Taylor v. City of New York

293 F.R.D. 601, 2013 WL 4744806, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 126359
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedSeptember 4, 2013
DocketNo. 12 CIV 5881 (RPP)
StatusPublished
Cited by34 cases

This text of 293 F.R.D. 601 (Taylor 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
Taylor v. City of New York, 293 F.R.D. 601, 2013 WL 4744806, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 126359 (S.D.N.Y. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION & ORDER

ROBERT P. PATTERSON, JR., District Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

On July 31, 2012, Plaintiff Dwaine Taylor1 (“Plaintiff’) filed a 42 U.S.C. § 1983 action against the City of New York, the New York City Department of Correction (“DOC”), Supervising Warden Arthur Olivari, Chiefs of Department Larry W. Davis, Sr. and Michael Hourihane, Warden William Clemons, Deputy Warden Turham Gumusdere, Assistant Deputy Warden Jacqueline Brantley, and John Doe Officers Nos. 1-7 (collectively, “Defendants”). The Complaint alleges that inmates associated with the Bloods gang assaulted and injured Plaintiff while he was in DOC custody on May 24, 2011 and also on November 6, 2011. (Compl. ¶¶ 1-7, 124.) The Complaint further alleges that these assaults were carried out under a widespread practice called “the Program,” whereby, as a means of controlling those held in custody, DOC officers permitted inmates associated with the Bloods to attack other inmates, such as Plaintiff, who were not associated with the gang. (See id. ¶¶2, 26-42, 127, 130, 135.) Plaintiffs suit raises three principal causes of action: (1) a Monell claim against the City of New York; (2) a failure to intervene and/or protect claim against the individual DOC officers; and (3) a negligence claim against all Defendants. (Id. ¶¶ 123-37.)

[605]*605On June 7, 2013, Plaintiff filed the now pending motion for sanctions for spoliation of evidence. (See Pl.’s Mot. for Sanctions, ECF No. 23; see also Pl.’s Mem. in Supp. of Mot. for Sanctions (“Pl.’s Mem.”), ECF No. 25.) Plaintiffs motion argues that Defendants breached their duty to preserve approximately three hours of video surveillance footage relevant to Plaintiffs litigation concerning the May 24, 2011 assault. In response, on June 28, 2013, Defendants filed an opposition memorandum asserting that they had no duty to preserve the surveillance footage because Plaintiff had not given them any notice of his lawsuit until after the footage was deleted. (Defs.’ Mem. in Opp’n to Pl.’s Mot. for Sanctions (“Defs.’ Mem.”) at 4-10, ECF No. 28.) Defendants also argued that, even if they did have a duty to preserve the surveillance footage, they met this obligation by saving eight minutes of footage deemed by them to be relevant to their investigation of Plaintiffs assault. (Id.) Plaintiff filed a reply memorandum on July 12, 2013, (Pl.’s Reply Mem. in Supp. of Mot. for Sanctions (“PL’s Reply Mem.”), ECF No. 31), and the Court held oral argument on August 2, 2013, (see Hr’g Tr., Aug. 2, 2013, ECF No. 35).

After considering the parties’ arguments and for the reasons that follow, this Court orders that: (1) Plaintiffs request to preclude Defendant Brantley from testifying as to what she observed when she reviewed the now-deleted three hours of surveillance footage is GRANTED; (2) Plaintiffs request for an adverse inference instruction which would permit, but would not require, the jury to presume that the deleted surveillance footage would have corroborated Plaintiffs version of the events as alleged in paragraphs 54-57 and 59 of the Complaint is GRANTED; and (3) Plaintiffs motion for reasonable attorney’s fees and costs in connection with this motion is GRANTED.

