Olejnik v. England

147 F. Supp. 3d 763, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 159170, 2015 WL 7588502
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Wisconsin
DecidedNovember 25, 2015
Docket14-cv-88-jdp
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 147 F. Supp. 3d 763 (Olejnik v. England) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Olejnik v. England, 147 F. Supp. 3d 763, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 159170, 2015 WL 7588502 (W.D. Wis. 2015).

Opinion

OPINION & ORDER

JAMES D. PETERSON, District Judge

Defendant Traci J. England used to be the medical examiner for Oneida County. Her primary duty' as medical examiner was to investigate' and determine the causes of deaths in the county. But England also had a sideline, separate from her work for the county: she was training her personal dog to locate cadavers, and to do this she needed human specimens. So she took specimens from three autopsies performed for the county. She did so without the knowledge or consent of the decedents’ families, which led to criminal charges, her resignation as medical examiner, and, ultimately, this lawsuit.

Plaintiffs here are close relatives of David Olejnik, one of the decedents from whom England took specimens for dog-training purposes. Plaintiffs allege that England improperly ordered Olejnik’s autopsy in the first place, and that she then improperly took parts of his body for personal use. They bring federal claims under the auspices of 42 U.S.C. § 1983, contending that England violated theft rights to procedural and substantive due process, and they bring state law claims against her for conversion and for negligent infliction of emotional distress. Plaintiffs also seek indemnification for England’s wrongdoing from Oneida County. The county’s insurer, Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation (WCMIC), has intervened and seeks a declaration that none of Plaintiffs’ [768]*768claims would be covered under the county’s policy. All defendants have moved for summary judgment, and these motions are now before the court.

Plaintiffs’ indignation at England’s disrespectful conduct is understandable. But the question here is whether England’s actions violated Plaintiffs’ rights under the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution protects citizens from government abuse of their rights, and section 1983 provides a Vehicle for those who have suffered such abuse to recover damages. But neither the Constitution nor section 1983 automatically provides a remedy for every wrong committed by a government employee.

The court concludes that England’s decision to order the Olejnik autopsy was justified under Wisconsin law because she subjectively concluded that his death was unexplained; and thus' the autopsy itself did not violate any of Plaintiffs’ rights. England’s taking of Olejnik’s bodily specimens was wrongful, but it was an individual action not taken “under color of law,” and' thus it is not actionable under section 1983. Moreover, England’s actions, although upsetting and illegal, did not violate Plaintiffs’ procedural or substantive due process rights under the Constitution. Whatever recourse plaintiffs have for England’s actions is exclusively a matter of Wisconsin law.

The court will grant defendants’ motions for summary judgment and dismiss Plaintiffs’ federal claims. Because the initial basis for federal jurisdiction is gone, the court will remand Plaintiffs’ state law claims to state court. WCMIC’s motion for summary judgment on. coverage will be denied as moot; that issue may be presented to the state court.

UNDISPUTED FACTS.

Except where noted, the .following facts are undisputed.

Traci J. England was Oneida County Medical" Examiner from 2007 through Jan-uary 17, -2012. As medical examiner, she had one essential job duty: to determine the cause and manner of deaths ip the county.. England had some specialized training, but she was not a physician or a pathologist, so she could not-herself perform autopsies. She could, however, order autopsies when needed. Wisconsin law mandates autopsies under certain circumstances, as in the case of the death of an inmate. But commonly, ordering an autopsy is a matter of discretion. As medical examiner, England had the authority to order.an autopsy whenever, in her subjective opinion, a death involved unexplained, unusual or suspicious circumstances. Wis. Stat. §§ 979.01, .02, .04.

At some point during her term as medical’examiner, England decided to train her own dog to locate human remains. The task of locating human remains is not part of the duties of the medical examiner; neither is owning or training a cadaver dog. England did not intend to use her dog in connection with her job as medical examiner.

David Olejnik died on May 16, 2011, at the age of 38. The next day, England authorized his autopsy. Pursuant to an inter-county agreement, the autopsy was performed in Fond du Lac County by its chief medical examiner and forensic pathologist, P. Douglas Kelley, MD. Olejnik was obese and in ill health; he had been hospitalized with difficulty breathing. England believed that the autopsy was appropriate because Olejnik was a relatively young man who died suddenly,' and thus his death involved unexplained circumstances. At the time, David’s parents, plaintiffs Walter and Katherine Olejnik, accepted that the- autopsy was necessary “because we didn’t know what caused his death.” Dkt. 95, at 17.

[769]*769England transported: Olejnik’s body to Fond du Lac County for autopsy on May 18, 2011. England was present during a portion of the autopsy. England admits that she took a piece of gauze covered with visceral fat from a biohazard waste container- at the autopsy.- Plaintiffs contend that England also took at least a piece of an organ; England denies this. .(Plaintiffs’ evidence on this point is not strong, but for the purposes of summary judgment, the court will assume that plaintiffs are right.) All agree that England was not authorized to take even the gauze and that she knew she was not authorized to do so.

In November and December 2011,- England took her dog to two cadaver dog training sessions in Madison put on by Carren Cocoran, a Madison Police K-9 patrol handler. England brought some hu-. man material to the November session to serve as a training aid. The actual nature of this material is disputed: England contends that it contained only her- daughter’s placenta , and visceral fat from Olejnik; plaintiffs contend, that it contained an organ from Olejnik; and some participants at the session recall England describing it as an “organ.” After class, the participants divided that material among themselves to take home and- use- to train their dogs.

On January 3, 2012, an Oneida County sheriffs deputy learned that England had removed materials from two autopsies conducted that day. The next day, England was arrested and charged with misconduct in office and with theft for her removal of material from those autopsies. England resigned her position as Oneida County Medical Examiner on January 17, 2012.

During the criminal investigation ■ of England’s conduct, Oneida County law enforcement retrieved the material that England had distributed at the November 2011 cadaver dog training session. State crime lab results detected Olejnik’s DNA in the material.

England eventually pleaded to charges based on the materials taken from the January 2012 autopsies; charges baked on England’s taking of Olejnik’s remains were read in for consideration at sentencing. The Oneida County Circuit Court sentenced England to three years of probation, community service, and one year of jail time imposed but withheld.

Plaintiffs filed suit in state court, asserting four federal constitutional claims pursuant to. 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and four state law claims.

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Bluebook (online)
147 F. Supp. 3d 763, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 159170, 2015 WL 7588502, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/olejnik-v-england-wiwd-2015.