Knowlton v. United States

111 F. Supp. 2d 1, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19598, 1999 WL 33120778
CourtDistrict Court, District of Columbia
DecidedSeptember 9, 1999
DocketCIV.A.96-2467 JGP
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 111 F. Supp. 2d 1 (Knowlton v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Knowlton v. United States, 111 F. Supp. 2d 1, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19598, 1999 WL 33120778 (D.D.C. 1999).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

JOHN GARRETT PENN, District Judge.

This matter arises out' of an alleged conspiracy to obstruct justice into the investigation of the death of deputy White *3 House counsel Vincent Foster. Plaintiff alleges that, in furtherance of this conspiracy, defendants conspired to impede his testimony before the grand jury charged with investigating Mr. Foster’s death. Pending before the Court are defendants’ motions to dismiss, or alternatively for summary judgment, as well as plaintiffs motion to file a revised second amended complaint. For the reasons set forth below, defendants’ motions for summary judgment will be granted, and plaintiffs motion to file an amended complaint will be denied.

I. Background

Plaintiff filed this civil rights action against the United States, Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) Agents Lawrence Monroe and Russel Bransford, Ayman Al-ouri, Abdel Salem Alouri, and John Does 1 through 24, alleging a conspiracy to obstruct justice. Plaintiff alleges that defendants conspired to intimidate him in connection with his testimony before the grand jury and that this conspiracy was subsidiary to a larger conspiracy to hide the facts of Mr. Foster’s death.

Plaintiff alleges he was in Fort Marcy Park on July 20, 1993, the day Vincent Foster’s body was discovered in that park. Plaintiff was interviewed at the time by an agent of the FBI. Over two years later, in October 1995, an article appeared in the London Sunday Telegraph in which it was reported that plaintiff believed his statements to the FBI regarding what he had seen in the park in July 1993 had been falsified. On October 26, two days after that article became available in the United States, plaintiff was served with a subpoena by the Office of Independent Counsel requiring him to appear before the grand jury on November 1.

Plaintiff alleges that on the same day he was served, the defendants “began a campaign of harassment, intimidation, terror, and psychological attack” in an effort to deter plaintiff from testifying fully and truthfully. Plaintiff alleges that the conspiracy against him began in April 1994, when defendant Monroe interviewed him and falsified statements he made regarding the events he witnessed in the park. Amend. Compl. ¶ 6. Specifically, Agent Monroe questioned plaintiff regarding the color of a Honda plaintiff had seen parked in the lot at Fort Marcy Park, attempting to discern whether the Honda with Arkansas license plates that plaintiff had seen could have been Mr. Foster’s car. Amend. Compl. ¶ 18. Plaintiff insisted it could not have been, because the car he had seen was older than Mr. Foster’s 1989 Honda, and was rust-brown, not taupe like Mr. Foster’s car. Id. Agent Monroe interviewed plaintiff a second time, in May 1994, and subsequently prepared reports of plaintiffs statements, in which plaintiff alleges Agent Monroe “knowingly and with specific intent to obstruct justice, falsified Plaintiffs account” of the car he had observed. Id. ¶ 20.

Plaintiff alleges that on October 13, 1995, an investigative journalist showed him for the first time the written summaries of his statements prepared by Agent Monroe. Amend. Compl. ¶ 25. On October 22, an article appeared in the London Sunday Telegraph, reporting that plaintiff was in Fort Marcy Park on the day Mr. Foster’s body was discovered, and that he was “stunned” to see the official summaries of his statements, alleging they were falsified. Amend. Compl. ¶ 26. On October 26, two days after the London Sunday Telegraph article was available in the United States, plaintiff was served by Agent Bransford with a subpoena to testify before the grand jury on November 1. Amend. Compl. ¶ 27.

Plaintiff alleges that when the story was published in the London Sunday Telegraph, in which plaintiff indicated that his statements had been falsified, defendants “conspired and schemed to neutralize Plaintiffs statements, both made and anticipated.” Amend. Compl. ¶ 30. The purpose of this conspiracy, according to plaintiff, was “to neutralize any dam *4 age Plaintiff could do to the ongoing conspiracy to hide the circumstances of Mr. Foster’s death,” by “intimidating and warning” plaintiff, and failing that, by “destabilizing and discrediting” him. Amend. Compl. 30. The ensuing “campaign of harassment, intimidation, terror, and psychological attack” began, according to plaintiff, on the same day he was served with a subpoena, October 26, 1999. Amend. Compl. ¶¶31, 32. On the evening of October 26, as plaintiff and a companion, Kathy, 1 walked on a public street, John Doe One (“ONE”) walked toward them and stared directly at plaintiff, directing a “fierce glare” toward plaintiff. Amend. Compl. ¶ 33. After plaintiff and his companion passed, ONE “raised his left wrist to his mouth and spoke into his coat sleeve” as he continued to stare at plaintiff. Id. In the following minutes, John Does TWO through ELEVEN followed or approached plaintiff, directing “fierce” stares his way. Amend. Compl. ¶¶ 3A-51. One of the John Does, EIGHT, made physical contact with plaintiff, brushing against him as he passed. Amend. Compl. ¶ 43.

The alleged harassment continued the following day, October 27. Amend. Compl. ¶ 52. That morning, plaintiff and Kathy were walking on the street when a black Nissan Altima with Maryland plates drove past them. John Doe TWELVE, who was driving the car, and THIRTEEN a passenger, each stared directly at plaintiff. Amend. Compl. ¶ 52. Plaintiff alleges, upon information and belief, that the car driven by TWELVE was a federal government vehicle. Id. ¶ 53. Later than afternoon, plaintiff walked with another individual, Christopher Ruddy, and was again approached by strangers. Id. ¶ 54. Plaintiff describes his first encounter that afternoon, with John Doe FOURTEEN, as follows:

Approximately two minutes after [plaintiff and Mr. Ruddy] left Plaintiffs building, Defendant FOURTEEN crossed the street so that they all reached the corner at the same time. FOURTEEN glared at Plaintiff, raised his eyebrows and from the waist pointed his finger at Plaintiff as if to say “gotcha.” FOURTEEN then walked on. Ruddy approached FOURTEEN, produced his journalist ID, and spoke to FOURTEEN, whereupon FOURTEEN introduced himself as “Joe Colter,” and said he had worked at the White House, a World Bank organization, as an advisor to Bill Clinton, and currently at an international technology business.
FOURTEEN reintroduced himself and shook Plaintiffs hand while saying, “I didn’t hear your name.” Plaintiff repeated “Patrick Knowlton,” whereupon FOURTEEN gave Plaintiffs hand a hard squeeze and while leaning forward and glaring into his eyes, said, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Knowlton.”

Amend. Compl. ¶¶ 54-55. Plaintiff states that he understood FOURTEEN’s finger point to be a “direct threat of harm.” Id. ¶ 56.

The harassment continued. John Doe FIFTEEN watched plaintiffs interaction with FOURTEEN, and then approached plaintiff and “stared at [his] face for about thirty seconds.” Amend. Compl. ¶ 57. Following, this encounter, plaintiff alleges he was harassed by two of the named defendants, Ayman Alouri and Ab-del Alouri. Plaintiff alleges that as he and Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
111 F. Supp. 2d 1, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19598, 1999 WL 33120778, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/knowlton-v-united-states-dcd-1999.