Taylor v. Miller

853 F. Supp. 305, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6661, 1994 WL 200060
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Wisconsin
DecidedMay 9, 1994
Docket93-C-0524-C
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 853 F. Supp. 305 (Taylor v. Miller) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Taylor v. Miller, 853 F. Supp. 305, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6661, 1994 WL 200060 (W.D. Wis. 1994).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

CRABB, Chief Judge.

This is a civil action for injunctive and monetary relief. Plaintiff contends that defendant, a probation officer, disclosed portions of his criminal case history file to plaintiffs girlfriend and her mother in violation of plaintiffs constitutional right to privacy.

Now before the court is defendant’s motion for summary judgment. Defendant contends that no genuine issue for trial exists because plaintiff cannot have a constitutionally protected privacy interest in his criminal case history since it is a matter of public record. I agree with defendant and will grant defendant’s motion for summary judgment.

To prevail on a motion for summary judgment, the moving party must show that there is no genuine issue of material fact aiid that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c); Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2552, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986); Indiana Grocery, Inc. v. Super Valu Stores, Inc., 864 F.2d 1409, 1412 (7th Cir.1989). When the moving party succeeds in showing the absence of a genuine issue as to any material fact, the opposing party must set forth specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial. Fed.R.CivJP. 56(e); Matsushita Electric Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 1355-56, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986); Bank Leumi Le-Israel, B.M. v. Lee, 928 F.2d 232, 236 (7th Cir.1991). The opposing party cannot rest on the pleadings alone, but must designate specific facts in affidavits, depositions, answers to interrogatories or admissions that establish the existence of a genuine issue for trial. Celotex, 477 U.S. at 324, 106' S.Ct. at *306 2553. Also, if a .party fails to make a showing sufficient to establish the existence of an essential element on which that party will bear the burden of proof at trial, summary judgment for the opposing party is proper. Celotex, 477 U.S. at 322, 106 S.Ct. at 2552.

For the purpose only of deciding the motion for summary judgment, I find from the parties’ proposed findings of fact and the record that the following material facts are undisputed.

UNDISPUTED FACTS

At all times relevant to this matter, plaintiff Frankie L. Taylor was an incarcerated probationer sentenced to the custody of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. Defendant Laura J. Miller was assigned as plaintiffs probation officer. On or about December 29, 1992, defendant received a telephone call from Deputy Jegerlehner of the Rock County Sheriffs Department informing her that plaintiff had assaulted his girlfriend, Refugia Slone. As part of defendant’s effort to revoke plaintiffs probation, defendant went to Ms. Slone’s residence on January 20, 1993 to interview her and request that she testify at plaintiffs probation revocation hearing. Ms. Slone’s mother was present at this interview. During this interview, defendant asked Ms. Slone whether she was aware of plaintiffs past criminal history. Ms. Slone indicated that she was not. Defendant told Ms. Slone about all the violations for which plaintiff had been arrested in the past and the felony convictions for which he had served prison time. Defendant also showed Ms. Slone a copy of documentation she had received from the Rock County Clerk of Court’s office showing plaintiffs past violations and convictions. All of the information plaintiff disclosed to Ms. Slone regarding plaintiffs criminal history is a part of the public record.

OPINION

The question presented by this case is whether defendant’s disclosure of plaintiffs criminal history constituted an unwarranted invasion of his right to privacy under the Constitution. The constitutional right to privacy extends to the individual’s interest in avoiding disclosure of personal matters. Whalen v. Roe, 429 U.S. 589, 599, 97 S.Ct. 869, 876, 51 L.Ed.2d 64 (1977). A two-pronged test is used to determine whether a person has a constitutionally protected privacy interest in avoiding disclosure of personal matters. First, the court must decide whether the person has a reasonable expectation of privacy in that information. Kimberlin v. United States Department of Justice, 788 F.2d 434 (7th Cir.1986), cert. denied, 478 U.S. 1009, 106 S.Ct. 3306, 92 L.Ed.2d 719 (1986). If the court determines the person had a reasonable expectation of privacy, the court must balance that privacy interest against the government’s interest .in disclosure. Plante v. Gonzalez, 575 F.2d 1119, 1132-37 (5th Cir.1978), cert. denied, 439 U.S. 1129, 99 S.Ct. 1047, 59 L,Ed.2d 90 (1979). If the government’s interest is deemed greater than the individual’s privacy interest, the intrusion on the individual’s privacy right is constitutional.

In a handful of cases, courts have evaluated an individual’s reasonable expectation of privacy with regard to his or her past criminal activity. In United States Dep’t of Justice v. Reporters Comm. for Freedom of the Press, 489 U.S. 749, 109 S.Ct. 1468, 103 L.Ed.2d 774 (1989), a CBS news correspondent asked the FBI to disclose that portion of a criminal “rap sheet” of an individual which contained matters of the public record. When the FBI refused, the CBS news correspondent sued under the Freedom of Information Act. The United States Supreme Court held that under FOIA, the disclosure would reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy even though the events summarized in the rap sheet had been disclosed previously to the public. The Court reasoned that the common law; and literal understandings of privacy recognize an individual’s privacy interest in the control of information concerning his or her person. Id. at 763, 109 S.Ct. at 1476-77. Furthermore, the Court determined, “the web of federal statutory and regulatory provisions” indicated Congress’s intent to limit the disclosure of rap sheet information and other compiled computerized records regarding private citizens. Id. at *307 764-67, 109 S.Ct. at 1477-79.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
853 F. Supp. 305, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6661, 1994 WL 200060, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/taylor-v-miller-wiwd-1994.