Johnson-Schmitt v. Robinson

990 F. Supp. 2d 331, 2013 WL 6859110, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 181427
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. New York
DecidedDecember 30, 2013
DocketNo. 12-CV-260S
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 990 F. Supp. 2d 331 (Johnson-Schmitt v. Robinson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Johnson-Schmitt v. Robinson, 990 F. Supp. 2d 331, 2013 WL 6859110, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 181427 (W.D.N.Y. 2013).

Opinion

DECISION AND ORDER

WILLIAM M. SKRETNY, Chief Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

Plaintiffs commenced the present action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 seeking compensatory and injunctive relief for Defendants’ alleged violations of their consti[336]*336tutional rights. The allegations in the complaint stem from Defendants’ alleged searches of Plaintiffs’ property and seizure of animals purportedly belonging to Plaintiffs. Presently before this Court are the motions for summary judgment of Defendants County of Erie, Erie County Sheriffs Department, and John Does 1 and 2; Defendants Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (“SPCA”) and Lindsey M. Styborski; and Defendant Carolyn A. Robinson. The Court finds the motions fully briefed and oral argument unnecessary.

II. BACKGROUND

Plaintiffs live in the Town of Concord, where Defendant Carolyn A. Robinson has been employed as a Dog Control Officer since 2002. (Robinson Stmt. ¶¶ 1-4; Affidavit of Carolyn A. Robinson ¶ 3, Docket No. 25.) Robinson became familiar with Plaintiff Johnson-Schmitt1 because of her admitted frequent failure to timely renew required dog licenses. (Robinson Stmt. ¶¶ 22-23; Dep. of Plaintiff Gloria JohnsonSchmitt at 48, Ex. F to Aff. of Jenna W. Klucsik, Esq.) Plaintiff Johnson-Schmitt alleges that Robinson had a “strong personal dislike” for her and has allied herself with Plaintiffs estranged sister. (Compl. ¶¶ 31,136-137.)

Plaintiffs assert that in July 2009, Robinson impermissibly entered her home without a warrant. (Compl. ¶¶ 175-178.) As described by Plaintiff, she and her son Chad were in the backyard when she heard something come up the driveway. (Pi’s Dep. at 63.) They then “went into the house and [Robinson] was walking back out.” (Id.) The parties agree that there is a “breezeway” which connects the outside to the kitchen “after you go through the laundry room.” (Id. at 66 — 67; Robinson Stmt. ¶¶ 30-34.) Plaintiff saw Robinson coming out of the door “[b]e-tween the laundry room and the breezeway.” (Id. at 68.) When asked at her deposition whether she knew if Robinson had gone into the kitchen, Plaintiff answered “[o]nly by the wet footprints that w[ere] on the floor.” (Id.) She explained that the other household members were “off to camp” or at summer school. (Id.) When asked whether she knew for certain that those were Robinson’s footprints, Plaintiff answered, “[absolutely not.” (Id. at 69.)

Robinson, in contrast, avers that she has “absolutely no memory of going to [Plaintiffs] house in July 2009, including the breezeway and kitchen.” (Robinson Aff. ¶ 19.) Further, because the licenses for Plaintiffs dogs did not expire until August, there was no reason for Robinson to have been there in July. (Id. ¶¶ 20-24.)

On December 2, 2009, Robinson met officers from the Erie County Sheriffs Department at the property of Jamie Dispenza. (Robinson Stmt. ¶¶ 60-65; Robinson Aff. ¶¶ 34-37.) Approximately 19 dogs were on the premises at that time, at least ten of which were puppies and none of which were licensed. (Robinson Stmt. ¶¶ 67, 73; Pis’ Counter Stmt. ¶ 73.) Robinson observed that the conditions of the property were “horrible and unsanitary, with urine and feces throughout the house, and garbage on the floor.” (Robinson Aff. ¶ 37; Robinson Stmt. ¶ 65.) None of the dogs had any tags or identification that would allow an owner to be identified. (Robinson Stmt. ¶¶ 81-82.) Plaintiff, however, alleges that five or six of those dogs, only one of which was an adult, in fact belonged to her. (Pi’s Dep. at 94-97.)

