Santiago v. City of Philadelphia

435 F. Supp. 136, 1977 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14901
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedJuly 20, 1977
DocketCiv. A. 74-2589
StatusPublished
Cited by93 cases

This text of 435 F. Supp. 136 (Santiago v. City of Philadelphia) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Santiago v. City of Philadelphia, 435 F. Supp. 136, 1977 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14901 (E.D. Pa. 1977).

Opinion

OPINION

JOSEPH S. LORD, III, Chief Judge.

This civil rights action is brought by juvenile-residents of the Youth Study Center (“YSC”), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who challenge the conditions of confinement and treatment at YSC and seek injunctive and declaratory relief and damages. In a previous opinion, Santiago v. City of Philadelphia, 72 F.R.D. 619 (E.D.Pa.1976) [hereinafter Santiago 7], we granted plaintiffs’ motion for class action certification as it applies to injunctive and declaratory relief. 1 Defendants have moved to dismiss the action on several grounds. We will grant their motion in part and deny it in part.

Plaintiffs’ allegations of constitutional deprivations and state statutory violations can be divided into six categories: (1) unconstitutional corporal punishment and solitary confinement; (2) general institutional conditions which violate constitutional and statutory standards (e. g., inadequate living space, heating, lighting); (3) improper institutional restraints and suppression of liberties (e. g., limitations concerning mail, visitation, recreation, clothing and medical care); (4) denial of adequate educational and rehabilitative services; (5) racial segregation at YSC resulting from discriminatory placement of juveniles; and (6) failure to utilize the least restrictive alternative in *143 confining juveniles. Plaintiffs maintain these practices are actionable under 42 U.S.C. §§ 1981, 1983, 1985(3), 1986, 1988, 1994 and 2000d; the first, fourth, fifth, eighth, thirteenth and fourteenth amendments of the United States Constitution; and the statutory and common law of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Named as defendants are: the City of Philadelphia, Mayor Frank Rizzo, Hillel Levinson (Managing Director of Philadelphia), judges of the Family Court Division of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, administrators and personnel of YSC, the Philadelphia School District and officials of both the Philadelphia School District and Pennsylvania State Department of Education. Defendants are sued for overt acts committed in furtherance of the aforementioned practices and/or their acquiescence in and toleration of the same. In addition, liability for some defendants has been based upon a respondeat superior theory.

The defendants’ 2 motion to dismiss alleges that: (a) the complaint fails to meet the requirements of case or controversy; (b) this court should abstain from a decision on the merits; (c) the Family Court judges and Judge Montemuro are immune from suit; (d) certain defendants should be granted “quasi-judicial” immunity; (e) the City of Philadelphia is immune; (f) respondeat superior is not applicable to any defendant; (g) plaintiffs have not alleged facts which could constitute a violation of the eighth amendment; (h) the complaint fails to state a cause of action under 42 U.S.C. §§ 1983, 1985(3), 1986, 1994 and 2000d against all and/or some of the defendants; (i) plaintiffs have no right of privacy; and (j) this court should not exercise pendent jurisdiction over the state law claims. We will deal with each of these arguments seriatim.

I. CASE OR CONTROVERSY:

Defendants claim that this action^ fails to meet the requirements of the case or controversy clause of Article III because plaintiffs have not alleged any “real and immediate” injury and thus lack the requisite “personal stake in the outcome.” Rizzo, v. Goode, 423 U.S. 362, 372, 96 S.Ct. 598, 46 L.Ed.2d 561 (1976); O’Shea v. Littleton, 414 U.S. 488, 493-94, 94 S.Ct. 669, 38 L.Ed.2d 674 (1974). Defendants argue that it is speculative to assume that the named plaintiffs will again be subjected to the conditions at YSC of which they complain and that the allegations of past wrongs are in- . sufficient to raise the prospect of future harm which is needed to justify a claim for, injunctive relief. 3 We reject this argument.,

Defendants’ objection is based upon the Court’s analysis in O’Shea and Goode. In O’Shea the Court concluded that allegations concerning practices of racially discriminatory bond setting, sentencing and assessing of fees did not meet the requirements of Article III because the complaint lacked allegations of specific instances of such abuse by defendants and there was no support for the assertion that there were “continuing, present adverse effects” upon, plaintiffs. O’Shea, supra, 414 U.S. at 496, 94 S.Ct. 669. The Court held that before the named plaintiffs could seek relief for a class, they must establish the requisite case or controversy with the defendants.

In Goode the plaintiffs claimed that there was a pervasive pattern of illegal and unconstitutional mistreatment of citizens of Philadelphia by police officers. The plaintiffs only sued supervisory officials of the City, including the Mayor, City Managing Director, Police Commissioner and two police officials, and sought injunctive relief' against these officials in the form of, inter alia, a disciplinary program to discourage police misconduct. The proof at trial failed to establish either a pervasive pattern of *144 misconduct by the police or an “affirmative link between the occurrence of the various incidents of police misconduct and the adoption of any plan or policy by [defendants] — express or otherwise — showing their authorization or approval of such misconduct.” Goode, supra, 423 U.S. at 371, 96 S.Ct. at 604.

The Court concluded that plaintiffs did not demonstrate a case or controversy between themselves and defendants because plaintiffs’ claim to injury “rests not upon what the named [defendants] might do to them in the future . . .

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

Related

Adamczyk v. Young
2022 IL App (5th) 220093-U (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2022)
Thompson v. Trump
District of Columbia, 2022
State v. Logan
2017 Ohio 8932 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2017)
Ascolese v. Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
902 F. Supp. 533 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 1995)
Lynn Ann Steirer v. Bethlehem Area School District
987 F.2d 989 (Third Circuit, 1993)
In re of S.C.
790 S.W.2d 766 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1990)
Perez v. Cucci
725 F. Supp. 209 (D. New Jersey, 1989)
Aetna Casualty & Surety Co. v. Sterner
700 F. Supp. 252 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 1988)
Dunmore v. City of Natchez
703 F. Supp. 31 (S.D. Mississippi, 1988)
Davis v. Holly
835 F.2d 1175 (Sixth Circuit, 1987)
United States v. Lewis
644 F. Supp. 1391 (W.D. Michigan, 1986)
Sambrick v. Borough of Norristown
639 F. Supp. 1351 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 1986)
Doumani v. CASINO CONTROL COM'N OF NEW JERSEY
614 F. Supp. 1465 (D. New Jersey, 1985)
Gann v. Schramm
606 F. Supp. 1442 (D. Delaware, 1985)
Waller v. Butkovich
605 F. Supp. 1137 (M.D. North Carolina, 1985)
Ralph Craine v. Lamar Alexander
756 F.2d 1070 (Fifth Circuit, 1985)
Trembley v. City of Central Falls
480 A.2d 1359 (Supreme Court of Rhode Island, 1984)
Wrenn v. State of Kan.
561 F. Supp. 1216 (D. Kansas, 1983)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
435 F. Supp. 136, 1977 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14901, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/santiago-v-city-of-philadelphia-paed-1977.