Rucks v. City of New York

96 F. Supp. 3d 138, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 41073, 2015 WL 1433383
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedMarch 30, 2015
DocketNo. 12 Civ. 4226(KPF)
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 96 F. Supp. 3d 138 (Rucks v. City of New York) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rucks v. City of New York, 96 F. Supp. 3d 138, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 41073, 2015 WL 1433383 (S.D.N.Y. 2015).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

KATHERINE POLK FAILLA, District Judge.

Plaintiff Jody Rucks1 brought this action in May 2012 against the City of New York and New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) officers Anthony Bruno, Michael O’Connor, and Michael Percy (collectively, the “Defendant Officers”) in their individual and official capacities. In it, Plaintiff raised claims of false arrest, excessive force, denial of fair trial, and malicious prosecution under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, and for assault and battery under New York state law, stemming from his June 18, 2011 arrest and subsequent events. On July 14, 2014, following a one-week trial, a jury found for Plaintiff on his claims of false arrest and denial of fair trial, and for Defendants on the remaining claims. Both parties have filed motions for judgment as a matter of law and for a new trial pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 50 and 59. For the reasons set forth in the remainder of this Opinion, the Court denies Defendants’ motions for judgment as a matter of law or a new trial, and grants Plaintiffs motion for judgment as a matter of law as to his assault and battery claims and a new trial for damages.

BACKGROUND2

A. The Pretrial Procedural History

Plaintiff Jody Rucks filed his Complaint against the City of New York and three individual NYPD officers — Officers Bruno and Percy, and Sergeant O’Connor — on May 29, 2012. (Dkt. #1). In it, he brought claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for false arrest, excessive force, denial of fair trial, and malicious prosecution, and under New York state law for assault, battery, false arrest, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, malicious prosecution, and negligent hiring, training, supervision, and retention. (Id.). On June 24, 2013, the case was reassigned to the undersigned from United States District Judge Laura Taylor Swain. (Dkt. # 18). On June 26, 2013, the parties stipulated to the voluntary dismissal of Plaintiffs claims against the City of New York for negligent hiring, training, supervision, and retention, as well as claims for municipal liability pursuant to Monell v. Department of Social Services, 436 U.S. 658, 98 S.Ct. 2018, 56 L.Ed.2d 611 (1978); in addition, Plaintiff dismissed the claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress against all parties. (Dkt. #20). Trial commenced on July 8, 2014. (Tr. 1).

B. The Evidence at Trial

1. Plaintiffs Evening and Arrival at the West 4th Street Station

Plaintiff spent the evening of June 17, 2011, at an art gallery event on West 27th Street in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. (Tr. 579-80). Plaintiff consumed one plastic cup of wine and departed at, by his estimate, roughly 2:30 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. on the morning of June 18. (Id. at 582-83). Witness Kasey Schweickert, who hosted the event, confirmed Plaintiffs presence and his consumption of roughly [142]*142one cup of wine, though she placed his departure at roughly 1:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. (Id. at 569-71). Plaintiff boarded the southbound E train at the West 23rd Street station, intending to transfer at the Canal Street station to the A or C train, and then take one of those trains to the Nostrand Avenue stop in Brooklyn, near where he lived. (Id. at 584). When he arrived at Canal Street, however, he discovered that, due to construction, he would have to return uptown to the West 4th Street station, where he could then transfer to the downtown A or C train. (Id. at 584-85). Accordingly, he boarded the E train headed north toward the West 4th Street station. (Id. at 105-06, 585).

Defendants Bruno, O'Connor, and Percy, meanwhile, were patrolling the West 4th Street station along with Officer Joel Estevez, who was not named as a defendant. (Tr. 214). The officers, who were wearing plainclothes, were assigned to the location to focus on “quality-of-life” crimes. (Id. at 95-99, 212). Their shift began at 3:00 a.m. (Id. at 95). Plaintiffs northbound E train arrived at the station at roughly 3:30 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. (Id. at 99, 167). It is at this point in the narrative that Plaintiffs testimony began to diverge significantly from that of each of the Officer Defendants.

2. Plaintiffs Exit from the Northbound E Train at West 4th Street

The West 4th Street station is divided into multiple levels. The uppermost level, where the events in question took place, is split into two platforms that offer access to four tracks serving the uptown and downtown A, C, and E trains. The southbound trains are accessible by the southbound platform and the northbound trains are accessible by the northbound platform. Express trains (the A) run on the two tracks located between the two platforms, while local trains (the C and Plaintiffs E train) run on tracks located to the outside of their respective platforms. Below this level, accessible by a number of stairways, is a mezzanine by which one can pass under the A, C, and E trains to move between the uptown and downtown platforms, as well as access the B, D, F, and M trains located on the lowest level. (Tr. 121, 222-23).

At the time that Plaintiffs E train arrived at the West 4th Street station on the northbound local track (the furthest track from the southbound platform), O’Connor, Bruno, and Estevez were on the northbound platform, while Percy was on the southbound platform. (Tr. 449, 545). O’Connor was located toward the northern end of the northbound platform, very near to where Plaintiff arrived on the E train. (Id. at 545-46). O’Connor testified3 that he observed Plaintiff lying completely horizontally across several subway seats, apparently sleeping. (Id. at 546). O’Connor testified that he nudged Plaintiff, identified himself as a police officer, and asked Plaintiff to step outside the train, which he did. (Id. at 547). O’Connor recalled other passengers on the train, but could not say how many. (Id. at 547-48).

Bruno at this time was also on the northbound platform, further north than O’Connor. (Tr. 282). He testified that he saw O’Connor speak to the conductor and then step into a subway car, at which point he began walking briskly or jogging toward that car in time to observe Plaintiff standing and rubbing his eyes as though he had just awakened. (Id. at 282-86). He did not personally see Plaintiff lying down, but O’Connor told Bruno that he had seen Plaintiff lying down on the subway seats. (Id. at 286-97).

[143]*143Percy at this time was on the southbound platform. (Tr. 121). He testified that across the express tracks and the northbound platform he was partially able to see Plaintiff — from the mid-torso down — lying across several subway seats. (Id. at 122-23). He either did not see or did not focus on any other passengers in the subway car. (Id. at 124-25).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Hammond v. State of New York
N.D. New York, 2025
Gonzalez v. Hartnett
N.D. New York, 2023
Davis-Guider v. City of Troy
N.D. New York, 2023
Santiago v. City of Yonkers
S.D. New York, 2023
Torres v. City of New York
E.D. New York, 2022
Moore v. Keller
N.D. New York, 2021
Belsito v. County of Erie
W.D. New York, 2021
Goonewardena v. Spinelli
E.D. New York, 2021
Colon v. City of Rochester
W.D. New York, 2019
Rodriguez v. City of N.Y.
291 F. Supp. 3d 396 (S.D. Illinois, 2018)
O'Neal v. City of New York
196 F. Supp. 3d 421 (S.D. New York, 2016)
Soomro v. City of New York
174 F. Supp. 3d 806 (S.D. New York, 2016)
Graham v. City of New York
128 F. Supp. 3d 681 (E.D. New York, 2015)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
96 F. Supp. 3d 138, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 41073, 2015 WL 1433383, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rucks-v-city-of-new-york-nysd-2015.