Lytes v. Smith

11 F. Supp. 3d 527, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42935, 2014 WL 1314228
CourtDistrict Court, D. South Carolina
DecidedMarch 28, 2014
DocketC/A No. 3:12-01672-MBS
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 11 F. Supp. 3d 527 (Lytes v. Smith) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. South Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lytes v. Smith, 11 F. Supp. 3d 527, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42935, 2014 WL 1314228 (D.S.C. 2014).

Opinion

ORDER AND OPINION

MARGARET B. SEYMOUR, Senior District Judge.

Plaintiff Christopher Lytes (“Plaintiff’) brings this action pursuant to 42 U.S.C § 1983 (“Section 1983” or “§ 1983”) against Christian Smith (“Defendant C. Smith”), David Wood (“Defendant Wood”), Brian N. Smith (“Defendant B. Smith”), and John Lookabill (“Defendant Looka-bill”) (collectively “Defendants”), alleging violations of his Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendment rights. ECF No. 1 at 1 ¶ 1. Plaintiff seeks actual and punitive damages, including the costs of this action and attorney’s fees. Id. at 4.

I. RELEVANT FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Plaintiff was a communications equipment installer for Alcatel-Lucent (“ALU”), a company that maintains and installs telecommunications equipment and cellular towers for telephone service providers. ECF No. 30-8 at 3-4. On the evening of July, 19, 2009, Plaintiff and his co-workers Anthony Bell (“Bell”) and Bill Mullen (“Mullen”) were scheduled to work at a Sprint cellular tower (the “cell tower”) located at 124 Business Park Drive in Lexington, South Carolina (the “work site”). ECF No. 1 at 2 ¶ 5. The cell tower was allegedly located on Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative’s (“MCEC”) property.1 Id. at 1 ¶ 6. Plaintiff, Bell, and Mullen each drove separate vehicles to the work site. ECF No. 36-6 at 2. Mullen traveled in his Chevy pickup truck, Bell drove his Lexus sedan, and Plaintiff was in the company vehicle, a white van with two company logos on each side. Id.; ECF No. 30-8 at 6.

Plaintiff and his co-workers arrived at the work site at approximately 11:00 PM. ECF No. 30-9 at 1 ¶ 4. After they were unable to gain access to the cell tower because of a locked entrance gate (the “entrance gate”), Plaintiff and his co-workers decided to search for an alternate access to the cell tower. ECF No. 30-7 at 3; ECF No. 1 at 2 ¶ 6. They returned to their vehicles, traveled down Long Pond Road, and turned onto a service road that was located between a wooded area and a perimeter fence surrounding MCEC’s property (the “perimeter fence”). ECF No. 30-8 at 8-10; ECF No. 1 at 2 ¶ 6. During their search for access to the cell tower, Plaintiff and his co-workers parked and exited their vehicles and began walking along the perimeter fence, which is adjacent to Interstate 20 (“1-20”). ECF No. 30-8 at 8; ECF No. 30-9 at 3 ¶ 12. As Plaintiff and his co-workers walked along the perimeter fence, they spoke with a Sprint technician who told them to return to the entrance gate where they would be given security information to gain entry. Id. at 10. Plaintiff and his co-workers returned to their vehicles and traveled back down the service road towards Long Pond Road. ECF No. 30-1 at 3.

