Jordan v. Summit County, Ohio and Summit County Board of Commissioners

CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedMarch 10, 2020
Docket5:17-cv-02047
StatusUnknown

This text of Jordan v. Summit County, Ohio and Summit County Board of Commissioners (Jordan v. Summit County, Ohio and Summit County Board of Commissioners) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jordan v. Summit County, Ohio and Summit County Board of Commissioners, (N.D. Ohio 2020).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF OHIO EASTERN DIVISION

ELIZABETH A. JORDAN, individually ) CASE NO. 5:17-cv-02047 and as Administratrix of the Estate of Deceased, Wayne K. Jordan, )

Plaintiff, ) MAGISTRATE JUDGE KATHLEEN B. BURKE v. )

SUMMIT COUNTY, OHIO ) MEMORANDUM OPINION and SUMMIT COUNTY BOARD AND ORDER of COMMISSIONERS, et al. )

Defendants. )

I. Introduction This case arises from the suicide of an inmate at the Summit County, Ohio, jail on February 12, 2016. Four months after being jailed pursuant to an indictment charging him with rape and gross sexual imposition involving a minor, Wayne K. Jordan (“Jordan”) hanged himself in his cell. Jordan’s widow, Plaintiff Elizabeth A. Jordan (“Plaintiff” or “Mrs. Jordan”), individually and as Administratrix of Jordan’s estate, filed a Complaint in which she alleges, among other things, that Defendants Summit County, Summit County Sheriff Steve Barry (“Defendant Barry” or “Barry”), two Sheriff’s Deputies (Deputy Steven Scofield and Deputy Rawney Trunko (“Defendant Trunko” or “Trunko”), and unnamed “John Doe” employees of the Summit County jail1 were deliberately indifferent to Jordan’s serious medical needs, leading to his death. She asserts federal and state law claims and seeks damages.2 In a prior Memorandum Opinion and Order, the Court granted in part and denied in part Defendants’ earlier filed Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 11). Doc. 20.3 The following claims remain

pending before the Court: Plaintiff’s § 1983 deliberate indifference claim in the first cause of action against Defendant Trunko in his individual capacity; Plaintiff’s § 1983 deliberate indifference claim in the first cause of action against Defendant Summit County; Plaintiff’s § 1983 failure to train claim in the second cause of action against Defendant Barry in his official capacity, which is equivalent to a claim against Summit County;4 and Plaintiff’s state law claims in the third and fourth causes of action against Defendant Trunko in his individual capacity. Doc. 20, Doc. 28. A. Motions for summary judgment Defendants have filed a motion for summary judgment as to all remaining claims. Doc. 40. Plaintiff has filed a motion for partial summary judgment as to the § 1983 claim asserted

under the first cause of action against Defendant Summit County. Doc. 43. Each side has filed opposition briefs and replies. Doc. 48, 50, 51, 53. As set forth in detail below, it is undisputed that, during Jordan’s four months in the

1 Plaintiff sued all individual Defendants in their individual and official capacities. Plaintiff did not identify or seek to substitute named individual(s) for the John Doe Defendants by the November 12, 2018, deadline (Doc. 23).

2 In her Complaint, Plaintiff also sought injunctive relief but later conceded that injunctive relief is not available. Doc. 12, p. 20.

3 The Court dismissed the following claims: Plaintiff’s first cause of action against Defendants Scofield and Barry in their individual capacities; Plaintiff’s third and fourth causes of action against Summit County and Defendants Scofield and Barry in their individual capacities; and Plaintiff’s fifth cause of action.

