Klein v. Madison

374 F. Supp. 3d 389
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedApril 10, 2019
DocketCIVIL ACTION NO. 17-4507
StatusPublished
Cited by67 cases

This text of 374 F. Supp. 3d 389 (Klein v. Madison) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Klein v. Madison, 374 F. Supp. 3d 389 (E.D. Pa. 2019).

Opinion

Smith, District Judge.

*400In the middle of the night on May 2, 2016, the plaintiff heard a knock at her door. Answering the door in her pajamas, she found several City of Allentown police officers seeking information about her son's whereabouts and requesting permission to search her home without a warrant. The plaintiff flatly refused and attempted to close her door and end the encounter. What happened next is disputed by the parties. The plaintiff argues that two officers proceeded to violently pull her from her doorway, throw her over a railing, handcuff her, and drag her to a police car. The defendants allege that the plaintiff violently slammed the door shut on an officer's hand, then punched him in the face, and was restrained using a reasonable amount of force. Regardless of what occurred, it is undisputed that the encounter ended with a warrantless entry into her home and in her arrest.

The plaintiff brought the instant civil action against the officers who entered her home and arrested her, the former chief of police, the former mayor of the City of Allentown, and the City of Allentown. Concerning the asserted causes of action, she brings several 42 U.S.C. § 1983 claims and state law claims (i.e. , assault and battery, trespass, civil conspiracy) against the individual officers. Against the former police chief, she brings a claim for supervisory liability-policymaker liability under section 1983. Against the City of Allentown, she brings a section 1983 claim for municipal liability pursuant to Monell v. Department of Social Services of the City of New York , 436 U.S. 658, 98 S.Ct. 2018, 56 L.Ed.2d 611 (1978).

Currently before the court is the defendants' motion for summary judgment on all causes of action. The defendants request summary judgment on the basis that the plaintiff has (1) failed to establish her claims as a matter of law and (2) the officers, for certain of her claims, qualify for immunity under federal and state law. As to all her claims but one, which the court dismisses without prejudice pursuant to Heck v. Humphrey , 512 U.S. 477, 114 S.Ct. 2364, 129 L.Ed.2d 383 (1994), and partial summary judgment for another, the court finds disputed issues of material fact preclude summary judgment in favor of the defendants. Therefore, for the reasons stated below, summary judgment is granted in part and denied in part.

I. PROCEDURAL HISTORY

The plaintiff, Charlene Klein, filed her complaint against the defendants, Officer Stephen Madison ("Officer Madison"), Officer Christopher Hendricks ("Officer Hendricks"), Officer Michael Good ("Officer Good"), Officer Jacoby Glenny ("Officer Glenny"), John/Jane Does 1-X ("Does"), (former) Mayor Edwin Pawlowski ("Mayor Pawlowski"), the (former) Chief of Police Keith Morris ("Chief Morris"), and the City of Allentown (the "City") on October 10, 2017. Doc. No. 1. The complaint asserted twelve causes of action:1 (1) excessive force in violation of the Fourth Amendment under section 1983 against Officers Madison, Hendricks, and Glenny, in their individual capacities; (2) unlawful search in violation of the *401Fourth Amendment under section 1983 against Officers Madison, Hendricks, Good, and Glenny (collectively, the "Officers") in their individual capacities; (3) failure to intervene in violation of the Fourth Amendment under section 1983 against the Officers in their individual capacities; (4) civil conspiracy under section 1983 against the Officers in their individual capacities; (5) denial of medical care in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment under section 1983 against the Officers in their individual capacities; (6) violation of her Fourteenth Amendment due process rights under section 1983 against the Officers in their individual capacities; (7) supervisory liability/policymaker liability under section 1983 against Mayor Pawlowski and Chief Morris in their individual capacities; (8) municipal liability pursuant to Monell against the City; (9) assault and battery under Pennsylvania law against Officers Madison, Hendricks, and Glenny in their individual capacities; (10) violations of the Pennsylvania Constitution against the Officers; (11) trespass under Pennsylvania law against the Officers in their individual capacities; and (12) civil conspiracy under Pennsylvania law against the Officers. Compl. at 26-66, Doc. No. 1.

The defendants filed an answer and affirmative defenses to the complaint on December 27, 2017. Doc. No. 13. After discovery concluded, the defendants moved for summary judgment as to all claims brought by the plaintiff on December 14, 2018. Doc. No. 55. On January 4, 2019, the plaintiff filed a response in opposition to the motion for summary judgment. Doc. No. 58. The court heard oral argument on the motion on January 9, 2019. See Doc. No. 60. The defendants then filed a reply brief and a separate response to plaintiff's additional facts on January 14, 2019. Doc. Nos. 62, 63. Lastly, the plaintiff filed a sur-reply brief as to certain issues raised during oral argument on January 24, 2019. Doc. No. 68. On March 27, 2019, the parties dismissed the claims against the Does and Mayor Pawlowski by stipulation. Doc. No. 95.

The motion for summary judgment is ripe for disposition.

II. DISCUSSION

A. Standard of Review - Motions for Summary Judgment

A district court "shall grant summary judgment if the movant shows that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). Additionally, "[s]ummary judgment is appropriate when 'the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.' " Wright v. Corning , 679 F.3d 101, 103 (3d Cir. 2012) (quoting Orsatti v. N.J. State Police , 71 F.3d 480, 482 (3d Cir. 1995) ). An issue of fact is "genuine" if "the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party." Anderson v.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
374 F. Supp. 3d 389, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/klein-v-madison-paed-2019.