Suffolk County Sheriff v. AFSCME Council 93, Local 3643

16 Mass. L. Rptr. 511
CourtMassachusetts Superior Court
DecidedJuly 15, 2003
DocketNo. 0101413
StatusPublished

This text of 16 Mass. L. Rptr. 511 (Suffolk County Sheriff v. AFSCME Council 93, Local 3643) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Suffolk County Sheriff v. AFSCME Council 93, Local 3643, 16 Mass. L. Rptr. 511 (Mass. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinion

Hinkle, J.

In a Memorandum of Decision and Order dated August 28, 2002, this Court confirmed an arbitration award finding no just cause for Correctional Officer Eric Donnelly’s termination from employment by plaintiff, the Suffolk County Sheriff, and ordering full back pay and benefits for the period of December 29, 1999 through May 16, 2001. The Sheriff now moves for relief for judgment under Mass.R.Civ.P. 60(b)(6) on the ground that the arbitration award was procured by fraud. For the reasons set forth below, after a hearing, the Sheriffs motion is ALLOWED.

BACKGROUND

Eric Donnelly (“Donnelly”) was a lieutenant employed by the Suffolk County Jail in Boston, when on October 16, 1999 an inmate named Leonard Gibson (“Gibson”), who suffered from Tourette’s Syndrome, alleged that he was beaten by Donnelly and another officer, William Benson, while locked up in the medical unit of the facility. After an internal investigation, the Sheriff terminated Donnelly on December 29, 1999 for having physically abused an inmate under his care and custody. AFSCME Council 93, Local 3643, filed a grievance on Donnelly’s behalf. The dispute was submitted to arbitration under an agreement between the Sheriff and AFSCME Council 93, Local 3643.

At the arbitration hearing on November 28, 2000, Donnelly testified under oath that he did not enter Gibson’s cell and assault him on October 16, 1999. Donnelly also submitted as an exhibit his written incident report, filed with a superior, which made no mention of any assault occurring.

On December 5, 2000, after the arbitration hearing had begun, but before the arbitrator issued his decision, Donnelly was indicted by a Federal grand juiy and charged with excessive force against an inmate under his care and custody.1 The indictment involved the same circumstances for which Donnelly had been terminated.

On February 28, 2001, the arbitrator issued a decision concluding that there was no just cause for Donnelly’s termination and ordering that he be reinstated with full back pay and benefits. The arbitrator concluded that the Sheriff had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Donnelly assaulted Gibson. Specifically, he found that the use of Gibson’s videotaped testimony at the arbitration hearing violated Donnelly’s Sixth Amendment right to confront his accuser. In so concluding, the arbitrator opined that there was reason to question the reliability of Gibson’s identification of Donnelly as a participant in the alleged assault.

On May 15, 2001, a Federal grand juiy returned a superseding indictment, alleging in Count I that Donnelly conspired with other correctional officers to violate the civil rights of pretrial detainees in violation of 18 U.S.C. §241, and alleging in Count XV that Donnelly deprived Gibson of his civil rights in violation of 18 U.S.C. §242. The superseding indictment alleged:

During the 3-11 shift, after Leonard Gibson was thought to be swearing at defendant WILLIAM R. BENSON, who was assigned as a unit officer in the Medical Unit, Gibson was locked in his cell. A short time after that, defendant Lt. ERIC J. DONNELLY caused the cell door to be opened, and then DONNELLY and defendant WILLIAM R. BENSON entered Gibson’s cell and punched and slapped Gibson in the face, head, and body for his verbal outbursts, shouting, in substance, that he was a fake and they would beat the Tourette’s out of him.

On May 16, 2001, the Sheriff notified Donnelly that he was suspended indefinitely without pay under G.L.c. 268A, §25.

The Sheriff brought this action under G.L.c. 150C, §11, seeking to vacate the arbitrator’s award on the ground that the arbitrator exceeded his authority in applying the reasonable doubt standard; the arbitra[512]*512tor exceeded his authority by concluding that the Sixth Amendment right to confrontation applies at arbitration hearings; the arbitrator’s award violated public policy, and the arbitrator exceeded his authority by issuing an order contrary to G.L.c. 268A, §25.

In a Memorandum of Decision and Order dated August 28, 2002, this Court confirmed the portion of the arbitration award finding no just cause for Donnelly’s termination and ordering full back pay and benefits for the period of December 29, 1999 through May 16, 2001, but vacated the portion of the award reinstating Donnelly.

Thereafter, on March 3, 2003, Donnelly pleaded guilty in United States District Court (Lindsay, J.) to Counts I and XV of the superseding indictment, which alleged violation of Gibson’s civil rights and conspiracy to violate civil rights. In his plea colloquy Donnelly admitted to the following facts set forth by an Assistant United States Attorney:

The evidence would show that on October 16, 1999 the defendant Donnelly, while on duly at the jail, entered the medical unit where a detainee Leonard Gibson... was being housed. Leonard Gibson, who suffered from Tourette’s Syndrome, which is characterized by repeated and involuntary body movements and ticks and uncontrollable vocal sounds, often profanity. The evidence would be defendant Donnelly was actually in the unit to watch a baseball play-off game. Mr. Gibson was then thought to be swearing at defendant William Benson and was then locked in his cell. Gibson continued to make noises and verbally harass the officers from inside his cell. At one point then while the detainee Gibson was secured in his cell, the defendant Donnelly and William Benson decided to essentially teach him a lesson. They went into Gibson’s cell and each struck him several times. These strikes were an unjustified use of force and redundant to punish Gibson for his disruptive behavior. While hitting him the officers yelled something to the effect of “We’ll beat the Tourette’s out of you.” As a result of this incident Gibson suffered cuts on his head and back and pain and bruising. Later defendant Donnelly and other officers gave false and misleading statements to SID about the [sic] knowledge of the Gibson incident.

The Sheriff now moves for relief from this Court’s August 28, 2002 judgment confirming the award of back pay on the ground that the arbitrator’s award was procured by fraud: i.e., Donnelly’s false testimony that he did not assault Gibson.

DISCUSSION

Massachusetts Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b) provides in relevant part:

On motion and upon such terms as are just, the court may relieve a parly or his legal representative from a final judgment, order, or proceeding for the following reasons: (1) mistake, inadvertence, surprise, or excusable neglect; (2) newly discovered evidence which by due diligence could not have been discovered in time to move for a new trial under Rule 59(b); (3) fraud (whether heretofore denominated intrinsic or extrinsic), misrepresentation, or other misconduct of an adverse pariy; (4) the judgment is void; (5) the judgment has been satisfied, released, or discharged, or a prior judgment upon which it is based has been reversed or otherwise vacated, or it is no longer equitable that the judgment should have prospective application; or (6) any other reason justifying relief from the operation of the judgment.

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Bluebook (online)
16 Mass. L. Rptr. 511, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/suffolk-county-sheriff-v-afscme-council-93-local-3643-masssuperct-2003.