Bender v. County of Los Angeles
217 Cal. App. 4th 968 (California Court of Appeal, 2013)
Hayes v. County of San Diego
305 P.3d 252 (California Supreme Court, 2013)
Haggis v. City of Los Angeles
993 P.2d 983 (California Supreme Court, 2000)
Jones v. Kmart Corp.
949 P.2d 941 (California Supreme Court, 1998)
Hill v. National Collegiate Athletic Assn.
865 P.2d 633 (California Supreme Court, 1994)
Johnson v. State of California
447 P.2d 352 (California Supreme Court, 1968)
State Board of Education v. Levit
343 P.2d 8 (California Supreme Court, 1959)
Peterson v. City of Long Beach
594 P.2d 477 (California Supreme Court, 1979)
Hansen v. California Department of Corrections
920 F. Supp. 1480 (N.D. California, 1996)
Posey v. State of California
180 Cal. App. 3d 836 (California Court of Appeal, 1986)
Clausing v. San Francisco Unified School District
221 Cal. App. 3d 1224 (California Court of Appeal, 1990)
Lehto v. City of Oxnard
171 Cal. App. 3d 285 (California Court of Appeal, 1985)
Porten v. University of San Francisco
64 Cal. App. 3d 825 (California Court of Appeal, 1976)
Jessen v. Mentor Corp.
71 Cal. Rptr. 3d 714 (California Court of Appeal, 2008)
Scripps Clinic v. Superior Court
134 Cal. Rptr. 2d 101 (California Court of Appeal, 2003)
Huynh v. Ingersoll-Rand
16 Cal. App. 4th 825 (California Court of Appeal, 1993)
Richardson-Tunnell v. Schools Insurance Program for Employees
69 Cal. Rptr. 3d 176 (California Court of Appeal, 2007)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Harrington-Wisely v. California CA2/7, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harrington-wisely-v-california-ca27-calctapp-2015.