Van Orden v. Borough of Woodstown

181 F. Supp. 3d 237, 2015 WL 8513255, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 166399
CourtDistrict Court, D. New Jersey
DecidedDecember 11, 2015
DocketCivil No. 13-5002 (JBS/AMD)
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 181 F. Supp. 3d 237 (Van Orden v. Borough of Woodstown) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. New Jersey primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Van Orden v. Borough of Woodstown, 181 F. Supp. 3d 237, 2015 WL 8513255, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 166399 (D.N.J. 2015).

Opinion

OPINION

SIMANDLE, Chief Judge

I. INTRODUCTION

Plaintiff Kathryn M. Van Orden filed this 42 U.S.C. § 1983 action against various municipality, county, and state officials after her daughter, Celena J. Sylvestri, drowned in her car on a flooded road in Salem County, New Jersey, after officials opened the floodgates of the Veterans Memorial Lake Dam in anticipation of the arrival of Hurricane Irene without closing the affected road.

The state defendants asserted sovereign immunity under the Eleventh Amendment and have already been dismissed from this case. [Docket Item 32.] In an earlier Opinion, the Court also considered the claims against Borough of Woodstown, the Woodstown Police Department, and Piles-grove Township, and dismissed the state tort actions against them, leaving only the § 1983 claim for state-created danger. [Docket Item 44.]

Now pending before the Court are two motions to dismiss and for summary judgment filed by the remaining Defendants in this case, Salem County and the Salem County Sheriff (“the Salem County Defendants”). In addition to seeking summary judgment on the § 1983 claim and state tort claims, Defendants argue that they are entitled to sovereign immunity under the Eleventh Amendment.

For the reasons set forth below, the Court finds that state sovereign immunity does not apply to the Salem County Defendants, and will deny summary judgment on the § 1983 claim for state-created danger because discovery is not yet complete. Because Plaintiff does not oppose dismissal of the state law claims, and because Plaintiff failed to comply with the notice requirements of the New Jersey Tort Claims Act, the Court will dismiss those claims.

II. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND1

A. Factual Background2

The Veterans Memorial Lake Dam is located in the Borough of Woodstown in [240]*240Salem County, New Jersey, and is owned by the Borough of Woodstown. On Saturday, August 27, 2011, on the eve of- Hurricane Irene, the floodgates to the Veterans Memorial Lake Dam (“the Dam”) were fully opened in order to take pressure off the dam. (Statement of Material Facts (“SMF”) [Docket Item 73] ¶ 19; Pompper Cert, [Docket Item 72-1] ¶ 22.) As a result, Salem River water levels rose and flooded a section of Route 40 in Salem County. (SMF ¶ 4.)

At the time, a statewide emergency was in place due to the impending hurricane. The emergency order, which was issued under Executive Order No. 73, authorized the State Director of Emergency Management, “through the police agencies under his control, to determine the control and direction of the flow of vehicular traffic on any State or interstate highway ... including the right to detour, reroute, or divert any or all traffic .... ” See N.J. Exec. Ord. No. 73 (Aug. 25, 2011), ¶ 2.

Due to the flooding, at around 9:43 p.m., the Woodstown Barracks of the New Jersey State Police told Salem County that they would close the affected section of Route 40. (SMF ¶ 29, Pompper Cert. ¶ 27.) Shortly thereafter, at around 10:00 p.m., Salem County issued a county-wide travel ban. (SMF ¶ 23; Pompper Cert. ¶ 25.)

Later that same evening, Celena Sylves-tri left her apartment in her car. (SMF ¶ 26.) She had been speaking with a friend, Mario Oliveto, earlier that evening, and Oliveto had spoken about the state of [241]*241emergency and told Sylvestri to stay put in her apartment and not leave. (Oliveto Dep. [Docket Item 77] 28:18-29:6.) Sylvestri left home between approximately 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. and drove onto Route 40.

In an emergency, New Jersey law authorizes the Governor “[t]o assume control of all emergency management operations.” N.J.S.A.' App. A:9:51(a)(l). In addition to authorizing state police to control and direct the flow of traffic, Executive Order No. 73 authorized the State Director of Emergency Management to activate the State Emergency Operations Plan, to “direct the activation of county and municipal emergency operations plans as necessary,” and to “coordinate the preparation, response and recovery efforts from this emergency with all governmental agencies ....”Id,1il.

Pompper certified that the South Regional Unit of the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (“New Jersey OEM”) “has jurisdiction over Salem County” and Salem County’s Office of Emergency , Management (“Salem County OEM”). (Pompper Cert. ¶ 11-12.)3

The • Veterans Memorial Lake Dam’s Emergency Action Plan was in place at the time of the tragic incident. The Dam’s Emergency Action Plan delineated different roles and responsibilities for the municipal, county, and state offices of emergency management (“OEMs”):

Municipal OEM Responsibilities:
1. Warn the public of emergency conditions at the dam.
2. Implement and direct required evacuations of threatened areas.
[[Image here]]

County OEM Responsibilities:

1. Pass warning of emergency conditions at the dam to all affected municipalities.
2. Provide assistance to municipalities to help fulfill the emergency responsibilities.

NJ-OEM Responsibilities:

1. Assumption of control and coordination (when appropriate) of all emergency actions in accordance with Public Law.
2. Provision of assistance to the affected municipalities and counties (when requested and beyond their capabilities).
3. Coordination of specialized assistance.
[[Image here]]

[242]*242(Dam Emergency Action Plan, App’x B to PI. Resp. to Second Mot. for Summ. J. [Docket Item 101-1], at 10-11.) Jeffrey Pompper was the Emergency Management Coordinator for Salem County (“Salem County EMC”), and Harry Vanaman was the Emergency Management Coordinator for Woodstown (“Woodstown EMC”). Woodstown and Salem County had a joint responsibility to operate the Dam, and under the Emergency Action Plan, Salem County was required to help Woodstown make decisions. (Vanaman Dep., App’x A to PI. Resp. to Second Mot. for Summ. J. [Docket Item 101-1], at 96:22-97:21; 122:19-23; Pfeffer Dep., id. App’x C [Docket Item 101-1], at 66:21-67:7.) Vanaman testified that he specifically relied on Pompper to fulfill Salem County’s responsibility to help operate the Dam. (Id. at 98:21-99:5.)

Pompper stated in a certification that Vanaman opened the dam’s floodgates and notified him of the opening, but Vanaman testified that the decision to fully open the floodgates of the Dam on August 27th was made jointly by Vanaman, Pompper, and the Woodstown Mayor. (Id. 239:12-22.) At some point that same day, Vanaman learned that the Dam became overtopped and water was going over Mill Street Road, triggering a dam emergency condition. (Id. at 214:9-215:21; 217:12-17.) Vana-man testified that pursuant to the Emergency Action Plan, they blocked off the affected area of Mill Street and notified the New Jersey State Police of the Dam’s conditions.

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181 F. Supp. 3d 237, 2015 WL 8513255, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 166399, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/van-orden-v-borough-of-woodstown-njd-2015.