Schultz v. Utah County

966 F. Supp. 2d 1246, 2013 WL 4498825, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 117342
CourtDistrict Court, D. Utah
DecidedAugust 19, 2013
DocketCase No. 2:11-cv-00274-DN
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 966 F. Supp. 2d 1246 (Schultz v. Utah County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Utah primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Schultz v. Utah County, 966 F. Supp. 2d 1246, 2013 WL 4498825, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 117342 (D. Utah 2013).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION AND ORDER REGARDING DEFENDANTS UTAH COUNTY, OFFICER MATTHEW HIGLEY AND SHERIFF JIM TRACY’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT DISMISSAL OF ALL CLAIMS ASSERTED IN PLAINTIFFS’ FIRST AMENDED COMPLAINT AND MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT OF DEFENDANTS OFFICER REED VANWAGONER, PROVO CITY, AND DAVID BOLDA

DAVID NUFFER, District Judge.

Defendants Sergeant Higley, Sheriff Tracy, and Utah County’s (hereinafter “Defendants”) Motion for Summary Judgment Dismissal of All Claims Asserted in Plaintiffs’ First Amended Complaint (“Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment”) 1 and Defendants Officer Reed VanWagoner, Provo City, and David Bolda’s (hereinafter “Co-Defendants”) Motion for Summary Judgment (“Co-Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment”),2 joined by Defendants3 was heard March 18, 2013. The court’s decision was announced at that hearing. The parties, as directed by the court, submitted a proposed order which the court has carefully reviewed and edited.

BACKGROUND 4

A. Parties.

1. Plaintiffs brought this action seeking compensatory, injunctive, and declaratory, [1249]*1249damages from Defendants in connection with an event that occurred on February-21, 2010.5

2. Plaintiff Patrick Schultz (“Plaintiff Schultz”) is a forty-six (46) year old male individual who resides in Provo, Utah. Plaintiff Schultz is deaf.6

3. Plaintiff Velvette Skaggs (“Plaintiff Skaggs”) is a thirty (30) year old female individual who also resides in Provo, Utah. Plaintiff Skaggs is deaf.7

4. Plaintiff The Utah Association For The Deaf (“UAD”), is a Utah non-profit corporation “organized with the purpose of helping to eliminate discrimination against individuals who are Deaf....”8

5. Plaintiffs named the following Defendants in their First Amended Complaint: (a) Utah County; (b) Provo City; (c) Jim Tracy; (d) David Bolda; (e) Officer Matthew Higley; (f) Officer Reed Van-Wagoner; and, (g) Roes I-IX.9

6. Defendant Utah County is organized and existing under the laws of the State of Utah and is a political subdivision thereof.10

7. Defendant Sheriff Tracy has been the Sheriff for the Utah County Sheriff’s Office for nine (9) years and has been with the Utah County Sheriffs Office for approximately thirty-four (34) years.

B. Utah County’s Policy and Training.11

8. At the time of these events, Utah County Sheriffs Office had Policy 5/330.00 — Interaction with the Hearing Impaired12 in effect:

[1250]*1250The hearing impaired will be extended every opportunity to file a report or respond when considered a suspect or subject in a criminal case. The intent of this policy is to ensure effective communication with persons with hearing impairments. The individual with the hearing impairment should be given their choice of auxiliary aids and services and that choice should be honored whenever possible. The ultimate decision, however, rests with Sheriffs Office deputies who must justify their decision if another method of communication is chosen.13

9.At the time of these events, the Utah County Sheriffs Office had Policy 5/331.00 — Interviewing/Interrogating Subjects with a Hearing Impairment in effect:

If an interview with a hearing impaired subject is necessary to establish probable cause to make an arrest, an interpreter must be provided if written communication is ineffective. When the services of an interpreter are required to ensure effective communication, the interview, and possibly the arrest, must be postponed until the deputy can make arrangements for an interpreter.14
If a deputy cannot effectively inform the subject of the Miranda Rights without the use of an interpreter, the deputy must secure the services of an interpreter to communicate accurately the warnings to the subject prior to any interrogation. A deputy can proceed with the interrogation using a note pad only if: 1. exigent circumstances do not permit a delay in the interrogation of the subject; 2. an interpreter cannot be located within a reasonable period of time; AND 3. written communication between the deputy and the subject is effective in conveying an understanding of the Miranda rights.

10. At the time of these events, Utah County Sheriffs Office had Policy 5/332.00 — Issuance of Now-Criminal Citations to Hearing Impaired in effect:

If an individual without a hearing impairment would have been issued a noncriminal citation without having been questioned by a deputy, then a suspect with a hearing impairment in the same situation does not need to be provided with an interpreter. However, if the deputy is unable to convey to the violator the nature of the infraction by communicating on a note pad or by using another means of communication, the deputy should use their discretion as to whether to call an interpreter to the scene or whether to issue a warning rather than a citation.

11. In addition, the Utah County Sheriffs Office had a specific policy prohibiting against biased-based policing, under Policy 5/102.00 — Prohibition Against Biased-Based Policing in effect at the time of these events:

[1251]*1251Deputies of the Utah County Sheriffs Office are expressly prohibited from engaging in biased-based policing activities. Deputies will not discriminate against any person. Any arrest, detention, interdiction, asset seizure or forfeiture, or other law enforcement action based in whole or in part on the actual or perceived race, ethnicity, color, national origin, gender, age (except in the case of juvenile offenses), religion, culture, disability, sexual orientation, economic status, or other trait of a person or group is strictly forbidden unless such trait is a part of an identifying description of a specific suspect for a specific crime. Utah State law (Utah Code Annotated) and federal constitutional law applying to Utah specifically prohibits reliance by a peace officer and/or Deputy Sheriff upon the race, ethnicity or national origin of a person as a factor in initiating action when the race, ethnicity or national origin of the person is not part of an identifying description of a specific suspect for a specific crime. The Sheriffs Office is committed to observing, upholding, and enforcing all laws relating to the individual rights of all persons, guarantee-: ing everyone equal treatment under the law.... 15

12. Sergeant Higley’s written communications with Plaintiff Schultz and Plaintiff Skaggs was consistent with the Utah County Sheriffs Department’s policies pertaining to interactions with the deaf or hearing impaired as of February 21, 2010.

13. Further, reports from the Utah County Sheriffs Office (“Reports”) reflect that there was ongoing communication between deaf or hearing-impaired individuals and the Utah County Sheriff Office’s deputies or employees, on or before February 21, 2010.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
966 F. Supp. 2d 1246, 2013 WL 4498825, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 117342, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schultz-v-utah-county-utd-2013.