O'Ferrell v. United States

998 F. Supp. 1364, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4178, 1998 WL 156756
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Alabama
DecidedMarch 24, 1998
DocketNo. CIV. A. 92-A-1450-S
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 998 F. Supp. 1364 (O'Ferrell v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
O'Ferrell v. United States, 998 F. Supp. 1364, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4178, 1998 WL 156756 (M.D. Ala. 1998).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

ALBRITTON, District Judge.

This cause is before the court on the Motion to Dismiss, or in the alternative, Motion for Summary Judgment, filed by defendant FBI Special Agent Stephen E. Brannan on December 10, 1997. Brannan’s motion and the response from the Plaintiffs rely on matters outside of the pleadings; therefore, the motion is due to be treated as a motion for summary judgment. See Fed. R. Civ. Proc. 12(b). For the reasons stated below, the motion is due to be GRANTED in part and DENIED in part.

I. SUMMARY JUDGMENT STANDARD

Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(c), summary judgment is proper “if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, [1366]*1366477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). The party asking for summary judgment “always bears the initial responsibility of informing the district court of the basis for its motion, and identifying those portions ■ of the ‘pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any,’ which it believes demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact.” Id., 477 U.S. at 323.

If the movant succeeds in demonstrating the absence of a material issue of fact, the burden shifts to the non-movant to establish, with evidence beyond the pleadings, that a genuine issue material to the non-movant’s case exists. See Clark v. Coats & Clark, Inc., 929 F.2d 604, 608 (11th Cir.1991); see also Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(e). A dispute of material fact “is ‘genuine’ ... if the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). If the non-movant’s response consists of nothing more than conclusory allegations, the court must enter summary judgment-for the movant. See Peppers v. Coates, 887 F.2d 1493 (11th Cir.1989).

II. FACTS

As is required at the summary judgment stage, the “facts” in this case, when in dis-. pute, are viewed in the light most favorable to the non-movant Plaintiffs, the O’Ferrells. Anderson, 477 U.S. at 255. Defendant Bran-nan has not addressed a number of facts in this lawsuit because of the limited nature of his motion. Many of these background facts, which will no doubt be disputed at trial by the United States and Brannan are, for present purposes, uncontested. Some discussion of those facts is needed, however, to make sense of the present issues.

Background.

This case arises from the FBI’s self-described “large federal investigation” into a number of bombs sent through the mail in December 1989. , Brannan Decl. A federal judge, Robert S. Vance of the Eleventh Circuit, was killed by one the bombs, as was an attorney from Savannah, Georgia, Robert E. Robinson. In addition to the deaths, Judge Vance’s wife was injured by the bomb delivered to their home in Mountain Brook, Alabama. Further deaths were avoided when government agents intercepted and detonated two additional bombs — one sent to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Georgia, and one sent to the NAACP’s Regional Office in Jacksonville, Florida.

All of these bombs' were thought to be linked, and indeed apparently were linked, by a number of writings. The FBI recovered mailing labels from some of the bombs. In addition, the person responsible mailed several death threat letters to various Eleventh Circuit judges and others, and mailed a letter claiming responsibility for the bombings. The FBI used these writings to jump start its investigation and to finger its first suspect, the Plaintiff in this case, Robert Wayne O’Ferrell.

The FBI allegedly was able to match these documents from the killer to documents typed by Mr. O’Ferrell. The documents from the O’Ferrells were found in the files of the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta, Georgia, where Mr. O’Ferrell had appealed a lawsuit. See O’Ferrell v. Gulf Life Ins. Co., 874 F.2d 819 (11th Cir.1989) (affirming without opinion). On the basis of this alleged match, a number of search warrants were issued for locations under the O’Ferrells’ control — including their residence, automobiles, salvage business, and field lines and septic tanks — all lo'eated in New Brockton and Enterprise, Alabama. The execution of the warrants attracted a great amount of national television exposure, much of it linking Mr. O’Ferrell to the bombings.

FBI agents interrogated the Plaintiffs separately on several occasions about their involvement in the mail bombings. Plaintiffs allege that FBI interrogations were characterized by abusive, improper, and unlawful interrogation techniques. Further, the Plaintiffs have alleged that the FBI attempted to try them in the media through leaks and partial disclosures; that their business was filled with law officers and members of the media (when Plaintiffs were not forced to close the business); that they were not allowed to speak with one another by telephone without FBI monitoring; and that many of their personal belongings, including [1367]*1367religious items, were seized and retained by FBI agents for an unreasonably long period of time.

For all of the intense investigation of the O’Ferrells, the FBI was not able to build a case against Mr. O’Ferrell. Instead, the evidence apparently cleared him. On October 9, 1990, the United States Department of Justice notified the Plaintiffs that they no longer were considered “targets” of the mail bombings investigation. Plaintiffs have complained, however, that this was done without a public clearing of their name.

The Lawsuit.

Because of the manner in which they were treated by the FBI, the failure of the government to publicly exonerate them, and the lasting effects of the intense investigation and media coverage on their marriage and business, the O’Ferrells filed a pro se lawsuit against the United States government and a number of unnamed defendants on November 20, 1992. On February 19, 1993, the court appointed counsel to represent the Plaintiffs.

After the appointment of counsel, the Plaintiffs filed their First Amended Complaint. In their Complaint and amendment thereof, the Plaintiffs asserted claims against the United States for breach of contract and various torts pursuant to the Federal Tort Claims Act (“FTCA”), 28 U.S.C. § 2671 et seq.; and claims against unnamed government agents for constitutional violations pursuant to Bivens v. Six Unknown Agents of the Fed.

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Bluebook (online)
998 F. Supp. 1364, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4178, 1998 WL 156756, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/oferrell-v-united-states-almd-1998.