State Police Litigation, In re

• Decision Date: 03 July 1996
• Docket Number: D,No. 886,886
• Citation: 88 F.3d 111
• Parties: In re STATE POLICE LITIGATION. CONNECTICUT CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYERS ASSOCIATION, Joseph Keefe, Individually and as President of Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, John R. Gulash, William J. Sweeney, Denise Derby, Donald Couture, Timothy B. Young, Roderick Young, Barbara Schuyler, Conrad Seifert, Attorney, William Gerace, Attorney, Martin Minella, Attorney, William Dow, Jay Martin Sulzach, Attorney, Robert A. Skovgaard, Charles E. Skovgaard, James M. Higgins, Attorney, Kevin O'Brien, Attorney, Timothy Moynihan, Attorney, Mark Shapera, Joseph J. Masler, Paul Arvai, Eva Belline, Joseph Belline, Lisa M. Belline, Ismael Santiago, James C. Carbone, Frank Gonzalez, Jr., Jeffrey Irwin, David Garfield, John McBride, William Bruce, Theodore L. Callands, John David Panula, III, Carolyn M. Capozziello, Thomas W. Capozziello, A. Capozziello, Myron J. Stephenson, George Whitehead, Joseph A. Rich, Sr., Robert A. Rosa, Sonja Van Valkenburgh, Michael J. Mezzatesta, Susan Pregler, Richard Reardon, Manuel E. Ferriera, Gregory Hudson, Mathew A. Capozziello, Tom Ciarolo, David White, Rafael A. Cabrera, Michael West, Richard G. Paradis, Jeffrey Membrino, Daniel Membrino, Lorenzo Santropietro, Gene Mancino, Harold D. Nichols, Mark Nichols, Lisa Anderson, Raymond Mikolinski, Lorraine Mikolinski, William C. Rado, Charles W. Kasmer, James Reardon, Daniel Ferriera, Joseph A. Rich, Jr., Barbara Rich, John M. Lebel, Tonya Miller, Bryan S. Golemowski, David R. Capasso, Raymond Povinelli, Luke Warner, Charles F. Kimms, James E. Jones, Paul A. Larosa, James Masler, Adelgard L. Masler, Michael P. Pane, Carmelina L. Pane, Keith W. Rado, Ralph Shores, Joseph W. Miron, Adam J. Soares, Steve Hanford, Wayne M. Christinat, Kent Kelsey, Daniel Elsbree, William Parker, Deborah Arvai, Domenic Santilli, Brian Panetta, Stephanie Weinburg, David Weinberg, Allen D'Antinio, Thomas Gahan, Steven W. Krauss, Betty Little, David Little, Robert Little, James P. Janulet, Jeffrey Fluery, Glenn E. Coe, An
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Second Circuit

Page 111

88 F.3d 111

In re STATE POLICE LITIGATION.

CONNECTICUT CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYERS ASSOCIATION, Joseph

Keefe, Individually and as President of Connecticut Criminal

Defense Lawyers Association, John R. Gulash, William J.

Sweeney, Denise Derby, Donald Couture, Timothy B. Young,

Roderick Young, Barbara Schuyler, Conrad Seifert, Attorney,

William Gerace, Attorney, Martin Minella, Attorney, William

Dow, Jay Martin Sulzach, Attorney, Robert A. Skovgaard,

Charles E. Skovgaard, James M. Higgins, Attorney, Kevin

O'Brien, Attorney, Timothy Moynihan, Attorney, Mark Shapera,

Joseph J. Masler, Paul Arvai, Eva Belline, Joseph Belline,

Lisa M. Belline, Ismael Santiago, James C. Carbone, Frank

Gonzalez, Jr., Jeffrey Irwin, David Garfield, John McBride,

William Bruce, Theodore L. Callands, John David Panula, III,

Carolyn M. Capozziello, Thomas W. Capozziello, A.

Capozziello, Myron J. Stephenson, George Whitehead, Joseph

A. Rich, Sr., Robert A. Rosa, Sonja Van Valkenburgh, Michael

J. Mezzatesta, Susan Pregler, Richard Reardon, Manuel E.

Ferriera, Gregory Hudson, Mathew A. Capozziello, Tom

Ciarolo, David White, Rafael A. Cabrera, Michael West,

Richard G. Paradis, Jeffrey Membrino, Daniel Membrino,

Lorenzo Santropietro, Gene Mancino, Harold D. Nichols, Mark

Nichols, Lisa Anderson, Raymond Mikolinski, Lorraine

Mikolinski, William C. Rado, Charles W. Kasmer, James

Reardon, Daniel Ferriera, Joseph A. Rich, Jr., Barbara Rich,

John M. Lebel, Tonya Miller, Bryan S. Golemowski, David R.

Capasso, Raymond Povinelli, Luke Warner, Charles F. Kimms,

James E. Jones, Paul A. Larosa, James Masler, Adelgard L.

