Wright ex rel. Estate of Wright v. United States

162 F. Supp. 3d 118, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17126, 2016 WL 589868
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedFebruary 11, 2016
DocketNo. 13-CV-1379 (JFB)(SIL)
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 162 F. Supp. 3d 118 (Wright ex rel. Estate of Wright v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wright ex rel. Estate of Wright v. United States, 162 F. Supp. 3d 118, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17126, 2016 WL 589868 (E.D.N.Y. 2016).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

JOSEPH F. BIANCO, District Judge

On March 15, 2013, plaintiff decedent James Wright (“decedent” or “Wright”) filed this action, raising claims based in negligence against the United States of America under 28 U.S.C. § 1346(b). Specifically, the complaint alleged that the United States is liable under the Federal Tort Claims Act for injury arising from an ankle bracelet that was negligently placed and maintained on Wright’s right leg and/or ankle from April to October 2010. After plaintiffs death, the Court permitted the substitution of Alexis Wright, as the [121]*121administrator of the estate of James A. Wright, as the plaintiff. Plaintiff asserts that the negligent placement and maintenance of the ankle bracelet on the right ankle, notwithstanding Wright’s extensive medical history (including insulin dependent diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, and a prior partial amputation of the left foot) and alleged complaints about irritation caused by the bracelet, resulted in “months of hospitalization, debridement surgeries to remove tissue, ligaments and bone, skin grafting, intravenous antibiotics and eventually a below the knee amputation.” (PL’s Opp’n, at 1-2.)

Defendant United States of America (“defendant” or “the Government”) now moves to dismiss for a lack of subject matter jurisdiction pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and for summary judgment, pursuant to Rule 56(c) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Plaintiff also moves for summary judgment under Rule 56(c) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. For the reasons stated below, both motions are denied.

In particular, defendant argues that absolute immunity exists for any alleged negligence in the placement and maintenance of an ankle bracelet on a probationer because the probation officer was implementing Judge Feuerstein’s directive reflected in the judgment of conviction. The Court disagrees. Judge Feuerstein simply ordered home detention with electronic monitoring; she gave no direction regarding the manner of such monitoring. Thus, any negligence in the application or maintenance of the ankle bracelet by the Probation Department is not protected by absolute immunity. Similarly, any such negligence also would not be subject to immunity under the discretionary function exception to the FTCA. The decision about where, or how tight, to place an ankle bracelet on a probationer is not grounded in considerations of public policy; rather, the allegations in this case relate to negligence that, if proven, would be unrelated to any plausible policy objective. The allegations in this case are akin to allegations that a police officer, in effectuating an arrest pursuant to a valid warrant, placed handcuffs on an arrestee too tight and refused to loosen them despite being told that the handcuffs were hurting the arres-tee’s wrists. It is well-settled that a law enforcement officer would not be protected by immunity or the discretionary function exception to the FTCA simply because he or she was effectuating a court order in placing the handcuffs on the ar-restee, if the officer was aware of the excessive and unnecessary tightness of the handcuffs and failed to address it. Similarly, in the instant case, if plaintiff can prove that the probation officer was aware of the injury being produced by the ankle bracelet and negligently tightened it or failed to take reasonable action to allow the probationer to address the injury, neither absolute immunity nor the discretionary function exception to the FTCA would insulate the government from liability for such negligence.

On the ultimate question of negligence, the Court concludes that there are disputed issues of material fact that preclude summary judgment in either party’s favor. Plaintiff points to evidence, although disputed by defendant, that Wright began to experience a rash, irritation, and redness on, his right ankle in August 2010 and complained to Danielo “a couple of times” regarding this condition prior the circumstances that led to hospitalization for infection to his ankle in October 2010, and that the probation officer never did anything to address such complaints. In addition, plaintiff points to evidence that, when Wright showed a cut/infection on his ankle on October 12, 2010 and the probation [122]*122officer recommended that Wright see a doctor, the probation officer moved the bracelet away from the cut and tightened it so that it would not slide down, rather than removing it or seeking some modification of the conditions of monitoring from the court. The bracelet remained on Wright’s ankle for another four days before it was cut off in the hospital emergency room during treatment of the ankle. Construing the evidence most, favorably to plaintiff, there are disputed issues of fact as to whether the probation officer was negligent in the placement and maintenance of the ankle bracelet that caused injury to Wright. Those same issues of disputed fact also preclude summary judgment in plaintiffs favor. Specifically, the probation officer testified that: (1) he was not aware of any problems with the ankle bracelet from Wright or any other source, prior to October 12, 2010; (2) when Wright showed him the cut on his ankle on October 12, 2010, the probation officer told him to see a doctor, gave him permission to leave his home to do so, and moved the bracelet away from the cut so that it would not cause irritation; and (3) neither Wright nor any doctor advised the probation officer after the doctor treated the cut on October 12, 2010, that the electronic bracelet needed to be removed for medical reasons. Therefore, although plaintiff has submitted the report of a corrections expert (who opines that the probation officer was negligent in his handling of Wright’s ankle bracelet) and a medical doctor (who opines that the failure of the probation officer to take action on October 12, 2010 caused a worsening of Wright’s condition), a rational jury could conclude, if defendant’s evidence is credited and all reasonable inferences are drawn in defendant’s favor, that the probation officer did not act negligently at any time, and did not cause any injury to plaintiff. Finally, even if the probation officer is proven to have acted negligently, there are also disputed issues of comparative negligence that must be resolved by a jury. Accordingly, the cross-motions for summary judgment are denied.

I. BACKGROUND

A. Facts 1

The following facts are taken from the parties’ depositions, affidavits, and exhibits, and the parties’ respective Rule 56.1 statements of facts (“Def.’s 56.1” and “Pl.’s 56.1”).1 Unless otherwise noted, the facts [123]*123are undisputed. Upon consideration of the motions for summary judgment, the Court shall construe the facts in the light most favorable to the non-moving party. See Capobianco v. New York, 422 F.3d 47, 50 n. 1 (2d Cir.2005).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
162 F. Supp. 3d 118, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17126, 2016 WL 589868, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wright-ex-rel-estate-of-wright-v-united-states-nyed-2016.