II. RELEVANT FACTUAL BACKGROUND

A. The May 24, 2011 Assault on Plaintiff

The incidents giving rise to Plaintiffs lawsuit against Defendants date back to May 2011, when Plaintiff was twenty-five years old and a detainee at the Robert N. Davoren Complex (“RNDC”) on Rikers Island. (See Compl. ¶¶ 3^1, 12, 43-44.) Specifically, the Complaint alleges that, in connection with a court appearance on May 24, 2011, DOC officers transported Plaintiff from the RNDC to the Bronx Criminal Courthouse, (id. ¶ 47); that, while at the Courthouse, Plaintiff was placed in a holding cell designated “Pen B-4,” (id.; see also Pl.’s Mem. at 4); that approximately sixteen to seventeen other inmates were also in the holding cell at that time, (Compl. ¶ 47); that among those being held in the cell was Batise Boyce,2 an inmate known to be a member of the Bloods gang, (id. ¶ 52); that “shortly after entering the holding cell,” Plaintiff placed his hand on the cell door and stood “in plain sight” of DOC Officers John Doe # 1-4, (id. ¶ 51); that while Plaintiff was standing in plain sight of DOC Officers John Doe # 1-4, Boyce “viciously punched” him in the face, knocking him to the ground and causing him to lose consciousness, (id. ¶¶ 3, 51-54); that, while Plaintiff was on the ground, six other inmates associated with the Bloods also hit and kicked him, (id. ¶¶ 54-55); that, when Plaintiff stood back up, blood gushed from his nose and he started spitting blood and he could feel that his jaw was injured, (id. ¶ 56); and that one Bloods member threatened him with a knife and told him not to say anything about what had just happened, (id. ¶ 58).

The Complaint further alleges that DOC officer John Doe # 1 came into the holding cell and saw Plaintiff covered in blood and spitting blood from his mouth, (id. ¶¶ 54-55); that, instead of providing assistance, DOC officer John Doe # 1 and the other DOC officers who had observed Boyce punch Plaintiff, kept Plaintiff in Pen B-4 with Boyce for approximately three more hours, (id.); that “since no correction officers were coming to his assistance,” Plaintiff decided to get their attention by grabbing Boyce, (id. ¶ 61); that an altercation with Boyce then [606]*606ensued, (id.); that DOC officers rushed into the cell to break up the fight, (id. ¶ 62); that one officer separated the two men by spraying mace into Plaintiffs face, (id.); and that the officers then moved Plaintiff to another holding cell, where he drafted a statement describing the incidents that had occurred in Pen B-4, (id. ¶¶ 64-68).

Although Defendants contend that Plaintiff was not visibly injured when they removed him from the Pen B-4 holding cell,3 (see Defs.’ Mem. at 6), Plaintiff claims that one officer told him that “it looked like his jaw was broken,” (Compl. ¶ 67). A few hours after being removed from Pen B-4, Plaintiff was taken from the Bronx Criminal Courthouse to the emergency room at Lincoln Hospital. (Id. ¶ 69; see also Defs.’ Answer to Compl. (“Answer”) ¶ 69, ECF No. 7.) At the hospital, he was diagnosed with jaw fractures on both the right and left sides of his face. (Compl. ¶¶ 69-70.) One of his teeth was found to be impacted and another tooth was loose. (Id. ¶ 70.) Plaintiff underwent surgery to address these medical issues the next day. (Id. ¶¶ 70-73.) During the surgery, doctors closed Plaintiffs jaw fractures with a metal plate and screws, removed one of Plaintiffs teeth, and wired his jaw shut. (Id. ¶ 73.) Plaintiff remained at Lincoln Hospital for three days. (Id. ¶ 74.) Then, on or about May 29, 2011, DOC officers transported him to the North Infirmary Command on Rikers Island, (id. ¶ 75; see also Answer ¶ 75), where he remained for at least another month, (Compl. ¶ 79).

B. The Surveillance Video Footage

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Bluebook (online)
293 F.R.D. 601, 2013 WL 4744806, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 126359, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/taylor-v-city-of-new-york-nysd-2013.