Summers v. Horton, 14130.

• Decision Date: 07 June 1971
• Docket Number: No. 14130.,14130.
• Citation: 443 F.2d 225
• Parties: James A. SUMMERS, Jr., Appellant, v. R. F. HORTON et al., Appellees.
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Fourth Circuit

443 F.2d 225 (1971)

James A. SUMMERS, Jr., Appellant, v. R. F. HORTON et al., Appellees.

No. 14130.

United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.

Argued June 1, 1970.

Decided June 7, 1971.

Adam Stein, Charlotte, N. C. (Conrad O. Pearson, Durham, N. C., Jack Greenberg and Michael Meltsner, New York City, and Chambers, Stein, Ferguson & Lanning, Charlotte, N. C., on brief), for appellant.

Jay F. Frank and Jack R. Harris, Statesville, N. C. (Chamblee, Nash & Frank, Raymer, Lewis & Eisele, and Collier, Harris & Homesley, Statesville, N. C., on brief), for appellees.

Before HAYNSWORTH, Chief Judge, SOBELOFF, Circuit Judge, and WIDENER, District Judge.

HAYNSWORTH, Chief Judge:

In his appeal from a judgment for the defendants after a trial to the court, the plaintiff contends that the court erred in failing to find the commission by the defendants of a deliberate or negligent wrong. We affirm.

The action is founded on alleged violations of 42 U.S.C.A. §§ 1981, 1983 and 1988 by the defendants, police officers of Statesville, North Carolina and the sheriff and jailer of Iredell County, North Carolina, in wilfully causing injuries to, or failing to prevent injury to, the plaintiff at a time when he was in their custody. A conspiracy is also alleged.

The District Judge made detailed findings of fact.

On the night of August 19, 1966, Summers was arrested, while highly intoxicated, by two Statesville police officers. At that time, Summers was in good physical condition, apart from his drunkenness. He was not injured in any way during his arrest and transportation to the county jail.

On arrival at the jail Summers was booked for public drunkenness and allowed to telephone a bail bondsman, who arranged to post bond the following morning. Thereafter he was routinely searched and placed in a twelve-man cell block by the defendant Shoemaker, the jailer then on duty.

At some time after he was placed in the cell block, Summers was attacked and beaten by other inmates, inflicting serious bodily injuries. Although a friend of Summers, Lewis Bradshaw, testified that during the beating he and other inmates cried out for help, neither Shoemaker nor an inmate trusty in a cell above Summers' cell heard any outcry, although the windows were open and an intercom system between the cell block and the office was in operation. Neither Bradshaw nor any other inmate called Shoemaker's attention to Summers' beating on any of the ten later occasions that night on which he entered the cell area, on three of which he admitted other prisoners to the same cell block. Shoemaker saw no indication of anything amiss while going about his duties.

On the morning of August 20, when the bondsman arrived, Shoemaker entered the cell block area and called for Summers. He appeared at the cell door with a swollen eye and with blood on his face and clothing. On inquiry by Shoemaker, he said that he had been beaten by other inmates but could not, or would not, state the names of his assailants. Nor would any other inmate state who was responsible. On Summers' release, he was admitted to a hospital, where he remained until September 17. The extended hospitalization was necessitated principally by delirium tremens brought on by alcohol withdrawal and not by his injuries.

At the close of all the evidence the district judge found in favor of the defendants. Summers concedes that, as to the two police officers, the evidence justified a finding of no liability. He also concedes, properly, that the evidence failed to show a conspiracy. However, he argues that the judge erred in refusing to allow him to reopen his case after he had rested in order to present testimony by his brother, claimed to be newly discovered. The judge, recognizing that the request was properly addressed to his discretion, declined the proffer. We find no abuse of that discretion.

With respect to Shoemaker, Summers contends that the finding of no liability is erroneous. Three arguments are presented in support of this contention — that Shoemaker was negligent in failing to prevent the beating, that he negligently failed to halt it once it started, and that he was negligent in waiting until morning without providing medical attention. The short answer to all of these...