Smith v. Gilpin County

949 F. Supp. 1498, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19075
CourtDistrict Court, D. Colorado
DecidedDecember 24, 1996
DocketCivil Action No. 94-D-779
StatusPublished

This text of 949 F. Supp. 1498 (Smith v. Gilpin County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Smith v. Gilpin County, 949 F. Supp. 1498, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19075 (D. Colo. 1996).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

DANIEL, District Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

THIS MATTER is before the Court on the Governmental Defendants’ motion to dismiss or for summary judgment filed August 24, 1994 and their renewed motion filed June 18, 1996.1 In arriving at my decision, I have carefully considered Plaintiffs recent supplemental factual submission which urges the Court to reject as unfounded Defendants’ defense of qualified immunity. In response to Defendants’ contention that the individual defendants are entitled to qualified immunity as a matter of law, Smith, with powerful and persuasive facts, shows why qualified immunity is unavailable to these Defendants.

Through his complaints, Plaintiff Roy Smith (“Smith”) alleges substantial violations of his civil rights. Smith’s second and third amended complaints allege that he has been the subject of a series of racially motivated crimes. Defendant Robert Berube (“Be-rube”) is the alleged perpetrator of these acts. Smith further claims that there was a racially based refusal on the part of the Defendant officials to whom the crimes were reported to enforce the laws and protect Smith as required by the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. As a result, Smith claims that he has been literally driven out of his home and off his land in Gilpin County.

Smith asserts claims for violations of 42 U.S.C. §§ 1981, 1982, 1983, and 1985(3). Smith claims Berube, a private citizen who lived next door to him, violated his civil rights, under the same statutes, and is also liable under theories of negligence and negligence per se. Smith seeks compensatory and punitive damages, injunctive and declaratory relief, fees and costs.

The Defendants asserted qualified immunity in their motion to dismiss and/or for summary judgment. Defendants further asserted that there is no constitutional protection from the consequences of unlawful acts by third parties and no constitutional right to have all complaints investigated and/or arrests made. At a hearing held on May 24, 1996, I ruled that violations of clearly established law had occurred as to the Defendants as a group and I ordered limited discovery as to the qualified immunity issues. Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800, 102 S.Ct. 2727, 73 L.Ed.2d 396 (1982); Siegert v. Gilley, 500 U.S. 226, 111 S.Ct. 1789, 114 L.Ed.2d 277 (1991); Workman v. Jordan, 958 F.2d 332, 336 (10th Cir.1992).

[1500]*1500The clearly established law is that, although there is no general constitutional right to police protection, DeShaney v. Winnebago County Dep. of Social Services, 489 U.S. 189, 109 S.Ct. 998, 103 L.Ed.2d 249 (1989), the police may not discriminate in providing such protection. Watson v. City of Kansas City, KS, 857 F.2d 690, 694 (10th Cir.1988). Put another way, the state violates the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause if it selectively denies its protective services to disfavored minorities. DeShaney, 489 U.S. at 197 n. 3, 109 S.Ct. at 1004 n. 3; Yick Wo v. Hopkins, 118 U.S. 356, 6 S.Ct. 1064, 30 L.Ed. 220 (1886); Mody v. City of Hoboken, 758 F.Supp. 1027 (D.N.J.1991), aff'd, 959 F.2d 461 (3rd Cir.1992). Acts of omission are actionable in this context to the same extent as acts of commission. Smith v. Ross, 482 F.2d 33 (6th Cir.1973).

As the Sixth Circuit noted in Smith:

particularly in view of the circumstances surrounding the passage of § 1983, including the concern for protecting Negroes from the widespread non-enforcement of state laws [citation omitted], the remedies provided in § 1983 are most appropriately extended to persons who, because of the unpopularity in their life-styles or the pervasiveness of racial animus in the community, are not protected in their attempt to enjoy peacefully and on an equal basis the civil rights guaranteed under the laws.

Id. at 36.

Similarly, the court held in Hawk v. Perillo, 642 F.Supp. 380 (N.D.Ill.1985) that this type of action or inaction by the police relative to minorities is “precisely the type of actions that motivated Congress to pass Section 1983. “While one main scourge of the evil — perhaps the leading one — was the Ku Klux Klan, the remedy created was not a remedy against it or its members but against those who representing a State in some capacity were unable or unwilling to enforce a state law.’ ” Id. at 383 (quoting Monroe v. Pape, 365 U.S. 167, 175-76, 81 S.Ct. 473, 477-78, 5 L.Ed.2d 492 (1961)).

In ruling that Defendants violated clearly established law, I found that the contours of the right were sufficiently clear that a reasonable official would understand that what he was doing violated that right. Anderson v. Creighton, 483 U.S. 635, 646 n. 6, 107 S.Ct. 3034, 3042 n. 6, 97 L.Ed.2d 523 (1987). However, I found that factual issues existed regarding the viability of the qualified immunity defense warranted discovery on this limited issue. Thus, I allowed depositions to go forward as to qualified immunity defense and permitted the filing of supplemental factual position statements by the parties.

II. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Smith alleges a series of incidents and assaults against him where he claims, among other things, that he was beaten, bitten by unrestrained dogs, assaulted by a car, and hung upside down from a beam in his house.2 Smith claims the Defendants’ failure to protect him was motivated by racial animus as evidenced by the fact that members of the Sheriffs Department referred to him as “Nigger Roy” or the “town nigger.” Defendants concede, for purposes of the motion, that they used the racially derogatory name “Nigger Roy” in reference to Smith. However, they argue that Smith permitted the use of this name. The following is a summary of specific evidence presented by Smith in support of his claims.3

A. Use of the Term “Nigger Roy” and whether it was Sanctioned by Smith

1. Anderle testified in her deposition that she referred to Smith as “Nigger Roy”, and [1501]*1501that Smith was known that way in the community.

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

Related

Yick Wo v. Hopkins
118 U.S. 356 (Supreme Court, 1886)
Monroe v. Pape
365 U.S. 167 (Supreme Court, 1961)
Harlow v. Fitzgerald
457 U.S. 800 (Supreme Court, 1982)
Batson v. Kentucky
476 U.S. 79 (Supreme Court, 1986)
Anderson v. Creighton
483 U.S. 635 (Supreme Court, 1987)
Siegert v. Gilley
500 U.S. 226 (Supreme Court, 1991)
St. Mary's Honor Center v. Hicks
509 U.S. 502 (Supreme Court, 1993)
Taylor v. Meacham
82 F.3d 1556 (Tenth Circuit, 1996)
Arthur F. Smith, Jr. v. Max Ross
482 F.2d 33 (Sixth Circuit, 1973)
Hortencia Bohen v. City of East Chicago, Indiana
799 F.2d 1180 (Seventh Circuit, 1986)
Ofelia Randle v. City of Aurora
69 F.3d 441 (Tenth Circuit, 1995)
Mody v. City of Hoboken
758 F. Supp. 1027 (D. New Jersey, 1991)
Hawk v. Perillo
642 F. Supp. 380 (N.D. Illinois, 1986)
Workman v. Jordan
32 F.3d 475 (Tenth Circuit, 1994)
Mick v. Brewer
76 F.3d 1127 (Tenth Circuit, 1996)
Watson v. City of Kansas City
857 F.2d 690 (Tenth Circuit, 1988)
Workman v. Jordan
958 F.2d 332 (Tenth Circuit, 1992)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
949 F. Supp. 1498, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19075, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smith-v-gilpin-county-cod-1996.