4 “An official capacity claim filed against a public employee is equivalent to a lawsuit directed against the public entity which that agent represents.” Scott v. Clay County, Tenn., 205 F.3d 867, 879 (6th Cir. 2000). Summit County jail, he consistently denied having suicidal ideations; he did not attempt to harm himself before taking his life, and individuals in close communication with him, including Plaintiff, did not perceive him to be suicidal. It is also undisputed that jail personnel took prompt action upon finding Jordan unresponsive. A reasonable jury could not conclude that Defendants

were deliberately indifferent to Jordan’s serious medical needs or are otherwise liable for his death because there is no genuine issue as to any material fact. Accordingly, the Court GRANTS Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment, DENIES Plaintiff’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment, and dismisses with prejudice all remaining claims as to all remaining Defendants.5 B. Other pending motions In connection with the motions for summary judgment, Plaintiff has filed a motion in limine for an order granting judicial notice of government records (Doc. 41); a motion in limine to exclude the expert testimony and affidavit of Ruthann Paulus-Bland (Doc. 42); and a motion to strike portions of Ruthann Paulus-Bland’s affidavit (Doc. 52).6

5 As indicated above, Plaintiff did not identify or seek to substitute named individual(s) for the John Doe Defendants by the November 12, 2018, deadline. Accordingly, dismissal of Plaintiff’s Complaint is as to all remaining defendants, including named defendants and unnamed John Doe defendants. See Doc. 23 (warning Plaintiff that failure to amend her pleadings to identify John Does by November 12, 2018, may result in dismissal of her case against the Doe Defendants).

6 Within Plaintiff’s opposition to Defendants’ motion for summary judgment, Plaintiff also argues she is entitled to a negative inference from missing annual performance evaluations for Defendant Trunko for the years 2013-2015 and 2017. Doc. 48, pp. 17-18. Plaintiff contends that she is entitled to a presumption that the information in the missing performance evaluations was damaging to Defendants. Doc. 48, p. 18. Plaintiff has received performance evaluations for Defendant Trunko for other years which include some negative evaluations. Doc. 48, p. 18. Shane Barker, Administrative Captain at the Summit County Jail, indicated that the performance evaluations “may have been completed and didn’t make it into the personnel file or they may not have been completed.” Doc. 48-10, p. 82:7-9. Plaintiff has not filed a formal motion seeking the relief she requests. Even if the request contained within her opposition brief is considered a motion for the requested relief, she has not demonstrated intentional destruction of evidence. Nor has she shown how the negative inference she requests would alter the outcome of the pending summary judgment motions. Doc. 41- Plaintiff’s motion in limine for an order granting judicial notice of government records

In her motion in limine for an order granting judicial notice of government records, Plaintiff requests that the Court take judicial notice of the facts reflected in the following documents: (1) Ruthann Paulus-Bland Social Work License Verification (Doc. 44-9); (2) Ruthann Paulus-Bland Independent Social Work License Verification (Doc. 44-10); (3) William A. Jones Social Work License Verification (Doc. 44-11);7 and (4) Summit Psychological Associates, Inc. Secretary of State Registration (Doc. 44-12). Doc. 41. Plaintiff’s motion in limine is unopposed and is granted. Doc. 42 – Plaintiff’s motion in limine to exclude the expert testimony and affidavit of Ruthann Paulus-Bland

Ruthann Paulus-Bland, the Assistant Clinical Director of Jail Services for the Summit County Jail, is an employee of Summit Psychological Associates, Inc. Doc. 40-6, p. 1, ¶ 1; Doc. 40-8, p. 12:5-22. Summit Psychological Associates provided mental health services at the Summit County Jail during the period Jordan was incarcerated. Doc. 40-4, p. 2, ¶ 8. In her motion in limine to exclude expert testimony and the affidavit of Ms. Paulus- Bland, Plaintiff seeks an order finding that Ms. Paulus-Bland is a fact witness and not an expert witness. Doc. 42. Alternatively, if the Court finds that Ms. Paulus-Bland may testify as an expert witness, Plaintiff requests that the Court enter an order setting the reasonable and customary hourly fee that should be paid to Ms. Paulus-Bland. Id.

7 The verifications show that Ms.

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Jordan v. Summit County, Ohio and Summit County Board of Commissioners, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jordan-v-summit-county-ohio-and-summit-county-board-of-commissioners-ohnd-2020.