McKenzie v. City and County of Denver

CourtDistrict Court, D. Colorado
DecidedAugust 24, 2023
Docket1:21-cv-00833
StatusUnknown

This text of McKenzie v. City and County of Denver (McKenzie v. City and County of Denver) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McKenzie v. City and County of Denver, (D. Colo. 2023).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLORADO Chief Judge Philip A. Brimmer

Civil Action No. 21-cv-00833-PAB-STV

TREVION MCKENZIE,

Plaintiff,

v.

THE CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER, CHIEF OF POLICE PAUL PAZEN, OFFICER CHRISTIAN- P15056, OFFICER CARMODY- P14064, DETECTIVE BAUGHMAN, OFFICER BISHOP- P14067, OFFICER JOSSI- P07059, DENVER HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER, DR. CHRISTOPHER ERLEY, DR. RUTH K. FOSS, and SERGEANT JESSI CAMPION #08001,

Defendants.

ORDER

This matter comes before the Court on the Recommendation of United States Magistrate Judge [Docket No. 250]. Plaintiff TreVion McKenzie objects to the recommendation. Docket No. 252. I. BACKGROUND The following facts are set forth in Magistrate Judge Scott T. Varholak’s recommendation, Docket No. 250 at 3-6, and are not objected to. Mr. McKenzie was arrested in Denver on December 16, 2020. Id. at 3. Mr. McKenzie was not resisting arrest and was unarmed, but officers restrained him with his right arm behind his back in the “hog-tie” position. Id. Officer Jonathan Christian repeatedly struck Mr. McKenzie on the left side of his face with his knuckles and shoved his face into the gravel, injuring Mr. McKenzie’s left eye socket. Id. Officer Clyde Carmody hit Mr. McKenzie in the area of his left eye with his knuckles. Id. Detective

Matthew Baughman pressed his knee into Mr. McKenzie’s upper back and neck area, restricting his breathing, while holding Mr. McKenzie’s right hand behind his back. Id. at 4. Detective Baughman kneed Mr. McKenzie in the back-left side of his head multiple times. Id. Officer Carmody and another unidentified officer held Mr. McKenzie’s legs and Officer Blake Bishop pointed an “assault rifle” at Mr. McKenzie while the other officers struck him. Id. Mr. McKenzie was scared for his life and believed that the officers would either beat him to death or shoot him while he was restrained. Id. The officers searched Mr. McKenzie three times, but found no drugs or weapons. Id. Mr. McKenzie alleges that the officers were following the policy, custom, practice, or procedure of City and County of Denver (“Denver”) of using excessive force on

arrestees and that Denver has failed to appropriately discipline the officers involved in Mr. McKenzie’s arrest. Id. Mr. McKenzie requested medical attention and was taken in an ambulance to Denver Health Medical Center (“Denver Health”) for the injuries he sustained during his arrest. Id. Dr. Christopher Erley performed an “intake” on Mr. McKenzie at the hospital, and Dr. Erley and Dr. Ruth K. Foss disclosed Mr. McKenzie’s medical history and drug habits to law enforcement officers. Id. at 4-5. Officer Heather Jossi and Officer Christian ordered Denver Health staff to search Mr. McKenzie’s anal cavity for drugs. Id. at 5. Mr. McKenzie refused Dr. Erley’s request to perform a rectal exam, and he does not allege that a rectal exam was performed. Id. X-rays were performed on Mr. McKenzie’s face and right wrist, which revealed that he had suffered an “orbital floor (blow-out) open fracture” to his left eye socket. Id. Unbeknownst to Mr. McKenzie at the time, Dr. Erley also performed a pelvic x-ray on Mr. McKenzie on Dr. Foss’s orders

for “Clinical Indication: Question of insertion of Drugs in Rectum.” Id. Mr. McKenzie alleges that Denver and Denver Health have a policy, procedure, regulation, custom, or practice that gives law enforcement agencies the authority to compel Denver Health medical staff to perform unlawful medical procedures on arrestees and that Dr. Erley, Dr. Foss, Officer Jossi, and Officer Christian acted pursuant to this policy. Id. Mr. McKenzie also alleges that it is Denver’s practice to subject arrestees to body cavity searches at hospitals when the arrestees have complained about injuries resulting from excessive force by police during arrest. Id. at 6. Mr. McKenzie brings thirteen claims against eleven defendants: • Claim one: excessive force in violation of the Fourth Amendment, asserted