Masler, Michael P. Pane, Carmelina L. Pane, Keith W. Rado,

Ralph Shores, Joseph W. Miron, Adam J. Soares, Steve

Hanford, Wayne M. Christinat, Kent Kelsey, Daniel Elsbree,

William Parker, Deborah Arvai, Domenic Santilli, Brian

Panetta, Stephanie Weinburg, David Weinberg, Allen

D'Antinio, Thomas Gahan, Steven W. Krauss, Betty Little,

David Little, Robert Little, James P. Janulet, Jeffrey

Fluery, Glenn E. Coe, Anthony Galazan, Lawrence R. Smith,

Juan Crespo, Thomas Gugliotti, William Lewis, James M.

Cavanaugh, Henry L. Deschamps, Lee M. Elliott, Santo Franzo,

Robert J. Geoghan, James Johnston, Donald W. Kulisch, Peter

G. Lawson, William M. Lucas, Jr., Francis W. Martin, Bruce

B. McIntyre, Ronald Nanfito, David R. Rannikko, Julian

Rogowski, Daniel St. John, Norman A. Soucie, Charles L.

Wargat, James P. Whelan, Richard Kehoe, Brian Panetta and

Alphonso Green, Plaintiffs-Appellees,

Connecticut State Police Union, David Phipps, Robert

Kowalcyzk, Martin White, Ana Ferreira, Samuel Mazzatesta,

James O. Gaston, Scott B. Chamberlain, Michael Fitzpatrick,

Michael Georgetti, Charles E. Skovgaard, Carmine Guiliano,

Robert McCoy, Philip McKnight, Richard Stewart, David A.

Moraghan, Denise Derby, Albert McGrail, Anthony C. Polvino,

John A. Curtas, Alan Coppotelli, Charles Arcangelo, Claude

J. Kramer, Charles Christiano, Jr., Carl H. Slusarczyk, Jr.,

Carl H. Slusarczyk, Sr., Irene Slusarczyk, Steve Battalino,

Todd A. Bennet, Robert Gallo, Patricia Gallo, Fred Douglas,

Lucy B. Douglas, Robin M. Cornut, Theodore, R. Callands,

Thomas L. Birch, Elaine C.S. Bell, James C. Lamond, Shawn

Henning, William H. Scruggs, George F. Sahadi, Michael

Callands, John Ruggiero, Eric Hudson, Arlene Hudson, Michael

Beckford, Robert Canning, Shawn Carier, William Cuddy,

Jackie Durfee, Philip Fioretti, Edna George, Philip George,

Gerald Golarz, Thaddeus Grebla, David Guillelmette,

David Haines, Karen Hill, James Holcomb, Philip Janik,

Yolanda Janik, Allen Januszewski, Frank Kennedy, George

Kuda, Jonathan Lamson, Sami Lapides, Albert Losacano, James

Brad McDonald, David McKenna, Tina Menegus, William Parker,

Raymond Povinelli, David Ross, Bruce Shapiro, Peter

Stanchak, Daniel Zsebik, David R. Lord, John J. Dunham,

Ronald W. Gray, John Meneguzzo, Lisa J. Meneguzzo, Vince

Lee, Cynthia Dubey, Anthony Consolini, Vivian Sambuco, Scott

Buley, Beverly Polvino, Carl Fitzgibbons, Dale Tatem,

Gaetano Marino, Terry L. Groeper, Joseph Albuquerque, Julie

S. Albuquerque, Joseph Longo, Robert Quick, John Cleary,

James Bradley, Terry L. Groeper, Joe E. Gorman, Paul

Torbicki, Patricia J. Hundt, William Gildersleeve, Jane E.

Walton, Don Dybvick, Peter M. O'Brien, Howard J. Osterhout,

David Coleman, Kyle A. Taber, Raymond E. King, Rodney

Clement, Michael L. Bochicchio, David Carey, Gerard

Chartier, Theodore Derouin, William Dwyer, Harry Mottram,

Richard D. Nicholson, Ormonde Osborne, Robert L.

Ousterhoudt, John Ragazzi, Orlando Ramirez, Patrick T.

Graham, Joe Laput, Thomas Shia, Kenneth Startz, Robert

Anger, Thomas Nicoletti, R.W. Krysiak, David O'Keefe,

Charles Revoir, Serge Samal, Robert Ross, Thomas Pietrini,

Michael Cope, Richard D. Nicholson, Larry Ahearn, David

Barger, Michael Bolton, David Devito, Joseph David

Dynderski, Lee M. Elliott, Julio Fernandez, Jr., Richard B.

Ford, Richard W. Gardner, Kenneth Gough, Michael Graham,

Charles E. Gunn, R.W. Krysiak, Joseph Laput, Martin Lane,

Willliam Robert MacIntosh, William MacLean, Malcolm R.

