Padilla v. Miller
| Decision Date | 17 November 1999 |
| Docket Number | No. 3:97-CV-0873.,3:97-CV-0873. |
| Citation | 143 F.Supp.2d 453 |
| Parties | Fayne DeAngelo PADILLA, and Christy Lee Padilla, his wife, Individually and as Parents and Natural Guardians of Elijah DeAngelo Padilla and Elisa Lee Padila, Plaintiffs, v. Gregory MILLER, a Pennsylvania State Trooper, Defendant. |
| Court | U.S. District Court — Middle District of Pennsylvania |
James A. Swetz, Cramer, Swetz & McManus, Stroudsburg, PA, for plaintiffs.
John G. Knorr, III, Michael L. Harvey, Amy Zapp, Office of Attorney General, Harrisburg, PA, Linda Cadden Barrett, PA Department of Education, Office of Chief Counsel, Harrisburg, PA, for defendant.
This action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 concerns the constitutionality of a Pennsylvania State Trooper's conduct (a) in searching plaintiff Fayne DeAngelo Padilla during a traffic stop; (b) in questioning Fayne Padilla and his wife, Christy, following the completion of the traffic stop; and (c) in searching their automobile, its compartments and their luggage contained therein. Having carefully considered the testimony and other evidence presented during a non-jury trial in this matter, and after thoroughly examining the applicable case law, I am constrained to conclude that Trooper Gregory Miller violated the constitutional rights of Padilla, his wife, Christy Lee Padilla, and their minor children, Elijah and Elisa Padilla. I also find that the applicable constitutional principles were clearly established when Trooper Miller unreasonably detained and unlawfully searched the Padilla vehicle and that a reasonable officer would not have believed the conduct in question to have been reasonable. Accordingly, the Padillas are entitled to an award of damages. Plaintiffs, however, have not established actual injury as a result of the constitutional violations and have not shown that an award of punitive damages is appropriate under the circumstances of this case. Accordingly, relief will be limited to an award of nominal damages.
This civil rights action, brought on June 10, 1997, followed a criminal prosecution against Fayne DeAngelo Padilla in the Court of Common Pleas of Monroe County based upon evidence seized from the Padilla vehicle on January 13, 1996. The search of the vehicle and the seizure of incriminating evidence followed a traffic stop on Interstate 80 in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. The Court of Common Pleas of Monroe County held that the detention of the Padillas and ensuing search of their vehicle on January 13, 1996 were unlawful and suppressed the evidence seized by the State Police and the incriminatory statements of Padilla elicited by the State Police. The suppression of the evidence resulted in Fayne Padilla's release from confinement after having been imprisoned more than 60 days.
The Complaint in this action, brought by the Padillas on their own behalf and on behalf of their minor children who were passengers in the vehicle at the time of the stop and arrest, asserted claims of unlawful seizure, detention and search, violation of Miranda and Fifth Amendment rights, and denial of equal protection and right to interstate travel. Named as defendants were Trooper Gregory Miller and "unidentified supervisory personnel" of the Pennsylvania State Police. Prior to trial, the parties stipulated to the dismissal of the unidentified defendants and all claims other than the Fourth Amendment claims set forth in Count I of the Complaint. (See Dkt. Entry 31.)
A non-jury trial was conducted on April 12, 1999. At trial, plaintiffs contended that the state court findings on the suppression ruling are binding on Miller and require a finding of liability. Alternatively, plaintiffs argued that the evidence independently establishes liability. Miller, in addition to arguing that the state trial court finding is not binding in the civil rights action and that he did not violate plaintiffs' Constitutional rights, argued that, in any event, he is entitled to qualified immunity. The parties have filed designated facts not in dispute and post-trial briefs. This matter is now ripe for disposition.
Pursuant to Rule 52(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, I make the following findings of fact.
1. Trooper Gregory Miller was employed as a Pennsylvania State Police Officer on January 13, 1996. (Dkt. Entry 40, Defendant's Designation of Disputed and Undisputed Findings to Plaintiff's Original Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law (D's Stmt of Facts) at 1.)1
2. Fayne DeAngelo Padilla is a resident of Springfield, Missouri who was born November 5, 1970. (April 12, 1999 Trial Transcript (Tr.), Dkt. Entry 42, at 22.)
3. Christy Padilla (formerly Christy Settles) is a resident of Springfield, Missouri. She was nineteen (19) years old and eight and a half months pregnant at the time of the incident in question. (Tr. at 94, 179.)
4. Elijah Padilla and Elisa Padilla are the minor children of Fayne and Christy Padilla who were in their company on January 13, 1996. (Tr. at 23-24, 94.)