against Denver, Officer Christian, Officer Carmody, Detective Baughman, and Officer Bishop. Docket No. 186 at 10-15, ¶¶ 1-32. • Claim two: unauthorized body cavity search in violation of the Fourth and Eighth Amendments, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”), 42 U.S.C. § 1320d-6, and 42 C.F.R. part 2, and “other statutory/procedural rights,” asserted against Denver, Denver Health, Officer Christian, Officer Jossi, Dr. Erley, and Dr. Foss. Id. at 15-23, ¶¶ 33-83. • Claim three: deliberate indifference to policy/customs/procedures/practices:

failure to act in violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments, asserted against Denver, Police Sergeant Jessi Campion,1 and Police Chief Paul Pazen. Id. at 24-28, ¶¶ 84-110. • Claim four: deliberate indifference to policy/customs/procedures/practice/regulations and failure to train and supervise

in violation of the First, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments, asserted against Denver and Denver Health. Id. at 28-33, ¶¶ 111-31. • Claim five: Deliberate indifference to policy/customs/practice/procedure/regulations: failure to intervene and report in violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments, asserted against Denver, Officer Christian, Officer Carmody, Officer Jossi, Detective Baughman, and Officer Bishop. Id. at 33-36, ¶¶ 132-42. • Claim six: malicious misuse of force in violation of the Eighth Amendment, asserted against Denver, Officer Christian, Officer Carmody, Detective

Baughman, and Officer Bishop. Id. at 36, ¶¶ 143-45. • Claim seven: First Amendment retaliation, asserted against Denver, Chief Pazen, Officer Christian, Officer Jossi, Denver Health, Dr. Foss, and Dr. Erley. Id. at 37-38, ¶¶ 146-50. • Claim eight: conspiracy to commit procedural and constitutional violations in violation of 42 U.S.C. §§ 1985(2) and (3), asserted against Denver, Chief Pazen, Officer Christian, Sergeant Campion, Officer Carmody, Detective Baughman,

1 Mr. McKenzie’s complaint spells this defendant’s name as “Jessi Campion” Docket No. 186 at 2, but defendant Campion’s Motion to Dismiss spells it “Jesse Campion.” Docket No. 204 at 1. Officer Bishop, Officer Jossi, Denver Health, Dr. Foss, and Dr. Erley. Id. at 38- 39, ¶¶ 151-54. • Claim nine: Assault and battery, asserted against Officer Christian, Officer Carmody, Detective Baughman, and Officer Bishop. Id. at 39, ¶¶ 155-57.

• Claim ten: Technical assault and battery, asserted against Dr. Foss and Dr. Erley. Id. at 39-40, ¶¶ 158-60. • Claim eleven: Intentional infliction of emotional distress (“IIED”), asserted against Officer Christian, Officer Carmody, Detective Baughman, Officer Bishop, Officer Jossi, Dr. Foss, and Dr. Erley. Id. at 40, ¶¶ 161-64. • Claim twelve: Negligence, asserted against Denver, Chief Pazen, Officer Christian, Officer Carmody, Detective Baughman, Officer Bishop, Officer Jossi, and Sergeant Campion. Id. at 40-41, ¶¶ 165-68. • Claim thirteen: Medical negligence, asserted against Denver Health, Dr. Foss,

and Dr. Erley. Id. at 41, ¶¶ 169-72. Mr. McKenzie’s complaint states that his first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and seventh claims are Monell claims. Id. at 10, 15, 24, 28, 33, 37. All of the defendants filed motions to dismiss. Docket Nos. 187, 188, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 229. Judge Varholak’s recommendation evaluates each of Mr. McKenzie’s claims individually. Docket No. 250. He recommends that the Court dismiss Mr. McKenzie’s third, fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth, twelfth, and thirteenth claims in their entirety. Id. at 44-49, 55-63, 87-91.

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McKenzie v. City and County of Denver, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mckenzie-v-city-and-county-of-denver-cod-2023.