Toth v. Ohio Department of Youth Services

754 N.E.2d 305, 113 Ohio Misc. 2d 1, 113 Misc. 2d 1, 2001 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 11
CourtOhio Court of Claims
DecidedApril 11, 2001
DocketNo. 99-09480
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 754 N.E.2d 305 (Toth v. Ohio Department of Youth Services) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Toth v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, 754 N.E.2d 305, 113 Ohio Misc. 2d 1, 113 Misc. 2d 1, 2001 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 11 (Ohio Super. Ct. 2001).

Opinion

Russell Leach, Judge.

Plaintiffs brought this action alleging claims of invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, violation of right of privacy, sexual harassment, retaliation, negligent retention and supervision, punitive damages, and loss of consortium. On June 7, 1999, plaintiffs’ claim for punitive damages was stricken. This case was tried to the court on the sole issue of defendant’s liability.

In August 1998, plaintiff1 was employed as a corrections officer at the Scioto Juvenile Correctional Center (“SJCC”). On August 12, 1998, plaintiff completed an accident report regarding injuries he sustained while breaking up a fight between two juveniles. The next day, plaintiff noticed bruises on his shoulder, arm, and inner thigh and requested that the bruises be photographed to document his injuries.

Plaintiff received permission from Deputy Superintendent Hutchinson to have photographs taken by William Stump, a duty officer at SJCC. Plaintiff and Stump went to the restroom where plaintiff removed all of his clothing except his boxer shorts. Stump took three photographs of plaintiffs injuries. The photographs [6]*6were later submitted to defendant’s personnel office along with plaintiffs accident report.

Dawna Chapman was a personnel officer at SJCC whose duties included processing injury claims. While Chapman was reviewing plaintiffs accident report, she became concerned about one of the photographs. Apparently, the photograph of plaintiffs bruised inner thigh also displayed a portion of his penis. Chapman called William Griffith, the security administrator at SJCC, to examine the photograph. Although Griffith was not plaintiffs supervisor, he took the photograph from the accident report. Chapman subsequently processed the report with the remaining two photographs.

On August 24, 1998, Griffith approached plaintiff at work and told him that he had “saved his ass” because plaintiff “could have been busted for pornography” since plaintiffs “dick was hanging out” in one of the photographs. When plaintiff expressed disbelief, Griffith told plaintiff to accompany him to ask Stump. All three of them then went to Griffith’s office where Stump confirmed that he had seen the photograph and that it depicted a portion of plaintiffs penis. Plaintiff asked to see the photograph, and Griffith stated that it was being retained for safekeeping. Plaintiff left Griffith’s office believing that the whole incident was some sort of prank.

On August 30, 1998, plaintiff sustained another injury at work. The next day, he took his paperwork to Chapman in the personnel office, and she began to laugh. When plaintiff asked why she was laughing, Chapman stated that she had seen the photograph with his “thing hanging out.” Plaintiff then asked Jerry Green, defendant’s payroll officer, whether he had seen the photograph and Green confirmed that he had seen it when it was initially brought into the personnel office.

On September 21, 1998, plaintiff spoke to his union president and the superintendent of SJCC. He also filed a written grievance regarding the incident. The grievance was forwarded to defendant’s equal employment opportunity (“EEO”) office. Plaintiff transferred to the Department of Youth Services in Circleville, Ohio, in February 1999. On July 8, 1999, Marcy Sutherland, superintendent of SJCC, recommended a three- to five-day suspension for Griffith. On August 2, 1999, defendant’s central office approved a written reprimand.

Plaintiff alleges that he was continually harassed by Griffith and other employees who had either seen or heard about the photograph. Plaintiff further alleges that after he reported Griffith’s actions regarding the photograph, defendant failed to separate Griffith from him. After plaintiff filed his grievance, Griffith made two comments to plaintiff. On one occasion, when plaintiff walked by, Griffith said, “Hey buddy, aren’t we friends anymore?” Another time, when plaintiff was walking past Griffith with his lunch, Griffith said, “Hey, buddy, you got enough food?”

[7]*7As a preliminary matter, defendant asserts that the doctrine of res judicata bars plaintiffs’ claims because plaintiff was subject to a binding grievance procedure as required under his union’s collective bargaining agreement. After a review of the evidence in this case, the court finds that plaintiffs’ claims are not precluded by the collective bargaining agreement, since the claims are independent of R.C. Chapter 4117. See Myers v. Riley (1994), 98 Ohio App.3d 133, 648 N.E.2d 16; Franklin Cty. Law Enforcement Assn. v. Fraternal Order of Police, Capital City Lodge No. 9 (1991), 59 Ohio St.3d 167, 572 N.E.2d 87. Therefore, the court makes the following determination.

I. Invasion of Privacy

In order for a plaintiff to state a claim under the “publicity” tort of invasion of privacy (1) there must be publicity, i.e., the disclosure must be of a public nature, not private; (2) the facts disclosed must be concerning the private life of an individual, not his public life; (3) the matter publicized must be one that would be highly offensive and objectionable to a reasonable person of ordinary sensibilities; (4) the publication must have been made intentionally, not negligently; and (5) the matter publicized must not be a legitimate concern to the public. Killilea v. Sears, Roebuck & Co. (1985), 27 Ohio App.3d 163, 166-167, 27 OBR 196, 199-200, 499 N.E.2d 1291, 1294-1295. In this case, Chapman showed the photograph to Griffith because she was concerned about its content. Although Griffith was not Chapman’s supervisor, he was a security officer and the court finds that it was not unreasonable for Chapman to seek guidance from Griffith regarding the matter. Griffith, however, took it upon himself to show the photograph to Stump and Green, who were not in his chain of command. While Griffith’s actions were inappropriate, the court cannot find that Griffith’s actions resulted in publicity.

“ ‘Publicity" means communicating the matter to the public at large, or to so many persons that the matter must be regarded as substantially certain to become one of public knowledge as opposed to ‘publication’ as that term of art is used in connection with liability for defamation as meaning any communication by the defendant to a third person.” Killilea, 27 Ohio App.3d at 166, 27 OBR at 199, 499 N.E.2d at 1294.

While Griffith’s actions of showing the photograph to Stump and Green started the spread of information regarding the photograph to other employees at SJCC, the court cannot conclude that Griffith’s actions alone constitute publicity. Therefore, plaintiffs’ claim for invasion of privacy must fail.2

[8]*8II. Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
754 N.E.2d 305, 113 Ohio Misc. 2d 1, 113 Misc. 2d 1, 2001 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 11, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/toth-v-ohio-department-of-youth-services-ohioctcl-2001.