Peggie Hanson (“Hanson”), a Systems Operator who provided security support for MCEC on the night of July 19, 2009, [531]*531saw Plaintiff and his co-workers walking along the perimeter fence as she observed live video footage from security cameras located on MCEC property. ECF No. 30-9 at 1. Hanson did not recognize Plaintiff and his co-workers as MCEC employees. Id. at 2. As she continued watching the video footage, Hanson allegedly observed “one of the men grab[ ] the fence and pull on it.” Id. Concerned that Plaintiff and his co-workers were attempting to break into MCEC, Hanson called 911 to report a burglary in progress. Id. As a result, Lexington County dispatch issued a toned alert to the Lexington County- Sheriffs Department (“LCSD”), indicating that a burglary was in progress at MCEC. ECF No. 30-2 at 3. Defendants immediately responded to the burglary alert. ECF No. 30-4 at 4; ECF No. 30-6 at 3-4. Defendant B. Smith, Defendant Lookabill, and Defendant Wood, all sheriffs deputies2 with LCSD, were the first to arrive on scene. ECF No. 30-6 at 4. When the officers arrived at MCEC, Defendant B. Smith instructed Defendant Wood to check the right side of the building. ECF No. 30-6 at 4. Defendants B. Smith and Looka-bill, both carrying shotguns, proceeded on foot to the left side of the MCEC perimeter fence. ECF No. 30-6 at 4.

As Plaintiff and' his co-workers traveled down the service road towards Long Pond Road, they were confronted by Defendants B. Smith and Lookabill. ECF No. 30-8 at 11. With their firearms drawn, Defendants B. Smith and Lookabill ordered Plaintiff and his co-workers to stop driving and exit their vehicles. ECF No. 30-6 at 5. Plaintiff and his co-workers complied. Id. Defendants B. Smith and Lookabill then instructed Plaintiff and his co-workers to lay in a prone position on the ground in an area away from the vehicles. Id.; ECF No. 30-5 at 4. During the course of their interaction with Defendants B. Smith and Lookabill, Plaintiff and his coworkers tried to explain that they were there to work on a cell tower and asked the officers to check their employee identification cards (“ID card(s)”),3 but Defendants B. Smith and" Lookabill “wouldn’t listen ....” ECF No. 36-3 at 6; ECF No. 36 at 2. Defendants B. Smith and Lookabill held Plaintiff and his coworkers at gunpoint until Defendant C. Smith, a Sergeant with LCSD, arrived shortly thereafter. ECF No. 36-3 at 4. At some point,4,Defen[532]*532dant Wood made his way from the right side of the building over to the left side of the perimeter fence to join the other officers. ECF No. 36-3 at 4.

When Defendant C. Smith arrived, he placed Plaintiff and his co-workers in handcuffs and did a brief search of their reaching area.5 ECF No. 36-2 at 2. After the search, Defendant C. Smith spoke with the officers and questioned Plaintiff and his co-workers about the situation. ECF No. 30-2 at 7. Plaintiff and his co-workers explained that they were employees of ALU, trying to find an entrance to the cell tower. Id. Defendant C. Smith made several phone calls and eventually spoke with an ALU supervisor, who confirmed Plaintiff and his co-workers’ explanation. Id. at 10. Defendant C. Smith also walked over to Hanson’s location, spoke with her directly, and viewed a portion of the video footage that prompted her to call the police. Id. at 13. Shortly thereafter, Plaintiff and his co-workers’ were released. Id. at 12.

On June 18, 2012, Plaintiff filed a complaint in this court alleging that (1) Defendants B. Smith, Wood, and Lookabill, who were under a duty to protect Plaintiff from wrongful arrest, failed to protect him from “being improperly handcuffed and arrested” by Defendant C. Smith (ECF No. 1 at 3 ¶ 10); (2) Plaintiff suffered an injury to his shoulder as a result of the arrest, which required surgery and has led to a permanent disability that prevents him from working at ALU; (3) Defendants’ conduct amounted to cruel and unusual punishment, in violation of the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution; and (4) Plaintiff was denied due process of law and unlawfully seized, handcuffed, and detained, in violation of the Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments. On August 24, 2012, Defendants filed a joint answer to the complaint. ECF No. 6.

Defendants filed a motion for summary judgment on June 4, 2013, to which Plaintiff responded in opposition on July 22, 2013. ECF Nos. 30, 36. Defendants replied to Plaintiffs response on August 1, 2013. ECF No. 38.

II. LEGAL STANDARD AND ANALYSIS

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
11 F. Supp. 3d 527, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42935, 2014 WL 1314228, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lytes-v-smith-scd-2014.