Thomas v. City of New York

293 F.R.D. 498, 85 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 1251, 2013 WL 2420815, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 78510
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedJune 4, 2013
DocketNo. 09 Civ. 3162 (ALC)
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 293 F.R.D. 498 (Thomas 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
Thomas v. City of New York, 293 F.R.D. 498, 85 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 1251, 2013 WL 2420815, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 78510 (S.D.N.Y. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

ANDREW L. CARTER, JR., District Judge.

Defendants Sergeant Stephen Kelly and Officers Michael MeAuliffe and Thomas Dekoker (collectively, “Defendants”) move to vacate a jury verdict and judgment in favor of Plaintiff Sean Thomas (“Thomas” or “Plaintiff’). Additionally, they seek dismissal with prejudice of Thomas’s complaint or, in the alternative, a new trial. For the reasons discussed below, Defendants’ motion to vacate is granted and the matter will be set for a new trial.

BACKGROUND

Thomas brought this action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging false arrest and excessive use of force against several police officers for events occurring on the night of December 20, 2008. This case could not be resolved through motion practice so a jury was impaneled, a trial held and a verdict rendered. Defendants, however, question whether this verdict can stand in light of a contract between Thomas and a key plaintiff witness, Letitia Marrow (“Marrow”) entered during the pendency of the trial.

Although the relevant facts of Thomas’s claim are set forth elsewhere, (see, e.g., Dkt. No. 72, 131), a brief recitation of facts is necessary for resolution of this motion. On December 20, 2008, Thomas and Marrow, Thomas’s then-girlfriend, were arguing in her Bronx apartment. Thomas was also living in the apartment although his name was not on the lease. The argument was loud enough that their downstairs neighbor heard and called 911 to report a “domestic violence dispute” in Marrow’s apartment. The night ended with Thomas handcuffed, wrapped in a restraint blanket, strapped to a stretcher, and transported in an ambulance to receive a psychiatric evaluation at St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was involuntarily sedated.

Thomas alleged that these actions amount to use of excessive force against all Defendants and false arrest against Sergeant Kelly for authorizing Thomas’s psychiatric detention. Defendants justify their actions as consistent with the procedure for detaining Thomas as an emotionally disturbed person who posed a danger to himself and others pursuant to N.Y. Mental Hygiene Law § 9.41.1 Thomas contends that the officers overreacted to a routine domestic violence dispute.

The jury trial commenced on June 25, 2012. On July 3, Marrow testified as a witness for Thomas, testifying consistent with his version of events. On July 9, 2012, the jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff, finding Kelly liable for false arrest and awarding plaintiff $125,000 in compensatory damages, and finding Kelly, Dekoker, and MeAuliffe liable for using excessive force and awarding plaintiff no compensatory damages and $1 in nominal damages. The jury awarded a total of $500,000 in punitive damages against all three of these defendants. The jury found in favor of all other defendants. On July 11, 2012, the Court entered judgment, affirming the jury verdict for Thomas in the amount of $625,001. By Opinion and Order dated October 23, 2012 (“JMOL Order”), this Court [501]*501denied Defendants’ motion for judgment as a matter of law and a new trial but reduced the punitive damages award to $325,000.

With that, the Court was satisfied that its work was done. But the ink on that Order was barely dry when on November 19, 2012, by letter from Plaintiffs counsel, the Court learned that Thomas had entered an agreement with Marrow (“Agreement”) while trial was already under way. Dkt. No. 138, Declaration of Raju Sundaran (“Sundaran Deck”), Ex. A (Letter), B (Agreement). The Agreement was dated June 24, 2012 and signed and notarized on June 30, 2012, three days before Marrow testified at trial.

The Agreement unmistakably identified Thomas’s civil action against the City of New York and, among other things, promised Marrow 20% of any recovery Thomas received and made her liable for 10% of legal fees if his case was unsuccessful and the Defendants sought costs. In addition, Plaintiffs counsel, David Zelman and Ryan Asher, were indicated as being “ee’d” on the Agreement but they deny any knowledge of the content of the Agreement until the time they revealed it to the Court. See Agreement, Sundaran Deck Ex. B.

The letter further memorialized that at some point after the verdict was rendered, Thomas borrowed money from a lending company but refused to give any of the proceeds to Marrow. On July 31, 2012, acting on her purported rights under the Agreement, Marrow filed a summons with endorsed complaint against Thomas2 in the Civil Court of the City of the New York, Bronx County for “breach of contract or warranty for $25,000.00, with interest from 7/16/2012” and for other claims under index number CV-014284-12/BX. (“Bronx Civil Compl.”), Sundaran Deck Ex. C.

The Thomas-Marrow Agreement 3

As is relevant here, the Agreement provides:

I Mr. Sean Thomas ... hereby agree to the following stipulations regarding myself and Ms. Letitia Marrow for her pain and suffering regarding Civil Suit Case # 09 C 3162(CM)(HBP), (Claim # BLA 2009 PI001925) between myself against The City of New York.
As per an incident to which Ms. Marrow witnessed and is experiencing pain and suffering from on December 20, 2008 she has agreed to assist me in this matter in exchange for monetary compensation in the amount of 20% of the Net Worth of the Settlement Agreement to which I may be awarded of which she expects to receive (5) days after I am compensated while remaining on the premises for 60 days thereafter I shall vacate.
In as much, in the event I am awarded nothing as a result of losing this case Ms. Marrow agrees to allow me to respectfully remain at the present address rent free Not Including Food/Utilities expenses for 60 days after the case has been heard. And Ms. Marrow agrees to assist me with paying off motorcycle obligations for 6 months through making direct payment for me in the amount of $50 a month to my creditor. In addition, if I lose this case, and in the event that the City of New York seeks a Legal Suit against Me, Ms. Marrow agrees to assists me with 10% of the Legal Fees associated with this case NOT in combination with bike payments, however, at the same rate due to income restrictions.
In the event I null and void this agreement, Ms. Marrow has the right to move forward to seek Legal Eviction against me to have me removed from the premises immediately. In addition she may also move forward to seek Legal Counsel to move towards a Civil Suit against me to secure her any monies owed to her which will include back rent from 2010 to present.

Agreement, Sundaran Deck Ex. B.

Marrow Testimony

At trial, Marrow testified as an eyewitness to the events preceding the arrival of the [502]*502police through the Thomas’s physical detainment. On cross-examination, defense counsel asked Marrow as Thomas’s then-girlfriend about her bias in the ease:

Q. Plaintiff is your boyfriend, right?
A. Yes.
Q. So, in other words, you’re here to help your boyfriend, right?
A. Yes.
Q. And in fact you have an interest in this lawsuit, correct?
A.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
293 F.R.D. 498, 85 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 1251, 2013 WL 2420815, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 78510, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/thomas-v-city-of-new-york-nysd-2013.