Niarchos v. City of Beverly

831 F. Supp. 2d 423, 2011 WL 3101100
CourtDistrict Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedJuly 26, 2011
DocketCivil Action No. 08cv10747-NG
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 831 F. Supp. 2d 423 (Niarchos v. City of Beverly) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Niarchos v. City of Beverly, 831 F. Supp. 2d 423, 2011 WL 3101100 (D. Mass. 2011).

Opinion

[425]*425 AMENDED

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER RE: DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

NANCY GERTNER, District Judge.

The Memorandum and Order of July 7, 2011, is hereby amended and replaced by this Memorandum and Order due to formatting and typographical errors. Every other aspect of the Memorandum remains intact.

This is a extraordinarily painful story, made even more painful by the fact that federal constitutional law is inadequate to address it. On the morning of May 18, 2005, Matthew Lewis (“Lewis”) called police because his girlfriend Danielle Tarsook (“Danielle”) had threatened to kill herself. Police officers went to her apartment, where Danielle agreed to allow the officers to take her to the hospital in an unmarked police car. Per Danielle’s requests, one of the officers contacted Danielle’s father, Dennis Tarsook (“Dennis”),1 an on-duty police officer in the same town, and asked him to meet Danielle at the hospital. When Danielle and the officers arrived at the hospital, Dennis was already there, waiting outside the building. After watching Danielle and her father walk through the entrance into the main lobby, the officers left. Inside the hospital lobby, Dennis and Danielle spoke, then argued. Dennis left and drove away in his patrol car. Shortly thereafter, Danielle went back to her apartment, never having been admitted to the hospital. She committed suicide by hanging herself with an electric cord.

Plaintiff Celeste Niarchos (“Niarchos”), acting as the administratrix of Danielle’s estate, sued the City of Beverly (“the city”) and police officers Richard Ganey (“Ganey”), David Richardson (“Richardson”), and John DiVincenzo (“DiVincenzo”) (collectively “the defendants”). Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, Niarchos claims that (1) the individual defendants were deliberately indifferent to Danielle’s serious medical needs in violation of her Fourteenth Amendment due process rights; and (2) the city failed to train officers in the detection and implementation of rules and regulations to prevent suicide attempts, also in violation of Danielle’s Fourteenth Amendment due process rights (collectively Count 1). In addition, Niarchos alleges that the defendants, by threats, intimidation, or coercion, deprived Danielle of her federal and state rights in violation of the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act (“MCRA”), Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 12, §§ 11H, 11I (Count 2), and that the city negligently failed to prevent Danielle’s suicide in violation of Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 258, § 2 (Count 3).

Defendants moved for summary judgment, arguing that: 1) they had not deprived Danielle of any federally protected right; 2) they were not deliberately indifferent or willfully blind to the risk that Danielle might harm herself; and 3) the city was immune to Danielle’s claim of negligence pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 258, § 10(j).

The outcome of this case is determined by the Supreme Court’s decision in DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services, 489 U.S. 189, 109 S.Ct. 998, 103 L.Ed.2d 249 (1989), a widely criticized case,2 and various opinions constru[426]*426ing it. Since I am constrained by those opinions, I have no choice but to GRANT the defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment (document # 38).

I. STANDARD OF REVIEW

Summary judgment is appropriate when the record shows that there is no genuine issue of material fact. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c)(2). If the non-moving party “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,” then the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). The Court must take the facts in the light most favorable to the non-moving party and draw reasonable inferences in that party’s favor. CMI Capital Mkt. Inv., LLC v. Gonzalez-Toro, 520 F.3d 58, 61 (1st Cir.2008).

II. BACKGROUND

Taken in the light most favorable to Danielle, the facts surrounding her suicide are as follows:

A. Danielle’s Background and Events Leading Up to Her Suicide

Danielle was born on December 19, 1985, to Beverly and Dennis Tarsook (“Beverly” and “Dennis”). Dennis was a sergeant for the Beverly Police Department (“BPD”). Def.’s Stmt. Of Undisputed Facts 2 (document #40) [hereinafter, Def.’s Stmt.].3 Beverly and Dennis legally separated in 2001, and after lengthy litigation, finalized their divorce in 2005. Dennis Dep. 15:3-12, Sept. 22, 2008 (document # 40-3). Danielle moved in with her father during her last year of high school, having previously resided at her mother’s Beverly home with her older brother, Matthew. Danielle graduated from Beverly High School in 2004 and subsequently enrolled at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. She withdrew from college in December of 2004 after her first semester, at which point Dennis secured an apartment for her at 28 Rear (“28R”) Cabot Street in Beverly, for which he paid the monthly rent. Dennis Dep. 19:6-23:15. Soon after, Lewis, Danielle’s boyfriend, moved into the apartment. The couple lived together until Danielle’s death.

According to Dennis, Lewis, and Danielle’s medical records, Danielle had a history of mental health issues. Dennis claims that the problem was Danielle’s eating disorder, which was the only mental health problem he observed affecting his daughter. Dennis Dep. 26:15-18. Lewis portrays Danielle as emotionally troubled during the last months of her life, noting that before her hospitalization in April of 2005, Danielle not only ceased eating; she cried constantly. Lewis Aff. 4 (document # 44-9). Danielle visited Beverly Hospital three times between April 20 and April 23, 2005, for problems related to anorexia. The emergency report from one such visit on April 22 explained that Danielle reported to have “been mildly depressed over the last 4 months,” and “believes she has anorexia and needs help.” Beverly Hospital Emergency Re[427]*427port, Exhibit R (document #44-10). After her third and final hospital visit on April 23, 2005, a nurse at Beverly Hospital — a wife of one of Dennis’ coworkers— helped Danielle obtain treatment at Waltham Sterling Hospital. Dennis Dep. 25:12-26:11. Danielle entered inpatient care for anorexia nervosa at Walden Behavioral Care, a facility within the hospital, where she remained from April 23 until April 28. Walden Behavioral Care Discharge Summary, Exhibit T (document # 44-12).

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Bluebook (online)
831 F. Supp. 2d 423, 2011 WL 3101100, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/niarchos-v-city-of-beverly-mad-2011.