Wingate v. City of Seattle

198 F. Supp. 3d 1221, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 97688, 2016 WL 4000935
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Washington
DecidedJuly 26, 2016
DocketCase No. 15-CV-0822-RAJ
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 198 F. Supp. 3d 1221 (Wingate v. City of Seattle) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wingate v. City of Seattle, 198 F. Supp. 3d 1221, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 97688, 2016 WL 4000935 (W.D. Wash. 2016).

Opinion

ORDER

The Honorable Richard A. Jones, United States District Judge

I. INTRODUCTION1

This is a civil rights action in which Plaintiff William Wingate alleges that then-Seattle police officer Cynthia Whit-latch unlawfully arrested him. Dkt. # 14. Mr. Wingate sued Ms. Whitlatch, in her official and individual capacity, as well as the City of Seattle and the Seattle Police Department (“City Defendants”). The Defendants filed motions for summary judgment for all claims, including any municipal liability. Dkt. ## 82, 88.

For the reasons stated below, the Court GRANTS in part and DENIES in part Ms. Whitlatch’s motion, and GRANTS the City Defendants’ motion.

II. BACKGROUND

On July 9, 2014, then-Seattle Police Officer Cynthia Whitlatch was on patrol when she claimed that William Wingate, a seventy year old African American, swung his golf club at her car, potentially endangering both the officer and the public. Dkt. #84-1 (Whitlatch Deck, Ex. B.). Mr. Win-gate claims, however, that he had been using the golf club as a cane for two decades and was peacefully walking down the street when Ms. Whitlatch suddenly accosted him. Dkt. # 14. Ms. Whitlatch’s in-car video shows her confronting a con[1224]*1224fused Mr. Wingate, who does not appear to be threatening either the officer or the public. Dkt. # 86-1 (Pfeifer Decl., Ex. A.). Ms. Whitlatch stood by her car door as she asked Mr. Wingate to drop the golf club, which she described as a weapon. Id, It appears from the in-car video that Ms, Whitlatch even un-holstered her nightstick as a prophylactic measure. Id. When Mr. Wingate refused to drop the golf club, Ms. Whitlatch called for back-up help, and when those officers arrived, Mr. Wingate was arrested and booked in King County Jail on harassment and obstruction charges. Dkt. #84-1 (Whitlatch Deck, Ex. A.). Mr. Wingate spent the remainder of the day as well as the entire night in jail. Dkt. #14.

On July 10,2014, the prosecutor charged Mr. Wingate with Unlawful Use of a Weapon to Intimidate. Dkt. #83-3 (Trivett Decl., Ex. C.). Mr. Wingate entered into a dispositional continuance agreement with the prosecutor whereby Mr. Wingate agreed to not violate any laws or possess a firearm or any weapon for two years and, if successful, the prosecutor would dismiss the charge. Dkt. # 83-3 (Trivett Decl., Ex. E.).

After Mr. Wingate was charged, Ms. Whitlatch personally contacted the prosecutor to find out the status of the case. Dkt. #99-8 (Sargent Decl., Ex. H.). Ms. Whitlatch asked the prosecutor why the charge of obstruction was dropped, and expressed her wish to see Mr. Wingate charged. Id. Ms. Whitlatch told the prosecutor that Mr. Wingate’s behavior was unacceptable, and that charges were necessary to send a message to Mr. Wingate. Id. The prosecutor responded that there would be problems proving obstruction given the facts of the case, especially considering that Mr. Wingate “was not brandishing [the golf club] or threatening the officer at the time of the obstruction.” Id., see also Dkt. # 98, at p. 5. The prosecutor informed Ms. Whitlatch that Mr. Wingate agreed to the dispositional continuance on the charge of Unlawful Use of a Weapon to Intimidate. Dkt. # 99-8 (Sargent Decl., Ex. H.).

