T.S. v. Gabbard

860 F. Supp. 2d 384, 2012 WL 1623225, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 64823
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Kentucky
DecidedMay 9, 2012
DocketCivil Action No. 10-217-KSF
StatusPublished

This text of 860 F. Supp. 2d 384 (T.S. v. Gabbard) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
T.S. v. Gabbard, 860 F. Supp. 2d 384, 2012 WL 1623225, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 64823 (E.D. Ky. 2012).

Opinion

OPINION & ORDER

KARL S. FORESTER, Senior District Judge.

This matter is before the Court upon the parties’ cross motions for summary judgment [DE ## 27, 34, 67, and 72], These motions are now ripe for review.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

The Plaintiffs, T.S. and T. S., as Next Friends to J.S. and K. S., (“Plaintiffs”), brought this federal civil rights and state tort claims action against two individual guards at the Breathitt Regional Juvenile Detention Center (“BRJDC”), Mitchell Gabbard and Rebecca Harvey, and against Jay Ronald Haws, Commissioner, Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice (“DJJ”), and Hasan Davis, Deputy Commissioner of Operations, DJJ. [DE #3]. The four defendants were named individually and in their official capacity.

Plaintiffs’ original complaint alleged that on June 2, 2009, they attended a middle school graduation party at a private home, where certain juveniles consumed alcoholic beverages. City of Hazard law enforcement officers gave breathalyzer tests at the home, after which Plaintiffs were arrested and taken to a local hospital for blood alcohol tests [DE # 1-1]. They were subsequently charged with underage drinking. A Perry County District Judge ordered that Plaintiffs be detained at BRJDC. BRJDC is a secure juvenile detention facility that houses both adjudicated juvenile offenders, as well as juveniles detained on alleged public or status offenses that have not been adjudicated through the Kentucky juvenile court system.

Upon arrival at BRJDC, Plaintiffs underwent the intake-processing as required by DJJ and BRJDC policies. The intake procedure as described by the policies entails an orientation of the juvenile detainee into the facility, completion of a personal history questionnaire, a pat-down frisk, and being photographed/fingerprinted. Additionally, the BRJDC intake procedure calls for a “Body ID/Showering Process,” which is the crux of the Plaintiffs’ claims in this action. See BRJDC Policy JD 23.2 [DE # 27-4].

The Body ID process requires the juvenile being admitted into the facility to remove all clothing in the presence of a BRJDC employee. The process is conducted in a private observation room with [387]*387an adjoining shower. The BRJDC employee visually observes the juvenile’s nude body for signs of abuse, illness/infection, physical injury, deformities, scars, tattoos, or other such markings, and these observations are documented in a “Body ID Form.” Any physical problems or abnormalities are referred to the medical staff for review. Following the Body ID process, the juvenile is treated with lice shampoo and required to shower [DE # 27-4].

The Body ID process for J. S., a fifteen year old male, was conducted by Defendant Gabbard, and the process involving K.S., a fourteen year old female, was conducted by Defendant Harvey. The Body ID Forms set out the results of the Defendants’ visual' inspections. [DE # 34-2 and 34-3].

The Plaintiffs alleged that the Body ID process violates their civil and Constitutional rights by subjecting them to arbitrary action, unreasonable search, deprivation of liberty, and deliberate indifference to their civil rights. They also alleged that the Defendants are liable to them under state law for damages caused by false imprisonment, invasion of privacy, assault, negligence, and recklessness — including damages for emotional distress caused thereby. Finally, the Plaintiffs alleged, upon information and belief, that “Defendants Haws and Davis have repeatedly failed to adequately train their employees and/or properly investigate and discipline their employees.... ” [DE # 1-2, at ¶ 22]. Based on the foregoing allegations, the Plaintiffs’ Complaint asserted violations of United States Constitutional Amendments IV and XIV as well as claims based on negligence, invasion of privacy, assault, false imprisonment and arbitrary action under Sections 2 and 3 of the Kentucky Constitution, grossly negligent infliction of emotional distress, intentional infliction of emotional' distress, and deliberate indifference to their constitutional rights.

By Opinion and Order of August 27, 2010, 2010 WL 3472101, Defendants Haws and Davis were dismissed as defendants to this action [DE # 12]. Then, by Opinion and Order of October 6, 2010, 2010 WL 3941868, the Court granted the Defendants’ motion to dismiss the official capacity claims, the claims for money damages for violations of the Kentucky Constitution, and the claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress [DE # 18]. Thus, the Plaintiffs’ remaining claims include federal Constitutional claims pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and state common, statutory and constitutional law violations pursuant to this Court’s supplemental jurisdiction.

Both the Plaintiffs and the Defendants have filed motions for summary judgment. The Plaintiffs contend that there is no genuine issue of material fact as to the constitutional nature of the body searches performed on the Plaintiffs by the Defendants [DE # 34]. On the other hand, the Defendants contend that they are entitled to qualified immunity on the Plaintiffs’ claims because their actions, in executing the BRJDC Body ID process, did not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable officer would be aware. Secondly, the Defendants claim that there is no genuine issue of fact with respect to the Plaintiffs’ state law tort claims.

Upon review of the parties’ motions, the Court entered its Order of December 8, 2011 informing the parties that based on preliminary research, the Court believes the policy at issue is unconstitutional and the individual defendants are not entitled to qualified immunity. The Court allowed Plaintiffs’ additional time to file an Amended Complaint to name additional defendants [DE # 46]. On December 19, 2011, Plaintiffs filed their Second Amended [388]*388Complaint. In addition to the claims and defendants contained in their original complaint, the Second Amended Complaint asserts claims against J. Ronald Haws, Commissioner of Kentucky DJJ, A. Hassan Davis, Deputy Commissioner of Operations of Kentucky DJJ, Gary Sewell, Regional Facility Director of BRJDC, Gary Drake, Superintendent for BRJDC, and Jeff Voyles, Assistant Superintendent of BRJDC. Plaintiffs’ claims against Voyles, Drake, Sewell, Davis and Haws are premised on supervisor liability, and include official capacity claims for declaratory relief. Additional limited discovery was allowed, and the parties have supplemented their motions for summary judgment [DE ## 67, 72],

II. SUMMARY JUDGMENT STANDARD

Rule 56(a) entitles a moving party to summary judgment if that party “shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Rule 56(c)(1) further instructs that “[a] party asserting that a fact cannot be or is genuinely disputed must support the assertion” by citing to the record or “showing that the materials cited do not establish the absence or presence of a genuine dispute, or that an adverse party cannot produce admissible evidence to support the fact.” In deciding a motion for summary judgment, the court must view the evidence and draw all reasonable inferences in favor of the nonmoving party. Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574

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Bluebook (online)
860 F. Supp. 2d 384, 2012 WL 1623225, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 64823, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ts-v-gabbard-kyed-2012.