Pryor v. Dearborn Police Department

452 F. Supp. 2d 714, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 67881, 2006 WL 2660751
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Michigan
DecidedSeptember 14, 2006
DocketCiv. 05-40184
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 452 F. Supp. 2d 714 (Pryor v. Dearborn Police Department) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pryor v. Dearborn Police Department, 452 F. Supp. 2d 714, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 67881, 2006 WL 2660751 (E.D. Mich. 2006).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

GANOLA, District Judge.

Plaintiff LaTanya Pryor (“Plaintiff’) filed suit against Defendants Dearborn Police Department and Officer Kulikowski, Officer Sanchez, Officer McHale, Officer Wenzara, Corporal Hoffman, Sergeant To-bias, and Sergeant Carriveau of the Dear-born Police Department. Plaintiff alleges violations of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Plaintiff is the mother of the decedent Quantrell Pryor (“Quantrell”), a pretrial detainee. Plaintiff is also the personal representative of Quantrell’s estate. Plaintiff alleges that the Defendant police officers acted with deliberate indifference by failing to provide her son Quantrell with adequate medical care while he was in police custody, which ultimately resulted in his untimely death.

Before this Court is Defendants’ motion for summary judgment pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(c), for failure to show a genuine issue as to any material fact. For the reasons set out below, the Court will grant the motion with respect to the Dearborn Police Department but will deny the motion with respect to the individual police officers.

Also before the Court is Plaintiffs motion to strike the motion for summary judgment. The Court will deny Plaintiffs motion to strike as moot.

I. Background

The following facts are not in dispute. On October 12, 2004, sixteen-year-old Quantrell Pryor was arrested outside of the Fairlane mall by Defendant Officer Kulikowski for possession of a stolen vehicle. Defendant Officer Sanchez arrived as backup to assist Kulikowski. Upon being arrested, Quantrell was placed in the back of a police vehicle. While in custody in the police vehicle, Quantrell consumed an unknown quantity of cocaine. A family acquaintance of Quantrell, Jacqueline Melvin, noticed Quantrell in the back of the police car and called Quantrell’s mother, *716 Plaintiff LaTanya Pryor. Plaintiff then spoke to Kulikowski on the phone. Quant-rell was later transported by Kulikowski and Sanchez to the Dearborn Police station where Quantrell again ingested crack cocaine. Defendants McHale and Wenzara assisted in transporting Quantrell from the police garage to the station. Defendants Tobias, Hoffman, and Carriveau each observed and had some contact with Quant-rell. Shortly after his arrival at the station, Quantrell collapsed on the floor of his cell and began convulsing. The paramedics were eventually called, and they transported Quantrell to Oakwood Hospital where he died three days later.

The specific details of Quantrell’s arrest, escort, and custody differ significantly in Plaintiffs and Defendants’ accounts. Plaintiff alleges that, while at the scene of the arrest, Defendants Kulikowski and Sanchez knew Quantrell ingested cocaine, but ignored Quantrell’s condition and failed to give him proper medical attention. In support, Plaintiff notes Kulikowski’s and Sanchez’s testimony that they observed a yellowish-white substance on or around Quantrefl’s mouth and observed him chewing. Subsequently, to prevent Quantrell from swallowing, the officers allegedly applied pressure points to Quant-rell’s throat, ear, and jaw. Additionally, the officers allegedly made statements that Quantrell had eaten “a ton” of crack cocaine and that Quantrell was “straight up tripping” and “that’s what happens when you eat ... try to eat crack.” Jacqueline Melvin allegedly witnessed Quantrell acting “like a crazy man, not like his-self [sic]; eyes all bugged out, totally different.” After Melvin called Quantrell’s mother, Plaintiff Pryor, Plaintiff spoke to Kulikow-ski and requested that Quantrell receive immediate medical attention. In Plaintiffs deposition, Plaintiff states that Kulikowski conceded Quantrell needed medical attention after swallowing the cocaine and vomiting, but that he did not care and instead wanted to know if Plaintiff had any information about the stolen vehicle. Plaintiff claims Kulikowski and Sanchez laughed, joked, and made fun of Quantrell instead of summoning medical attention or taking Quantrell directly to the hospital.

Upon arrival at the Dearborn police station, Plaintiff contends Kulikowski tried to conceal the amount of cocaine Quantrell ingested by giving conflicting information to fellow Defendant officers and supervisors. Defendant McHale allegedly observed a white substance on Quantrell and found multiple rocks of crack cocaine lying in the back seat of the patrol car used to transport Quantrell, and yet took no action to get medical attention for Quantrell. Defendant Wenzara also allegedly knew that Quantrell had ingested crack cocaine, and observed Quantrell convulsing naked on the floor of the holding cell. Plaintiff claims Wenzara did nothing to help Quant-rell when he was convulsing but instead watched Quantrell bang his head on cement benches until the paramedics arrived. Plaintiff alleges that Defendant Hoffman was advised by Kulikowski that Quantrell ingested a controlled substance, but that Hoffman did not seek medical attention for Quantrell. Plaintiff claims Defendant Tobáis, the Sergeant officer on duty, was told by Kulikowski that Quant-rell ingested only “a small amount of possible crack cocaine” but that Tobias knew or should have known that Quantrell ingested a greater amount, and yet he did nothing to get medical help for Quantrell. Defendant Carriveau, the desk Sergeant and former narcotics officers, also allegedly knew that Quantrell had eaten crack cocaine, but demanded that Quantrell admit this before he was provided with medical attention. Plaintiff claims Carriveau observed Quantrell convulsing and banging his head on the cement floor, and yet did *717 not get Quantrell medical attention. Instead, Carriveau allegedly kicked Quant-rell to monitor him during the convulsions.

Defendants Kulikowski, Sanchez, McHa-le, Wenzara, Hoffman, Tobias, and Carri-veau have a different account of what occurred on October 12, 2004. Kulikowski and Sanchez claim that when they arrested Quantrell, there was no need of medical attention because Quantrell showed no symptoms of drug overdose and Quant-rell’s cognitive ability was not impaired. To support this position, Kulikowski and Sanchez allege that Quantrell was able to recognize Jacqueline Melvin who he had not seen for over seven years. Furthermore, Kulikowski and Sanchez allege that Quantrell only banged his head on the side passenger window of the patrol car to get Ms. Melvin’s attention. Additionally, Kuli-kowski and Sanchez contend that Quant-rell was not mentally impaired because he was able to make obscene comments to Sanchez. Kulikowski claims that, based on his observations and search of Quantrell during the arrest, he believed that Quant-rell did not ingest a large amount of cocaine. Kulikowski allegedly told Sanchez about the finding of his search, and they both agreed that Quantrell ingested, at most, a small amount of cocaine.

Upon arrival at the police station, Kuli-kowski and Sanchez admit that Kulikowski again discovered Quantrell attempting to eat crack cocaine. Defendants Wenzara and McHale observed Kulikowski struggling to bring Quantrell into the station and offered assistance.

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Bluebook (online)
452 F. Supp. 2d 714, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 67881, 2006 WL 2660751, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pryor-v-dearborn-police-department-mied-2006.