On September 19, 2014, the prosecutor dismissed the charge against Mr. Wingate because he completed the conditions of the agreement. Dkt. 83-3 (Trivett Decl., Ex. F.).

In January 2015, the Office of Professional Accountability (“OPA”) opened an investigation into Ms. Whitlatch’s behavior during the July 9, 2014 encounter with Mr. Wingate. In the investigation, OPA reviewed Ms. Whitlatch’s version of events from the day of the arrest and interviewed her twice regarding the arrest. Dkt. # 98, at p. 7. In her report from July 9, 2014, Ms. Whitlatch wrote that she made eye contact with Mr. Wingate before making a turn in an intersection. Dkt. # 84-1, at p. 33 (Whitlatch Decl., Ex. B.). Ms. Whitlatch wrote that she witnessed Mr. Wingate raise and swing the golf club, and that she heard Mr. Wingate hit a metal stop sign post. Id. As she drove by, Ms. Whitlatch looked through her rear window to witness Mr. Wingate look at Ms. Whitlatch and swing the golf club twice more toward her car. Id.

On April 30, 2015, Ms. Whitlatch explained the events to Sergeant Bair of the Seattle Police Department. Dkt. #99-16 (Sargent Deck, Ex. P.). Ms. Whitlatch stated that she merely witnessed movement, or a blur, out of the corner of her eye and heard a “big clank,” which she assumed was Mr. Wingate hitting a post with his golf club because she witnessed his swinging of the club from her rear window as she drove. Id. On July 16, 2015, Ms. Whit-latch spoke once more with Sergeant Blair. Dkt. # 99-17 (Sargent Deck, Ex. Q.). This time, Ms. Whitlatch explained that, after Mr. Wingate hit the post with his golf club, [1225]*1225he crossed his body with the club and continued to glare at Ms. Whitlatch as she drove away. Id.

On July 20, 2015, OPA sent a memo to Captain Paul McDonagh at the East Precinct regarding its investigation into Ms. Whitlatch’s conduct on July 9, 2014. Dkt. # 109-1 (Decl. Sargent, Ex. E.). The OPA found that Ms. Whitlatch did not comply with police policies and was inappropriately aggressive toward Mr. Wingate. Id. The OPA further concluded that Ms. Whit-latch’s actions were motivated by her racial bias against African Americans. Id. On September 15, 2015, the Chief of Police Kathleen O’Toole terminated Ms. Whit-latch due to her behavior during the July 9, 2014 stop and arrest of Mr. Wingate. Dkt. # 109-1 (Decl. Sargent, Ex. F.). O’Toole noted that “considerable circumstantial evidence indicated] that” Ms. Whitlatch’s inappropriate behavior toward Mr. Wingate was “motivated by bias.” Id.

In April 2015, Mr. Wingate sued the Defendants in the Superior Court of the State of Washington for King County. Dkt. # 1. On May 26, 2015, Ms. Whitlatch removed the matter to federal court. Id. On August 6, 2015, Mr. Wingate filed his Second Amended Complaint for damages against Defendants. Dkt. # 14. Mr. Win-gate alleges violations of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, violations of state laws against false arrest and false imprisonment, racial discrimination under Washington’s Law Against Discrimination, and a state law claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress. Id. Mr. Wingate further alleges that the City Defendants are vicariously liable for Ms. Whitlatch’s actions. Dkt. #95.

III. ANALYSIS

Summary judgment is appropriate if there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). The moving party bears the initial burden of demonstrating the absence of a genuine issue of "material fact. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). Where the moving party will have the burden of proof at trial, it must affirmatively demonstrate that no reasonable trier of fact could find other than for the moving party.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

James v. Asian Family Market
W.D. Washington, 2024
Sims v. City of Seattle
W.D. Washington, 2023
Emmanuel v. King County
W.D. Washington, 2020

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
198 F. Supp. 3d 1221, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 97688, 2016 WL 4000935, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wingate-v-city-of-seattle-wawd-2016.