Rivera v. Guevara

319 F. Supp. 3d 1004
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Illinois
DecidedMay 11, 2018
DocketCase No. 12-CV-04428
StatusPublished
Cited by64 cases

This text of 319 F. Supp. 3d 1004 (Rivera v. Guevara) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rivera v. Guevara, 319 F. Supp. 3d 1004 (illinoised 2018).

Opinion

The fourth issue defendants raise is plaintiff's use of cross references. E.g. , Pl. SAF ¶¶ 11, 16, 19, 21, 50, 128. Local Rule 56.1 requires citations to the record evidence rather than cross reference to a reference to a citation; using a cross reference saves counsel time but offloads on the court the burden of identifying what is factually disputed and whether the dispute is material. Schlessinger v. Chicago Hous. Auth. , 130 F.Supp.3d 1226, 1228 (N.D. Ill. 2015) (Gottschall, J.) (finding response that cited statement of additional facts rather than record violated *1020Local Rule 56.1 ). The court therefore disregards the portions of Plaintiff's Combined Statement of Additional Facts that cite other paragraphs of it. See id.

Fifth, defendants claim that several of plaintiff's additional facts are immaterial. A Local Rule "56.1(a) statement should be limited to material facts, that is, facts pertinent to the outcome of the issues identified in the summary judgment motion." Malec, supra , 191 F.R.D. at 583 (emphasis omitted). Rivera argues vociferously that his facts are material in the summary judgment sense, and the answer to that question, in the appropriate context, lies very much at the heart of the parties' dispute here. Rather than attempt to winnow the voluminous statements to only material paragraphs in the abstract, the court again deems addressing materiality questions as they pertain to particular issues to be the better course because it may obviate the need to analyze each disputed paragraph. Cf. Tarau v. Coltea , No. 15-CV-03545, 2017 WL 3521410, at *1 (N.D. Ill. Aug. 16, 2017) ("Because neither party contends these facts are material, the court need not resolve [a] dispute" about whether the facts should stricken. (citation omitted) ).

Finally, defendants point out that Rivera's response brief cites to an expert report not mentioned in his Combined Statement of Additional Facts. See Pl. Combined Resp. 34-36, ECF No. 321 (citing Report of Jennifer Dysart, Pl. Ex. 21). The court has searched Rivera's Combined Statement of Additional Facts but finds no reference to the expert by name or the cited exhibit. See ECF No. 317. Defendants therefore never had a procedurally proper opportunity, under L.R. 56.1, to test the report as a summary judgment exhibit, so the court disregards it, Pl. Ex. 21, at this stage. See Greene v. CCDN, LLC , 853 F.Supp.2d 739, 744 (N.D. Ill. 2011) ("[T]he Court disregards any additional statements of fact contained in a party's response brief but not in its L.R. 56.1(b)(3)(B) statement of additional facts." (citing Malec , 191 F.R.D. at 584 ) ).

Having addressed the procedural issues pertinent to the parties' Local Rule 56.1 statements, the court is ready to delve into the facts and exhibits in earnest.

II. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

A. Summary of Complaint

Rivera's complaint has eight counts. In Count I, he alleges that defendants violated the due process clause by withholding and suppressing exculpatory evidence. Compl. ¶¶ 51, 53, ECF No. 1. He alleges in Count II that the officer defendants conspired to violate his constitutional rights. In Count III, Rivera brings failure to intervene claims; that is, he claims one or more of the officer defendants stood by while other officers violated his constitutional rights. Compl. ¶ 64. Finally, in Count IV, Rivera seeks to hold the City liable under Monell for his damages on the theory that a City policy was the moving force behind the officer defendants' alleged violations. Compl. ¶ 68.

Counts V-VIII arise under Illinois law. In the order pleaded, they are: a malicious prosecution claim (Count V), a civil conspiracy claim (Count VI), a claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress (Count VII), and a respondeat superior claim (Count VIII).

B. Parties

In addition to the City, Rivera names twelve former Chicago police officers (all have retired) (actually the estate of two) as defendants ("officer defendants"). See Compl. ¶¶ 9-13, ECF No. 1; Resp. to Officers SMF ¶ 2. John Leonard and Gillian *1021McLaughlin were the Chicago Police Department ("CPD") detectives initially assigned to the Valentin shooting. Resp. to Officers SMF ¶ 2 (noting substitution of Leonard's personal representative). McLaughlin is the only female defendant. Id. ¶ 32.

Guevara was a Gang Crimes Specialist (sometimes "GCS") as were defendants Daniel Noon, John Guzman, Joseph Sparks, Paul Zacharias, Steve Gawrys, and Joseph Fallon. Resp. to Officers SMF ¶ 2. They were assigned to the Gang Crimes Unit (not to be confused with Violent Crimes), sometimes referred to as "Gang Crimes North." Id.

Defendants Rocco Rinaldi (sued through his estate) and Russell Weingart were sergeants in Gang Crimes North; defendant Edward Mingey was a sergeant assigned to Gang Crimes North. Resp. to Officers SMF ¶ 2. Each approved one or more reports in the Valentin investigative file. Id. at ¶¶ 2, 65, 66, 72. For simplicity, the court refers to the officer defendants by their last names and elides the distinction between the estate of the two defendants who have died and the former CPD officer.

C. The Valentin Investigation and Trial

Rivera's bench trial began on April 5, 1990, and was continued to April 16, 1988, on which date rebuttal and surrebuttal witnesses testified and the court found Rivera guilty. See Resp. to SAF ¶ 90; Trial Tr. at 77:10-14, 80:4-9, Pl. Ex. 3, ECF No. 313-3. The state trial court imposed an 80-year sentence (the maximum allowed) on July 9, 1990. Trial Tr. at 114:21-115:1. Kenneth J. Wadas ("Wadas") represented Rivera through the trial and sentencing. The following individuals testified: the victim's father, Israel Valentin; Lopez; Guevara; Detective Craig Letrich ("Letrich"); Leonard by stipulation; the medical examiner, also by stipulation; Rivera's pastor, Fernando Rivas; and a friend of Rivera's named Guillermo Osorio. Resp. to SAF ¶ 90.

Israel Valentin identified the victim. Trial Tr. at 6:16-7:24. The medical examiner testified that Valentin died of a total of 11 gunshot-related wounds. See id. at 53:13-18.

1. Lopez's Trial Testimony

Lopez testified that at around 3:40 p.m., he left his home at 3320 W. Cortland Street to go to a store to buy candy. Trial Tr. at 18:5-19:11. He said he saw Valentin sitting in a red car parked in an alley on Cortland.

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