Paulone v. City of Frederick

787 F. Supp. 2d 360, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 47589, 2011 WL 1675237
CourtDistrict Court, D. Maryland
DecidedMay 3, 2011
DocketCivil Action ELH-09-2007
StatusPublished
Cited by79 cases

This text of 787 F. Supp. 2d 360 (Paulone v. City of Frederick) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Maryland primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Paulone v. City of Frederick, 787 F. Supp. 2d 360, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 47589, 2011 WL 1675237 (D. Md. 2011).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

ELLEN LIPTON HOLLANDER, District Judge.

In July 2009, Joette Paulone, plaintiff, sued the Board of County Commissioners of Frederick County (the “County”), and the State of Maryland (the “State”), defendants, 1 alleging violations of the Americans *364 with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), 42 U.S.C. §§ 12101 et seq., and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794, as well as a common law claim for negligent training and supervision. The claims pertain to events that followed plaintiffs arrest on July 31, 2008, by City of Frederick (the “City”) police on charges that plaintiff, who is deaf, was driving while impaired by alcohol (“DWI”). Plaintiff contends that defendants discriminated against her on the' basis of her disability during her post-arrest detention, her initial appearance before a State district court commissioner, 2 and her attendance at alcohol education classes and a victim impact panel, which were requirements of the probation sentence she received for the DWI charge. Paulone seeks declaratory and injunctive relief, monetary damages, attorney’s fees, and costs. Id.

The parties have filed cross-motions for summary judgment, and have extensively briefed the issues. No hearing is necessary. See Local Rule 105.6. For the reasons that follow, the Court will grant the County’s motion, and will grant in part and deny in part the summary judgment motions filed by plaintiff and the State.

Factual Overview 3

At approximately 11:48 p.m. on July 31, 2008, City Officer Scott McGregor stopped plaintiff on suspicion of DWI. Affidavit of Scott McGregor at 1 (“McGregor Aff.”) (ECF 60-1); see also Memorandum in Support of Plaintiffs Motion for Summary Judgment at 1 (“PI. MSJ”) (ECF 52-1); County’s Memorandum in Support of Summary Judgment at 2-3 (“County MSJ”) (ECF 51-1). After administering field sobriety tests to Paulone, McGregor arrested her and transported her to Frederick Police Headquarters. See McGregor Aff. at 2; PI. MSJ at 2; County MSJ at 2-3. Then, at approximately 2:30 a.m., McGregor transported Paulone to the Frederick County Adult Detention Center (the “Detention Center” or “FCADC”), operated by the Frederick County Sheriffs Office. See McGregor Aff. at 2; PI. MSJ at 2; County MSJ at 3.

Plaintiff was in custody at the Detention Center from approximately 2:30 a.m. until approximately 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. on August 1, 2008. The parties agree that an interpreter was not provided to plaintiff during her detention, and that any communication between plaintiff and Detention Center personnel took place by means of written notes. 4 See County MSJ at 3-5; PI. MSJ at 2-4. The parties also agree that Detention Center personnel gave plaintiff the opportunity to make several phone calls by means of a teletypewriter (“TTY” or “T.T.Y.”). 5 See County MSJ at 3-5; PL MSJ at 2-4.

*365 At approximately 7:00 a.m., plaintiff appeared before Maryanne Riggin, a district court commissioner. Under Maryland law, a district court commissioner is a judicial officer who is appointed by the administrative judge of the judicial district, and need not be a lawyer. See Md.Code (2006 Repl. Vol., 2010 Supp.), § 2-607(a)(l), (b)(1) of the Courts & Judicial Proceedings Article (“C.J.”) (appointment and requirements of district court commissioners); Md. Rule 4-102(f) (2010) (district court commissioners are judicial officers). A district court commissioner’s responsibilities include conducting “initial appearances” for persons who are arrested without a warrant, including arrests made at times when the courts are not open. As discussed in more detail, infra, a district court commissioner must determine at the initial appearance whether there was probable cause for the defendant’s arrest, advise the defendant of various constitutional rights and procedural requirements, and determine whether the defendant will be released pretrial (and, if so, the amount of any bond). See generally C.J. § 2-607(c); Md. Rules 4-213 & 4-216.

In this case, the district court commissioners’ office was located next to the Central Booking Unit at the Detention Center. County MSJ at 3. Riggin recounts in her affidavit that unsuccessful attempts were made to procure an American Sign Language (“ASL”) interpreter for Paulone’s initial appearance. See Affidavit of Maryanne Riggin (“Riggin Aff.”) ¶¶ 3-4, Ex. 2 to Memorandum in Support of State of Maryland’s Motion for Summary Judgment (“State MSJ”) (ECF 53-3). In any event, the parties agree that plaintiffs initial appearance before Commissioner Rig-gin was not facilitated by use of an ASL interpreter, and that communication between Commissioner Riggin and plaintiff occurred by means of handwritten notes. Commissioner Riggin released plaintiff on her own recognizance at approximately 7:23 a.m., and plaintiff left the Detention Center by taxicab. See PI. MSJ at 3; County MSJ at 5-6.

On October 7, 2008, plaintiff appeared with counsel in the District Court of Maryland for Frederick County. PI. MSJ at 3; State of Maryland’s Mem. in Support of Its Opp. to PI. MSJ (“State Opp.”) at 7. The hearing was facilitated by use of an ASL interpreter. State Opp. at 7. Plaintiff pleaded guilty to DWI, and was sentenced to probation before judgment, pursuant to Md.Code (2008 Repl. Vol, 2010 Supp.), § 6-220 of the Criminal Procedure Article. 6 See Defendant Trial Summary at 1, Ex. 3A to State MSJ (ECF 53-8). As conditions of her probation, Paulone was required to attend ‘Victim Impact Panel meetings” presented by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (“MADD”), and to “[sjubmit to alcohol and drug evaluation, testing, and treatment as directed” by plaintiffs probation monitors at the Drinking Driving Monitor Program (“DDMP”) of the State’s Division of Parole and Probation. Probation Summary, Ex. 3B to State MSJ (ECF 53-9). 7

*366 According to an affidavit of Mark Lucas, one of plaintiffs probation monitors through DDMP, plaintiff was required to undergo an alcohol treatment evaluation by a State-certified addictions counselor. Affidavit of Mark Lucas (“Lucas Aff.”) at 3, Ex. 3 to State MSJ (ECF 53-7). The monitors also instructed plaintiff to attend a MADD victim impact panel on February 4, 2009. Lucas Aff. at 4. The record reflects that plaintiffs DDMP monitors rejected her requests for State-provided ASL interpreters at the impact panel and at her evaluation, taking the position that it was plaintiffs responsibility and/or that of MADD and plaintiffs addictions counselor to provide interpreters. Lucas Aff. at 4.

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787 F. Supp. 2d 360, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 47589, 2011 WL 1675237, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/paulone-v-city-of-frederick-mdd-2011.