Logan v. The City of Schenectady

CourtDistrict Court, N.D. New York
DecidedSeptember 27, 2021
Docket1:18-cv-01179
StatusUnknown

This text of Logan v. The City of Schenectady (Logan v. The City of Schenectady) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Logan v. The City of Schenectady, (N.D.N.Y. 2021).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

ANTHONY LOGAN,

Plaintiff, 1:18-cv-01179 (BKS/CFH)

v.

CHIEF ERIC S. CLIFFORD, ASSISTANT CHIEF PATRICK LEGUIRE, ASSISTANT CHIEF JACK FALVO, LT. ERIK GANDROW, SGT. JEFFREY MCCUTCHEON, SGT. THOMAS HARRIGAN, DET. SGT. PETER FORTH,

Defendants.

Appearances: For Plaintiff: Leo Glickman Stoll, Glickman & Bellina, LLP 5030 Broadway, Suite 652 New York, New York 10034 For Defendants: Gregg T. Johnson Corey A. Ruggiero Johnson & Laws, LLC 646 Plank Road, Suite 205 Clifton Park, New York 12065 Hon. Brenda K. Sannes, United States District Judge: MEMORANDUM-DECISION AND ORDER I. INTRODUCTION This action arises from a June 5, 2017 incident during which Plaintiff Anthony Logan was shot twice by officers of the Schenectady Police Department (“SPD”) at his home in Schenectady, New York. (Dkt. No. 2, ¶¶ 9–49).1 In the Complaint, Plaintiff alleges that SPD Chief of Police Eric Clifford, Assistant Chief of Police Patrick Leguire, Assistant Chief of Police Jack Falvo, Lieutenant Erik Gandrow, Sergeant Jeffrey McCutcheon, Sergeant Thomas Harrigan, and Detective Sergeant Peter Forth (“Defendants”) were deliberately indifferent to his serious

medical need in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. (id. ¶¶ 57–62). Plaintiff also brings state law claims for negligence, (id. ¶¶ 51–56), and intentional infliction of emotional distress, (id. ¶¶ 63–67). Defendants move for summary judgment under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56 as to all of Plaintiff’s claims. (Dkt. No. 38). Plaintiff opposes the motion. (Dkt. Nos. 41–43). For the reasons that follow, Defendants’ motion is granted. II. FACTS2 A. “Domestic” Call – 535 Mumford Street #2 At 9:50 a.m. on June 5, 2017, SPD received a “third party call for a domestic where a male was reportedly choking a female”3 at 535 Mumford Street #2 in Schenectady; police were dispatched at 9:52 a.m. (Dkt. No. 38-11, at 2; Dkt. No. 38-2, ¶ 26; Dkt. No. 42, ¶ 26; Dkt. No. 43-1, at 1). SPD Officer Jonathan Haigh, who, along with Officer Smith,4 were two of the first

officers to respond to the call, spoke with the caller, who was at the scene and told them that “his granddaughter . . . told him that Anthony was” inside the residence “choking her mother.” (Dkt.

1 On October 1, 2018, Defendants removed this action from the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Schenectady County. 2 The facts are drawn from Defendants’ Statement of Material Facts, (Dkt No. 38-20), and Plaintiff’s response to that statement, (Dkt. No. 42), to the extent the facts are well-supported by pinpoint citations to the record, as well as the exhibits attached thereto and cited therein. The relevant facts are largely undisputed, (Dkt. Nos. 38-20, 42, 44-2); the Court has identified those facts in dispute. The facts are construed in the light most favorable to Plaintiff as the non- moving party. Gilles v. Repicky, 511 F.3d 239, 243 (2d Cir. 2007). 3 The evidence in the record suggests that the male subject of this call was Plaintiff Anthony Logan and the female subject was Plaintiff’s wife, Joanna Logan. Plaintiff disputes being involved in a domestic dispute. (Dkt. No. 38-20, ¶ 25; Dkt. No. 42, ¶ 25 (citing Dkt. No. 38-4, at 62 (Plaintiff testifying that he was found “not guilty” for the domestic charges filed against him)). 4 Officer Smith’s first name is not reflected in the record; neither Officer Haigh nor Smith is a defendant in this case. No. 43-1, at 1; Dkt. No. 38-10, at 2 (Police Call History indicates “caller is at the location – advised to wait outside for PD” at 9:54 a.m.). The residence located at 535 Mumford Street is a two-story house with front porches on both the first and second floors. (Dkt. No. 40 (CD with video of 535 Mumford Street)). Plaintiff lived in the apartment on the second floor. (Dkt. No. 38-

