Landry v. Harshbarger

9 Mass. L. Rptr. 74
CourtMassachusetts Superior Court
DecidedAugust 12, 1998
DocketNo. 98462
StatusPublished

This text of 9 Mass. L. Rptr. 74 (Landry v. Harshbarger) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Landry v. Harshbarger, 9 Mass. L. Rptr. 74 (Mass. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

Borenstein, J.

This matter comes before the Court on plaintiffs’, Donald E. Landry, et al. (“plaintiffs”), second motion for preliminary injunction. Plaintiffs have moved to enjoin the defendants, Scott Harshbarger, Attorney General, et al. (“defendants”), from enforcing the DNA Seizure and Dissemination Act, M.G.L.c. 22E, §§1-15, (“Act”). Plaintiffs also seek a declaration that the Act violates the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights on the grounds that the involuntary extraction of blood, with or without the use of force, without individualized suspicion or probable cause is incompatible with individual privacy rights guaranteed by art. 14 of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights and the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. In their opposition, in support of the Act’s constitutionality, defendants urge this Court to depart from clearly established Fourth Amendment and art. 14 jurisprudence and create new law. For the Court to accept defendants’ position, it would be adopting a new interpretation of firmly established jurisprudence. This Court will not adopt this new and novel approach. Rather, this Court finds and declares that M.G.L.c. 22E, §§1-15 violates the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution; independent of and apart from the Fourth Amendment, these provisions also violate art. 14 of the Declaration of Rights. For the reasons set forth below, plaintiffs’ second motion for preliminary injunction is ALLOWED.

I. BACKGROUND

On September 30, 1997, the Massachusetts Legislature enacted the DNA Seizure and Dissemination Act, M.G.L.c. 22E, §§1-15. According to 1997 Mass. Acts c. 106, §1, the purpose of the Act is to assist local, state, and federal criminal justice and law enforcement agencies in: (1) deterring and discovering crimes and recidivistic criminal activity; (2) identifying indi[75]*75viduals for, and excluding individuals from criminal investigation or prosecution; and (3) searching for missing persons.

Pursuant to Section 3 of the Act, any person convicted of one of the thirty-three (33) enumerated statutory offenses3 or of an attempt or a conspiracy to commit any of the aforementioned offenses shall be required to submit a DNA sample within ninety (90) days of such conviction. According to 1997 Mass. Acts c. 106, §8, on the effective date of the Act, December 29, 1997, notwithstanding the date of conviction, any person incarcerated in any prison or house of correction for any of the enumerated offenses, or any person on probation or parole as a result of any of the enumerated offenses, shall submit to a DNA sample within ninety (90) days, or prior to their release from custody, whichever date occurs first.

According to Section 3 of the Act, each DNA sample shall be collected by an authorized person, in accordance with regulations or procedures established by the director. Section 6 of the Act, further specifies that the director shall promulgate regulations governing the collection, submission, receipt, identification, storage, and disposal of DNA samples. The results of all DNA analyses shall become part of the state DNA database.

In the event that an individual refuses to submit to a DNA sample, Section 4 allows authorized law enforcement and correction personnel to use reasonable force to assist in collecting DNA samples. Additionally, Section 11 permits the imposition of a fine of not more than $1,000, or imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than six months, or both for anyone who refuses to provide a DNA sample.

In January of 1998, defendants and their agents began to enforce the Act, without promulgating regulations, in violation of the Act’s requirements. Between January 15 and January 22, 1998, plaintiffs Cartagena, Troisi, and Pistorino received notices from the Department of Probation informing them of their duly to provide a DNA sample within ninety (90) days of their convictions. The notices threatened that failure to comply was punishable by a fine, incarceration, or both, and was grounds for the revocation of their probation. On January 26, 1998, Landry received a similar notice stating that he must submit to a DNA sample by March 29, 1998. All probationers and parolees were instructed to contact 1-888-877-4DNA for further instructions and information.

On January 24, 1998, prior to the promulgation of any regulations, agents of the defendants compelled more than 1,100 prison inmates, convicted of one or more of the enumerated offenses, to submit to the extraction of their DNA, including plaintiffs Gallello, Hallett, and Pironti. When necessary, defendants used physical force, threat of force, or threat of punishment to involuntarily obtain DNA samples from the prison inmates.

Beginning on February 4, 1998, agents of defendants began extracting DNA samples from probationers and parolees at the Massachusetts National Guard Armory in Dorchester (Armory). Probationers and parolees who received notice and telephoned 1-888-877-4DNA were instructed, under threat of punishment, to report to the Armory to submit a DNA sample.

II. PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On February 5, 1998, at a hearing before this Court, plaintiffs argued a Motion for Preliminary Injunction in an effort to enjoin the defendants from seizing the DNA of Cartagena, Landry, Troisi, and Pistorino, to enjoin any testing of the DNA samples previously seized from Pironti, Hallett, and Gallello, and to order that any seized DNA b e destroyed. By agreement of all parties, the only issue raised and argued on February 5 was the defendants’ failure to promulgate regulations prior to enforcement of the Act, in violation of Sections 6 and 8 of M.G.L.c. 22E. This Court granted plaintiffs’ motion on February 9 and ordered defendants to cease any and all collection, analysis, and/or dissemination of DNA of the plaintiffs, and of anyone subject to the provisions of the Act.

On February 17, 1998, plaintiffs filed an amended verified complaint in this Court seeking temporary and permanent injunctive and declaratory relief.4 Plaintiffs are seeking to permanently bar the defendants from seizing the DNA of Cartagena, Landry, Troisi, and Pistorino, and from analyzing and disseminating the DNA samples previously seized from Pironti, Hallett, and Gallello. Plaintiffs are also seeking a declaration that defendants’ actions violate the constitutional rights of the plaintiffs.

On February 27, 1998, after promulgating emergency regulations governing just the collection of DNA samples, defendants filed an Emergency Motion to Partially Vacate the Preliminary Injunction entered on February 9, 1998 and allow them to resume collecting DNA samples. On March 18, 1998, after a hearing before me, I denied defendants’ emergency motion on the grounds that further arguments and/or regulations regarding the use of force were desired. These issues were scheduled to be addressed at oral arguments on April 15, 1998.

On March 26, 1998, a single justice of the Massachusetts Appeals Court modified the preliminary injunction issued on February 9 and reaffirmed on March 18. Justice Kenneth Laurence of the Massachusetts Appeals Court granted defendants’ motion to vacate that portion of the injunction barring the collection of DNA samples. Defendants are currently permitted to notify any and all persons subject to the Act of their duty to provide a DNA sample and to inform such persons that the refusal to do so shall be subject to the penalties of fine and term of imprisonment set forth in Section 11 of the Act.

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Bluebook (online)
9 Mass. L. Rptr. 74, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/landry-v-harshbarger-masssuperct-1998.