Treadwell v. Salgado

CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedJuly 23, 2021
Docket1:19-cv-03179
StatusUnknown

This text of Treadwell v. Salgado (Treadwell v. Salgado) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Treadwell v. Salgado, (N.D. Ill. 2021).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS EASTERN DIVISION

) MARK TREADWELL, )

) Plaintiff, )

) No. 19 C 3179 v. )

) Judge Virginia M. Kendall CHICAGO POLICE OFFICERS DAVID ) SALGADO (#16347), XAVIER ELIZONDO (#1340), and the CITY OF ) CHICAGO, Illinois, ) ) Defendants. )

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER Plaintiff Mark Treadwell brings this case against Chicago Police Officers David Salgado, Xavier Elizondo, and the City of Chicago alleging that Defendants Salgado and Elizondo fabricated inculpatory evidence to obtain a search warrant and to press charges against Plaintiff. Treadwell claims that because of the Defendants’ misconduct, he was wrongfully incarcerated for four months in Cook County Jail and detained on 24-hour home monitoring for nearly three months. Defendants were subsequently indicted in federal court for similar misconduct and the charges against Treadwell were dropped. In his Amended Complaint, Treadwell now brings claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for illegal search, illegal seizure, deprivation of liberty without probable cause, violations of Due Process, failure to intervene, federal conspiracy, supervisory liability, and state law claims for malicious prosecution, intentional infliction of emotional distress (“IIED”), conspiracy, respondeat superior, and indemnification. Both the Individual Defendants and the City have moved to partially dismiss. The Individual Defendants argue that the Plaintiff’s § 1983 claim for Due Process Violations is improperly pled under the Fourteenth Amendment and that Plaintiff’s IIED claim is untimely. The City moves to dismiss on the basis that Plaintiff’s Monell claims are untimely and do not relate back to his original Complaint and because he has failed to properly plead an injury under Monell. For the following reasons, both the Individual Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss [Dkt. 112] and the City’s Motion to Dismiss [Dkt. 120] are denied.

BACKGROUND

On a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6), the Court accepts the complaint’s well- pleaded factual allegations, with all reasonable inferences drawn in the non-moving party’s favor, but not its legal conclusions. See Smoke Shop, LLC v. United States, 761 F.3d 779, 785 (7th Cir. 2014). The following factual allegations are taken from Treadwell’s Amended Complaint (Dkt. 99) and are assumed true for purposes of this motion. W. Bend Mut. Ins. Co. v. Schumacher, 844 F.3d 670, 675 (7th Cir. 2016). On October 21, 2017, Defendant Officers David Salgado and Sergeant Xavier Elizondo executed a search warrant at 1645 S. Harding Avenue in Chicago. (Dkt. 99 ¶ 10). The warrant authorized search of that residence and of Plaintiff Mark Treadwell. (Id.). Salgado obtained that search warrant from a Cook County Circuit Court judge earlier that day based on a sworn complaint he provided to the court that contained fabricated information for the purpose of establishing probable cause to obtain the warrant. (Id. ¶ 11). Defendant Salgado submitted the search warrant complaint containing false information to the Cook County State’s Attorney and obtained approval. (Id. ¶ 12). Salgado’s sworn affidavit falsely stated that earlier on October 21, 2017 informant “J. Doe” knocked on the front door of the Harding residence, was let inside by Treadwell, and then purchased cannabis from Treadwell inside the residence, which was a complete fabrication. (Id. ¶¶ 13–14). As a result of these fabrications, the Cook County judge signed the search warrant to search Treadwell and the Harding residence. (Id. ¶ 15). The residence at 1645 S. Harding Avenue was owned by Plaintiff Treadwell’s father, although there were numerous individuals who possessed keys to the property allowing them access to the residence. (Id. ¶¶ 16–17). On the evening of October 21, 2017, Plaintiff was at the Harding residence when

Defendants Officers approached the house and detained him. (Id. ¶ 18). Using the fabricated search warrant, Defendant Officers and others then gained entrance to the property and searched the residence. (Id. ¶ 19). Sergeant Elizondo knew that the warrant was falsely obtained, but nonetheless supervised and participated in the resulting search. (Id. ¶ 19). Defendant Salgado allegedly discovered and seized firearms and narcotics from the residence during the unlawful search that did not belong to Plaintiff. ((Id. ¶ 22). After searching the residence pursuant to the unlawful warrant, Defendants Salgado and Elizondo arrested Plaintiff and he was transported to the Chicago Police Department’s 10th District for further processing. (Id. ¶ 23). Together, Defendants Salgado and Elizondo agreed and conspired to bring false allegations and charges against Plaintiff Treadwell. (Id. ¶ 24). In

furtherance of this conspiracy, Defendant Salgado created official police reports which included false and fabricated inculpatory statements attributed to Treadwell. (Id. ¶ 25). These fabricated statements included the false assertion that Treadwell sold drugs “because I have to make money to eat.” (Id. ¶ 26). Defendant Elizondo ratified and served as the approving supervisor for some of these false reports. (Id. ¶ 27). As a result of Treadwell’s arrest, he was charged with numerous serious firearms and controlled substance offenses and incarcerated. (Id. ¶ 28). The Defendants did not advise the State’s Attorney that the evidence against Plaintiff was fabricated. (Id. ¶ 29). The State’s Attorney subsequently obtained an indictment against Treadwell for serious felony offenses for possessing firearms and controlled substances, including six Class X violations, based on the false and fabricated evidence, although none of these items belonged to Treadwell. (Id. ¶¶ 30-31). Treadwell was forced to defend himself against these false charges and to hire counsel to defend him. (Id. ¶ 32). Treadwell was unable to make bond and remained incarcerated at Cook County

Jail. (Id. ¶ 33) In January 2018, Defendants Elizondo and Salgado were relieved of their police powers and removed from street duties by the Chicago Police Department because of allegations that they engaged in similar crimes and other official misconduct while on duty. (Id. ¶ 35). Plaintiff was incarcerated until February 20, 2018, when he was released on Cook County Sheriff’s electronic home monitoring, where he was subject to 24-hour home incarceration and could not leave his residence without prior authorization. (Id. ¶ 36). On May 10, 2018, Defendants Elizondo and Salgado were arrested and charged via federal indictment in the Northern District of Illinois. (Id. ¶ 38). The superseding indictment charged conspiracy to commit theft, embezzlement, obstruction of justice, false statements to law enforcement, and conspiracy to deprive residents of Chicago of

the right to be free from unreasonable search pursuant to a warrant knowingly obtained though false and fabricated information. (Id.). The indictment specifically alleges that Defendants Elizondo and Salgado submitted materially false search warrant applications and induced informants to provide false information to Cook County judges to fraudulently obtain search warrants so as to seize and steal items from the properties they raided pursuant to these bogus warrants. (Id. ¶ 39). Elizondo and Salgado were subsequently convicted, and on May 14, 2018, all state charges against Plaintiff were dismissed and the case was terminated in Treadwell’s favor. (Id. ¶¶ 40–41). Plaintiff further alleges the City has routinely failed to investigate cases in which Chicago Police Officers fabricated evidence and arrested an individual without probable cause, amounting to approbation of this behavior and the code of silence that protects these officers.

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Treadwell v. Salgado, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/treadwell-v-salgado-ilnd-2021.