20, ¶¶ 26, 39; Dkt. No. 42, ¶¶ 26, 39). The porch on the second floor is covered by a ceiling and a high-pitched roof, has a half wall on three sides, and has a door that leads into the second floor. (Dkt. No. 40 (CD with video of 535 Mumford Street)). Officers Haigh and Smith knocked on the second-floor apartment door but received no response. (Dkt. No. 43-1, at 1). Officers Haigh and Smith had been to the residence before and were able to recall Plaintiff’s name and that he lived in the residence. (Id.). They asked “dispatch to run Anthony Logan”; dispatch informed them that Plaintiff “was on Parole for possession of a weapon.” (Id.). The Officers returned to the residence “to attempt to make contact,” “knocking on the door and . . . announcing” SPD. (Id. at 2). While in the “stairwell to the second floor,” Officer Haigh received a transmission from a third officer who had arrived at the scene that “he

had just observed a male peek his head out of a window on the north side of the building.” (Id.). Officers Smith and Haigh ran to the north side of the building where the third officer told them he “just observed a male throwing a bag out of the window into an open window of the vacant building.” (Id.; Dkt. No. 38-10, at 2 (Police Call History notes “tossed something from the window” at 10:13 a.m.)). As other officers arrived at the scene, Officer Haigh briefed them and directed them to “maintain a perimeter around the house.” (Dkt. No. 43-1, at 2). Officer Haigh provided “the details about the bag being thrown into the window” to two of the newly-arrived officers, who then “went to look for the bag.” (Id.). Officer Haigh received a radio transmission from one of the officers who went to look for the bag that “a 1033 long [gun] had just been recovered.” (Id.; Dkt. No. 38-10, at 2 (Police Call History notes “10-33 Long” at 10:15 a.m.)). SPD Sergeant Jeffrey McCutcheon arrived at 535 Mumford Street at approximately 10:15 a.m. and was “debriefed by officers on the scene,” who informed him that Plaintiff had

thrown, and police had recovered, a bag containing a rifle and ammunition out of the second- floor apartment. (Dkt. No. 38-16, ¶ 6). “Within a minute” of his arrival, Sgt. McCutcheon “used a megaphone to try and communicate with Plaintiff, and others in the house, repeatedly telling them to come out of the apartment.” (Id. ¶ 7; Dkt. No. 38-20, ¶ 33; Dkt. No. 42, ¶ 33). At first, no one responded, but approximately ten minutes after he arrived, Sgt. McCutcheon saw “a woman in a white towel quickly peer through” the door leading to the second-floor porch, and then “vanish.” (Dkt. No. 38-7, at 17–18). Sgt. McCutcheon again commanded anyone in the apartment to exit, “and eventually [Plaintiff] appeared” on the second-floor porch. (Id. at 19; Dkt. No. 38-16, ¶ 7). Sgt. McCutcheon told Plaintiff to “come downstairs,” but Plaintiff repeatedly refused, at one point responding: “I ain’t coming downstairs.” (Dkt. No. 38-7, at 20;

Dkt. No. 38-20, ¶¶ 35–36; Dkt. No. 42, ¶¶ 35–36). “Moments later, Plaintiff reached over the half wall of his porch with his cell phone in his hand and pointed it down at the SPD officers below his porch in a shooting action yelling ‘buck, buck, buck’ which prompted the officers on the ground to seek cover.” (Dkt. No. 38-16, ¶ 7). Sgt. McCutcheon stated that he and the other officers present believed they saw Plaintiff “waving around” a gun. (Dkt. No. 38-7, at 43). At that point, Sgt. McCutcheon “called the SPD headquarters and requested that the SPD Special Operations Squad (‘SOS’) respond to the scene since it was clear to [him] that Plaintiff was non- compliant, dangerous and creating a hostage or barricade situation.” (Dkt. No. 38-16, ¶ 7).

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Logan v. The City of Schenectady, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/logan-v-the-city-of-schenectady-nynd-2021.