Lovi v. Village of Arlington Heights

62 F. Supp. 3d 756, 2014 WL 3809027, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 105238
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedAugust 1, 2014
DocketNos. 13 CV 00788, 13 CV 06854
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 62 F. Supp. 3d 756 (Lovi v. Village of Arlington Heights) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lovi v. Village of Arlington Heights, 62 F. Supp. 3d 756, 2014 WL 3809027, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 105238 (N.D. Ill. 2014).

Opinion

Memorandum Opinion And Order

MANISH S. SHAH, United States District Judge

Plaintiff Arthur Lovi claims members of the Arlington Heights Police Department violated the United States Constitution and Illinois law by entering his home, seizing his firearms and FOID card, and refusing to return his property. Plaintiff further claims that on a separate occasion, Arlington Heights policemen forced him into an ambulance against his will and in violation of his rights. Defendants have moved for summary judgment on all claims. Dkt. 50.1 For the following reasons, defendants’ motion is granted in part and denied in part.

[760]*760I. Legal Standard

Summary judgment is appropriate “if. the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). A genuine dispute as to any material fact exists if “the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmov-ing party.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). “[Fjacts must be viewed in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party only if there is a ‘genuine’ dispute as to those facts.” Scott v. Harris, 550 U.S. 372, 380, 127 S.Ct. 1769, 167 L.Ed.2d 686 (2007). The party seeking summary judgment has the burden of establishing that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact. See Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). After “a properly supported motion for summary judgment is made, the adverse party ‘must set forth specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.’ ” Anderson, 477 U.S. at 255, 106 S.Ct. 2505 (quotation omitted); see also Celotex, 477 U.S. at 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548 (“plain language of Rule 56[a] mandates the entry of summary judgment, after adequate time for discovery and upon motion, against a party who fails to make a showing sufficient to establish the existence of an element essential to that party’s case, and on which that party will bear the burden of proof at trial.”).

II. Background

A. August 30, 2012 Incident

Plaintiff Arthur Lovi was a 73-year-old resident of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Dkt. 59 ¶ 1, Plaintiffs Response to Defendants’ Local Rule 56.1 Statement; Dkt. 67 ¶ 1, Defendants’ Response to Plaintiffs Local Rule 56.1 Statement of Facts. On August 30, 2012, plaintiff met with his therapist, Dr. Whitney Tschan. Dkt. 59 ¶ 4. During the session, plaintiff told Dr. Tschan that he felt his wife’s physician, Dr. Ham, committed malpractice when treating her nine years earlier. Dkt. 67 ¶ 5. According to plaintiff, he told Dr. Tschan that — at the time he learned Dr. Ham had failed to perform a blood test on his wife— plaintiff “would have punched the doctor in the nose if he saw him.” Dkt. 60 ¶ 6, Plaintiffs Local Rule 56.1 Statement of Facts. Dr. Tschan informed plaintiff that because he threatened Dr. Ham by name, she had a legal duty to warn both Dr. Ham and the police. Dkt. 67 ¶ 7; Dkt. 59 ¶ 5.

When Dr. Tschan called the Arlington Heights Police Department, she reported to Officer David Lavin that plaintiff had threatened to beat Dr. Ham within an inch of his life and to run him over with his car. Dkt. 59 ¶ 7; Dkt. 67 ¶ 9. Lavin called plaintiff to confirm the threat. Dkt. 69 ¶ 8. According to plaintiff, during this call he admitted to saying he would have punched Dr. Ham in the nose if he had seen him nine years ago when plaintiff learned of the malpractice. Dkt. 59 ¶ 8; Dkt. 60 ¶ 10. Lavin ran plaintiffs criminal history and learned that he had no criminal convictions and a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification card. Dkt. 67 ¶ 11. Lavin completed a report about his calls with Dr. Tschan and plaintiff. Dkt. 67 ¶ 12. Sergeant Charles Buczynski reviewed Lavin’s report, noted the valid FOID card, and decided he wanted to speak with plaintiff to see if he had any weapons. Dkt. 67 ¶¶ 12-13.

Around 11:00 p.m., Buczynski and Lavin went to plaintiffs house along with fellow Arlington Heights police officers Mark Ruge and Brian McGuire. Dkt. 67 ¶ 14. Plaintiffs adult son, Michael Lovi, went to get his father after he saw the officers approach the house. Dkt. 59 ¶ 10. Plaintiff came out and met the four police offi[761]*761cers on his front porch. Dkt. 67 ¶ 15. As on-duty police officers, the four men were all in uniform and armed. Dkt. 67 ¶ 15; Dkt. 60-7 at 83:6-11, Deposition of Officer Mark Ruge. One of the officers asked plaintiff if he threatened to harm a doctor; plaintiff replied that he had threatened to punch the doctor in the nose. Dkt. 60-1 at 39:8-12, Deposition of Arthur Lovi. The officers asked plaintiff about his weapons and plaintiff volunteered to get them. Dkt. 59 ¶ 13. Plaintiff opened the screen door to go in the house. Dkt. 59 ¶ 14. Though plaintiff did not explicitly invite them, the officers followed him in. Dkt. 59 ¶¶ 14,16.

According to plaintiff, once the officers entered the house, he stopped and said, “Hold on. I didn’t invite you into my house. Don’t you have to have a search warrant?” Dkt. 67 ¶ 16. Plaintiff also says he asked, “Why are you in my house?” Id. Plaintiff did not explicitly ask them to leave. Dkt. 60-1 at 47:18-19. Plaintiff testified that one of the officers replied that they did not have a search warrant, “but if [plaintiff] wanted [them] to go get one, [they’d] come back and tear the living shit out of [plaintiffs] house.” Dkt. 60-1 at 47:22-24. Plaintiff says this response caused him to be afraid and intimidated. Dkt. 60-1 at 48:1-8. At that point, plaintiff told the officers he would get the guns and bring them to the officers. Dkt. 60-1 at 50:23-51:2. As plaintiff walked towards his den he could see the officers following him. Dkt. 60-1 at 50:23-51:2.

In the den, one of the officers asked where the weapons were and plaintiff answered that all three were on the mantle of the fireplace. Dkt. 59 ¶ 19; Dkt. 60-1 at 51:12-13. Plaintiff took a .38 caliber from the mantle and handed it to an officer. Dkt. 59 ¶ 20. One of the officers asked plaintiff how to remove the bullets from the .38 and plaintiff responded that it was not loaded. Dkt. 59 ¶ 21. The officer asked plaintiff to show him that it was unloaded, so plaintiff told the officer how to open the gun. Id. This officer next asked plaintiff where the other weapon was, referring to plaintiffs .22 caliber firearm. Dkt. 59 ¶ 22. Plaintiff handed the .22 to one of the officers. Id. Finally, an officer commented about an old musket resting on nails underneath the mantle. Dkt. 59 ¶ 23. The officer took the musket off the wall. Id. According to plaintiff, the officers also took his FOID card to hold as “evidence.” Dkt. 60-1 at 137:22-138:6. -

As the officers were leaving the house, plaintiff told them he wanted a receipt for the three guns. Dkt. 59 ¶ 26. One of the officers told him he would have to follow them to the police station to get one. Id. Plaintiff followed the officers to the station and received a receipt for the guns and FOID card. Dkt. 59 ¶ 27.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
62 F. Supp. 3d 756, 2014 WL 3809027, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 105238, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lovi-v-village-of-arlington-heights-ilnd-2014.