[337]*337Robinson, aware that it was winter and the electricity at the property was about to be shut off, seized the dogs, taking three to a shelter on her own property and transferring the remainder to the SPCA. (Robinson Stmt. ¶¶ 70-72; Robinson Aff. ¶ 35.) No SPCA representative was present at the property at the time of the seizure. (SPCA Stmt. ¶ 8; Aff. of Beth Shapiro ¶ 4, Docket No. 24-4.) Jamie Dispenza redeemed only one dog from Robinson, a lab mix named Maggie. (Robinson Stmt. ¶ 76.) The remaining two dogs that Robinson had sheltered were transferred to the SPCA, following which all of the unredeemed dogs seized on December 2, 2009 were adopted out by the SPCA. (Robinson Stmt. ¶ 78; Robinson Aff. ¶¶ 45-47.)

On January 11, 2010, Robinson obtained an “Order to Seize Dogs” signed by Town Justice Leslie Gibbon. (Robinson Stmt. ¶ 97; SPCA Stmt. ¶ 16; Erie County Defs’ Stmt. ¶ 7.) The Order indicated that a complaint had been made against Plaintiff with respect to the harboring of unlicensed dogs. (Ex. G to Robinson Aff.) On January 13, 2010, Robinson, Erie County Sheriffs Office deputies, and SPCA employees — including Defendant Lindsey Styborski — arrived at Plaintiffs property. (Robinson Stmt. ¶ 100; SPCA Stmt. ¶ 17; Erie County Defs’ Stmt. ¶¶ 5-9.) Plaintiff Johnson-Schmitt was not home when the officials initially arrived, but was informed of their presence by her son William. (Pi’s Dep. at 117-18; Robinson Stmt. ¶ 103; Erie County Defs’ Stmt. ¶¶ 5-7.) While on the phone with William, Plaintiff heard him order the officials to get out. (Pi’s Dep. at 118-19.)

Robinson averred that when she arrived at the property with the others, they knocked on an exterior door and received no response. (Robinson Aff. ¶ 55.) She further asserts that, as they were standing in the yard, “one of the deputies thought he heard a child. At that time, the deputies and people from the SPCA went into the house.” (Id. at 56.) “A young man arrived and told the deputies and the people from the SPCA to get out of the house, which they did.” (Id. at 57.)

Plaintiff asserts that, when she arrived at the property, she “let the sheriff in because he said he had to come in, and I let the SPCA in.” (Pi’s Dep. 126.) She further testified that a sheriffs deputy told her:

I had to stand there and cooperate or else they was going to arrest me. The kids would come home to no mom. The police told me I had to be quiet and cooperate or else the kids were going to come home, and there wouldn’t be a mother there, so they’d put me in jail.

(Id. at 127, 129; see Cara Youngs’ Dep. at 10-11, Ex. G to Klucsik Aff.)

SPCA Officer Styborski asserted that she did not enter the premises until requested by the Erie County Sheriffs deputies “and at the invite of Plaintiff Gloria Johnson.” (Aff. of Lindsey M. Styborski ¶ 14, Docket No. 24-3.) Once inside, she “observed [a] large amount of feces and debris throughout the premises and numerous dogs suffering eye and ear infections.” (7<1¶ 14.) Styborski also observed “an extremely emaciated horse, several dogs, and deplorable conditions” outside the house. (Styborski Aff. ¶ 13.)

In contrast, Plaintiff described the inside of the house as having:

pee pads over against the wall where the dogs went to the bathroom that I hadn’t changed that morning because I was getting everybody off to school late. Smokey[, Plaintiff Cameron Youngs’ dog], had broke his chain, so we had put him in a kennel temporarily until Cameron could get back and put him back on a chain, fix the chain, because we were in a hurry because the kids missed the [338]*338bus. And dishes on the table from the kids eating breakfast. Other than that, fine.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
990 F. Supp. 2d 331, 2013 WL 6859110, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 181427, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/johnson-schmitt-v-robinson-nywd-2013.