Koller v. Hilderbrand

933 F. Supp. 2d 272, 2013 WL 1149930, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 37599
CourtDistrict Court, D. Connecticut
DecidedMarch 19, 2013
DocketCivil No. 3:09cv999 (JBA)
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 933 F. Supp. 2d 272 (Koller v. Hilderbrand) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Connecticut primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Koller v. Hilderbrand, 933 F. Supp. 2d 272, 2013 WL 1149930, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 37599 (D. Conn. 2013).

Opinion

RULING ON MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

JANET BOND ARTERTON, District Judge.

Plaintiffs Judith and Edward Roller— mother and son — sue police officers Timothy Hilderbrand, Dennis Gallego, Gary Hoffkins, and Roger Wachnicki, for their involvement in a search of the Rollers’ home that was conducted on May 15, 2007 pursuant, to-, a valid search warrant. Plaintiffs claim that Defendants unreasonably destroyed Plaintiffs’ property or failed to intervene as their fellow officers unreasonably destroyed their property during the course of the search. Officer Gallego, a criminal investigator for the Westchester County District Attorney (“Westchester DA”), moves [Doc. # 87] for summary judgment. Detectives Hilderbrand, Hoff-kins, and Wachnicki, who are members of the Greenwich Police Department, file [Doc. # 91] a separate motion for summary judgment. For the reasons that follow, Officer Gallego’s motion will be granted, and the Greenwich Defendants’ motion will be granted in part and denied in part.

I. Factual Background

The following facts are culled from the Defendants’ Local Rule 56(a)(1) Statements [Docs. # 89, 91-5], Plaintiffs’ Local Rule 56(a)(2) Statements [Docs. # 93, 94], and all accompanying affidavits, declarations, and exhibits. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c)(1)(A). The core of the parties’ dispute arises out of the May 15, 2007 search of Plaintiffs’ home in Greenwich, Connecticut, a one family ranch-style house, with a finished basement and a detached garage. (Gallego’s Loe. R. 56(a)(1) Stmt [Doc. # 89] ¶ 17.) Unless noted specifically by footnote, the following facts are undisputed.

A. The Warrant

The search, which took place in connection with a criminal investigation into an organized crime and gambling operation in Westchester County, New York, was conducted by law enforcement officers from the Westchester DA and the Harrison Police Department (collectively, the “Westchester officers”), as well as agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency (“DEA”). (Id. ¶ 9.) Investigators had probable cause to search Mr. Roller’s residence for evidence of the gambling operation. (Id. ¶ 10.) As Mr. Roller’s residence is located in Greenwich, Connecticut, a DEA agent contacted Detective Hilderbrand, of the Greenwich police department, to request assistance in obtaining the warrant. (Id. ¶ 11.). Detective Hilderbrand prepared the warrant application with a supporting affidavit by Investigator Gallego. (Id. ¶ 12.)

On May 15, 2007, Connecticut Superior Court Judge William Hickey signed a search and seizure warrant for the Roller residence, which authorized the seizure of the following evidence:

Any gambling apparatus, documents, any personal digital assistants, telephones, answering machines, cellular telephones, Simcards and cellular telephone chargers, and any and all cellular telephone billing/contract records, money wagered on illegal gambling, any and all cash, credit card bills, records of bets, records of monetary gambling balances, tabulations, handwritten notes, images or other documentation concerning gambling records and/or communications about gambling, ledger books and any record of payment to or from any bettor and sheet-holder, receipts for betting tickets including any computer generated betting ticket, any and all records reflecting the names, code numbers, [275]*275telephone numbers and addresses of players (bettors), sheet holders (agents), runners, pickup men, bookmakers, comptrollers, master agents, Internet gambling websites and their employees. Any and all computers and thumb drives, floppy discs, compact discs and DVDS, containing any material related to gambling records. Any and all financial records which reflect the acquisition, possession, disbursement, distribution or location of proceeds of illegal gambling activity, any and all safe deposit keys or records of ownership or location of safe deposit boxes or private storage facilities, any and all safes and their contents, any and all personalty or other items evidencing ownership or connection to the subject premises or vehicles and or gambling proceeds or records, [] any and all photographs and videos depicting any two or more aforesaid individuals of the Green/Giovanniello illegal gambling enterprise together, and any contraband including trace evidence and paper shredders.

(Id. ¶¶ 13,14.)

B. The Search

The search was conducted on May 15, 20Q7, the same day that the warrant was issued. (Id. ¶ 8.) Law enforcement officers from the Greenwich Police Department, the Westchester DA’s Office, the Harrison Police Department, and the DEA were present during the search.1 (Id. ¶ 15.) The search began with the Greenwich officers conducting a security sweep.2 (Defs.’ Loe. R. 56(a)(1) Stmt [Doc. # 91-5] ¶ 17.) Once the residence was sécured, the Westchester officers assumed the primary responsibility of searching, as they were the officers familiar with the nature and details of the ongoing criminal investigation in Westchester County. (Id. ¶ 18.)3 Because of their knowledge of the gambling investigation, officers from the Harrison Police Department were the ones who physically conducted the manual search and identified items for seizure. (Id. ¶ 20.)4

[276]*276Plaintiffs assert an array of property damage claims. Although the Court will discuss their itemized claims of property damage only as necessary in its discussion below, one item bears mentioning here: the safe. A large safe was located in the basement of the Roller residence (Id. 30.), and, as the warrant authorized the search and seizure of “any and all safes and their contents,” the police sought access to it (Gallego’s 56(a)(1) Stmt ¶ 14.). While Judith Roller had the combination to the safe, she was not present at the home during the search because her children told her to stay away while the search was ongoing. (Defs.’ 56(a)(1) Stmt ¶¶ 31-32.) As such, when the officers were unable to gain access, the Greenwich Police Department contacted Champion Locksmith, which was able to breach the lock by using a precision drill. (Defs.’ Local Rule 56(a)(1) Statement ¶¶ 33, 34.)

In total, the search lasted five hours and eighteen minutes, beginning at 5:22pm and ending at 10:40pm. (Id. ¶ 18.) Mr. Roller did not observe any officers conducting the search or damaging property. (Id. ¶26.) Nor did Edward Roller hear an officer giving instructions to damage or destroy property. (Id. ¶ 27.) Similarly, Judith Roller, who was away from the premises throughout the duration of the search, did not observe any officer damaging property. (Defs.’ 56(a)(1) Stmt ¶ 71.) There is a genuine dispute about the pre search state of the rooms in the Roller residence (compare Marino Aff. ¶ 9 (noting that certain rooms were untidy), with Edward Roller Dep. at 35 (a cleaner serviced the house twice per week)), as well as the state of disrepair after the search (compare Mari-no Aff. ¶ 10 (observing no damage and .remarking that the search was ordinary), with Edward Roller Dep. at 31 (after search the house was “upside down”)).

After the search, Plaintiffs did not file a civilian complaint of any kind with the Greenwich Police Department.

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Bluebook (online)
933 F. Supp. 2d 272, 2013 WL 1149930, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 37599, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/koller-v-hilderbrand-ctd-2013.