Niewolak v. CITY OF HIGHLAND PARK, MI

District Court, E.D. Michigan·Decided September 18, 2020·No. 2:19-cv-13386·Unknown

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN SOUTHERN DIVISION

MICHAEL NIEWOLAK, 2:19-CV-13386-TGB

Plaintiff, ORDER GRANTING IN PART vs. AND DENYING IN PART DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR CITY OF HIGHLAND PARK, MI, JUDGMENT ON THE SGT KEATH BARTYNSKI, SGT PLEADINGS (ECF NO. 6) HEATHER HOLCOMB, LT EDWARDS,

Defendants.

This matter is before the Court on Defendants Sergeant Keath Bartynsky, Sergeant Heather Holcomb, and Lieutenant Edwards1 (together “Individual Officers”), and Defendant City of Highland Park’s Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings. ECF No. 6.2 For the reasons stated herein, the Court will GRANT IN PART and DENY IN PART Defendants’ motion.

1 None of the pleadings identify Lieutenant Edwards’ first name. 2 While captioned as a Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings, Defendants’ motion is actually a motion for partial judgment on the pleadings because it fails to address Plaintiff’s constitutional claims against Defendant Bartynsky (Counts I and II), or Plaintiff’s claims against any of the individual Defendant officers for False Arrest and Imprisonment (Count IV), Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress (numbered incorrectly in the Complaint as a second “Count V”) or Assault and Battery (Count VI). I. Background

On December 5, 2017, Plaintiff Michael Niewolak claims that while he was working at Great Lakes Auto in Highland Park and attempting to close the gate of the business, Defendant Sgt. Keath Bartynski confronted him, beat him, and arrested him without probable cause. ECF No. 1, PageID.3-4. More specifically, Plaintiff alleges that Bartynski grabbed him, threw and tackled him to the ground twice, and then handcuffed him in an excessively tight manner—all without probable cause or legal justification. Id. He also alleges that when Defendants

Holcomb and Edwards arrived on the scene, they “participated in and/or failed to stop” Defendant Bartynski’s use of excessive force. Id. at PageID.4. Plaintiff contends that Holcomb and Edwards also “put their hands on Plaintiff and refused to loosen the handcuffs although Plaintiff informed each and every one of them that the handcuffs were too tight and causing him severe pain and/or requested that the handcuffs be loosened.” Id. He contends that being thrown to the ground and handcuffed caused him “pain and injury,” as well as “abrasions and scratches.” Id.

Niewolak contends that all three officers then arrested him without any cause and transported him to the Highland Park jail where he was incarcerated without probable cause. Id. He also alleges that all charges against him were dropped and that the Defendant Officers “knew that Plaintiff had not committed any crime and knew they had no justification to arrest Plaintiff but conspired to falsely arrest him, detain him and

imprison him all the while knowing that he did not commit any crimes.” Id. at PageID.4-5. Finally, Niewolak alleges that the officers threatened that if Plaintiff sued them, they would charge him with a felony. Niewolak now brings eight claims: (1) Violation of the Fourth Amendment under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Unreasonable Search and Seizure) (against the Individual Officers); (2) Violation of the Fourth Amendment under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Excessive Force) (against the Individual Officers); (3) Violation of the Fourth Amendment by the City of Highland

Park (i.e., Monell claim); (4) False Arrest and Imprisonment (against the Individual Officers); (5) Ethnic Intimidation in Violation of M.C.L. § 750.147(b) (against all Defendants); (6)3 Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress (against the Individual Officers); (7) Assault and Battery (against all Defendants); and (8) Gross Negligence (against the Individual Officers). After answering Plaintiff’s complaint (ECF No. 5), Defendants now move for judgment on the pleadings on some of Plaintiff’s claims. ECF No. 6. II. Standard of Review

A motion for judgment on the pleadings pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(c) is subject to the same standard of review as a Rule 12(b)(6) motion

3 The Complaint actually has two “Count V’s,” with both the Ethnic Intimidation claim and the Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress claim being labeled as Count V. If numbered correctly, the claims would correspond to the number in parentheses above. to dismiss for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.

Grindstaff v. Green, 133 F.3d 416, 421 (6th Cir. 1998). Under Rule 12(b)(6), the Court must “construe the complaint in the light most favorable to the plaintiff and accept all allegations as true.” Keys v. Humana Inc., 684 F.3d 605, 608 (6th Cir. 2012). “To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009). A plausible claim need not contain “detailed factual allegations,” but it must contain more than “labels and

conclusions” or “a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action[.]” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007). A court “may consider the Complaint and any exhibits attached thereto, public records, items appearing in the record of the case and exhibits attached to defendant’s motion to dismiss so long as they are referred to in the Complaint and are central to the claims contained therein.” Bassett v. Nat’l Collegiate Athletic Ass’n., 528 F.3d 426, 430 (6th Cir. 2008). III. Discussion A. Plaintiff’s Unreasonable Search and Seizure and Excessive Force Claims (Counts I & II) and Defendants Holcomb’s and Edwards’ Claims of Qualified Immunity. Plaintiff asserts that the Individual Officers violated his Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures and excessive force when they seized and imprisoned Plaintiff despite knowing that they lacked probable cause to arrest and detain him, and

for handcuffing his wrists too tightly, causing injury. ECF No. 1, PageID.5-9. While Sgt. Bartynski does not invoke qualified immunity or otherwise move for judgment on the pleadings as to Plaintiff’s excessive force and unreasonable search and seizure claims,4 Sgt. Holcomb and Lt. Edwards have claimed they are protected by qualified immunity as governmental officials acting within the scope of their duty. ECF No. 6, PageID.56-62. “Qualified immunity is an affirmative defense shielding governmental officials from liability as long as their conduct ‘does not

violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known.” Cartwright v. City of Marine City, 336 F.3d 487, 490 (6th Cir. 2003) (quoting Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800, 818 (1982)). Qualified immunity is traditionally a two-step inquiry where courts must determine “whether the plaintiff has shown a violation of a constitutionally protected right” and whether that right is so “clearly established” that a “reasonable official would understand that what he is doing violates that right.” Anderson v. Creighton, 483 U.S. 635, 640 (1987). The district court may address the qualified immunity

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