5. On January 13, 1996, Miller was conducting a stationary patrol in a marked car on Interstate 80 in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. (D's Stmt of Facts at 1.)
6. Trooper Miller was accompanied by a dog trained to detect controlled substances. (Id.) He was dressed in a uniform distinctive to state troopers in charge of canine units.
7. At approximately 2:30 p.m., Trooper Miller stopped a vehicle bearing Missouri license plates for allegedly speeding and switching lanes without a turn signal. (Id.; Tr. at 175-76.) He directed the vehicle, operated by Fayne Padilla, to pull over at a rest stop on I-80.
8. Trooper Miller got out of his patrol car and approached the stopped vehicle on the passenger side and requested that the driver produce his license and registration. (D's Stmt of Facts at 2.)
9. The driver of the car produced a valid Missouri driver's license in the name of Fayne D. Padilla and a Missouri identification card in the name of Fayne DeAngelo Padilla. (Id.)
10. The passenger, plaintiff Christy Padilla, identified herself as Christy L. Settles, of Springfield, Missouri.2 (Id.)
11. Christy Padilla identified herself as the owner of the car and provided Trooper Miller with evidence of ownership. (Id.)
12. Christy and Fayne Padilla's two minor children, Elijah DeAngelo Padilla and Elisa Lee Padilla, were also passengers in the car. (Id.)
13. Trooper Miller advised Fayne Padilla of the reasons for the traffic stop and returned to the patrol car to write a warning for the violations and conduct a radio check of the license for the driver of the car. (Id.; Plaintiff's Response to Defendant Miller's Proposed Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law (Plf's Stmt of Facts), Dkt. Entry 39, at 2; Tr. at 171.)
14. While writing the warning, Miller ran a National Crime Information Center (NCIC) check on Fayne Padilla. (Plf's Stmt of Facts at 2; Tr. at 171.)
15. Miller's NCIC check registered a hit, showing that Fayne DeAngelo Padilla, who was born November 5, 1970 and was identifiable by a scar on his chest, had been arrested for theft charges in Springfield, Missouri, including charges for the possession, manufacture and sale of illegal weapons. (Tr. at 171-72.) The NCIC check also indicated that Padilla had used as an alias the name of Paul Christopher Brown and a birth date of March 5, 1970. Under this alias, Padilla had been arrested for grand theft auto and possession, manufacture and sale of dangerous weapons. (Tr. at 172.)
16. Miller did not obtain any information that Padilla or someone matching his description was wanted in another jurisdiction or was a fugitive from justice. (Tr. at 172.)
17. After obtaining this information, Miller re-approached the car and asked Padilla to exit the car and Padilla complied. (D's Stmt of Facts at 2.) Padilla was instructed to move to the back of his vehicle, which was located in front of Miller's police car. (Tr. at 29, 173.)
18. Trooper Miller requested that Fayne Padilla lift his shirt in order to see if he could locate a scar on Padilla's chest. Miller did not tell Padilla why he wanted to examine Padilla's chest. (Tr. at 173.)
19. Miller could not find the scar and told Fayne Padilla to return to the car. (D's Stmnt. of Facts at 2.)
20. After making another radio inquiry, Miller once again approached the Padilla car from the driver's side and asked Padilla to step from the car and lift his shirt, explaining that he was looking for a scar so as to positively identify Padilla. Padilla complied. (Id.; Tr. at 174.) This occurred again between the state police cruiser and the Padilla vehicle (Id.)
21. Miller went back to the state police car and proceeded to write Padilla a traffic warning. (Tr. at 175.)
22. Before Miller finished writing the warning, two other State Police Troopers, Powell and Semler, arrived in separate cars and parked behind Miller's car. Powell arrived before Semler. Semler arrived at approximately 3:00 p.m., about 30 minutes after Miller had stopped the Padilla vehicle (Tr. at 133-34, 144-45.)
23. When Semler arrived, Trooper Powell was standing with Padilla between the Padilla car and Miller's cruiser. Trooper Miller was still in his car, writing a warning to Padilla. (Tr. at 134, 158.)
24. Trooper Miller exited his car and gave the written warning to Padilla in the presence of Troopers Powell and Semler. (Tr. at 158.) Trooper Miller explained the contents of the warning to Padilla, who signed for his copy. (D.'s Stmt of Facts at 2.)
25. Trooper Miller then gave Padilla a copy of the warning and told Padilla he was free to leave. (Id.)
26. Before Padilla could get back in his car, Trooper Miller called to Padilla and said he wanted to ask Padilla some more questions. (T...
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