Major, Henry Maynard, William McCasland, Carmelo Otero,

Charles Ouellette, Kevin A. Rodino, Steve Salvatore, William

Soukup, Peter Strniste, Martinique Zhigailo, Alexander

Jones, Dwight Carlson, Erwin McKinney, David Hutchinson,

Terrence Dunn, David Waddell, Frederick Downs, Eugene Terry,

James Rogers, Sandra Brown, John Hill, Donald F. Lopresto,

Raymond W. Shove, III, George M. Lawrence, Kenneth Wilson,

Angelo F. Tosi, Mario A. Garofalo, William J. Barbour,

Donald Barry, Robert Birge, Peter L. Considine, Enrico G.

Soliani, Howard Smith, Peter R. Terenzi, III, Kevin

McCarthy, Barrie Toothill And Arthur Von Holtz, Intervenors-Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. Lester J. FORST, John A. Mulligan, John Jacewicz, Michael

Stergio, Warren T. Seeley, Raoul Oullette, Frederick Diggle,

Thomas Elliott, William Smith, Edward Dailey, Peter Plante,

Robert Offen, Robert O'Shaughnessy, Charles Levy, James

Hiltz, Timothy Barry, Richard Levine, Rubin Bradford, James

Reilly, State of Connecticut, Joseph Faughnan, Walter

Scholtz, John F. Watson, George Moore, Donald Paige, John

Bardelli, Robert Bessechek, Wilfred Blanchette, Henry

Bourgeois, Vincent Brennan, Manfred Brideau, Richard Brozek,

John Burke, John E. Brymer, Shaun Byrne, John Caputo,

Dominic Console, Richard Covello, Frank D'Amico, James

Darby, Richard Day, John Dewey, John Foley, Christopher

Garrity, Errol Goffe, Paul Guillot, Bruce Haines, Patrick

Hedge, Dorris Hughes, Robert Hull, George Huston, Paul

Jaskolka, Anthony Kalkus, Peter J. Kennedy, Thomas Kenney,

Cornelius Kerwin, William Kirkby, Kenneth Kirschner, John

Leonard, John Leone, Donald Long, Paul L. Mallon, Douglas

Manahan, Richard Maynard, John McGoldrick, James McGrath,

Lawrence Merrill, Ronald Mikulka, James Mooney, Bernard

Moran, Roger Morgan, Charles A. Morrison, Jr., Raymond

Morse, John Mucherino, Lieutenant Myers, Donald Nurse, Scott

O'Mara, David Paige, Joseph Palombizio, Joseph Perry, John

Rearick, Trooper Reed, James Rice, Richard Rizzuti, Frank

Robinson, John Rofsky, James Rogers, Robert

Root, Royal Schiffer, James Shay, James Smith, Charles

Supsinskas, William Sydenham, John Taylor, Matthew Tyska,

Raymond Watrous and Robert Welch, Defendants-Appellants.

No. 886, Docket 95-7614.

United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit.

Argued Dec. 21, 1995.

Decided July 3, 1996.

Aaron S. Bayer, Deputy Attorney General, Hartford, Connecticut (Richard Blumenthal, Attorney General of Connecticut, Henri Alexandre, Carolyn K. Querijero, Jane R. Rosenberg, Assistant Attorneys General, Hartford, Connecticut, John W. Sitarz, Cooney, Scully & Dowling, Hartford, Connecticut, on the brief), for Defendants-Appellants.

Christopher D. Bernard, Bridgeport, Connecticut (Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder, Bridgeport, Connecticut, Garrett M. Moore, Judith A. Mauzaka, Moore & O'Brien, Cheshire, Connecticut, on the brief), for Plaintiffs-Appellees and Intervenors-Plaintiffs-Appellees.

Before: KEARSE, MAHONEY and PARKER, Circuit Judges.

KEARSE, Circuit Judge:

Defendants Lester J. Forst and other present and former officials of the Connecticut State Police ("State Police") appeal from so much of an order of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut, T.F. Gilroy Daly, Judge, as denied their motion for summary judgment dismissing claims brought principally under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (1994) and Title III of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, 18 U.S.C. §§ 2510-2520 (1994) ("Title III"), alleging that between 1978 and 1989 the State Police intercepted, recorded, disclosed, and used, without knowledge or consent of the participants, all telephone calls made to, from, and within State Police barracks, in

                violation of, inter alia, Title III and the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution.   The defendant officials sought summary judgment principally on the ground that they were entitled to qualified immunity.   The district court denied that part of their motion on the ground that the rights of individual plaintiffs under the above laws were clearly established and that there are genuine issues to be tried as to pertinent factual issues, including (a) whether plaintiffs consented to the recording, and (b) whether and to what extent the State Police listened to any given recorded conversation.   On appeal, defendants contend that they are entitled to qualified immunity principally because at the pertinent times it was not clearly established that tape-recording telephone calls, without ever listening to them, violated Title III or the federal Constitution or state law.   Plaintiffs have moved to dismiss the appeal for lack of appellate jurisdiction.   For the reasons below, we agree with plaintiffs that because the district court denied summary judgment on the ground that there existed questions of fact to be tried with respect to the qualified-immunity defense, the denial was not an immediately appealable

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