Opinion ID: 786794
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Evidence at the Second Trial

Text: 20 On remand, a jury trial was held on (a) the Fourth Amendment claims against Crossan for unlawful detention, involuntary hospitalization, and use of excessive force, (b) the First Amendment claim against Crossan for retaliation, and (c) the state-law claims against Crossan and the City for false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The evidence at trial included testimony by Kerman, Landau, Pontrelli, Crossan, and several other police officers, and deposition testimony of Dr. Malone. 21 Kerman again testified, inter alia, that after the officers had searched for a gun in vain, they kept him handcuffed and naked. He indicated that although he was shocked by the entry and presence of the policemen, and although he made caustic remarks to and about the officers, he was not lacking in calm. Although two police officers testified that Kerman's apartment was filthy and smelled of cat urine and feces ( see Tr. 283) and that the sink was full of flatware and dirty dishes ( see Tr. 270), Kerman testified that though the apartment was messy[ and] very disorganized (Tr. 504), it was merely messy, but not dirty (Tr. 505). Kerman testified, I kept the kitchen clean. And I kept the bathroom immaculate (Tr. 505), explaining that he kept the place clean because his cat had had a kidney transplant ( see Tr. 77) and needed to be protected against infection ( see Tr. 505). Kerman stated that the condition of his foyer — which, after the officers entered, was covered with kitty litter and cat feces — resulted from the officers' crashing through his door and causing the waste bag, which he had planned to take out, to burst open. 22 Kerman testified that while the officers were in his apartment, he gave officer John Hume the name and telephone number of his psychiatrist, Dr. Brozovsky; Hume called, got no answer, and hung up. After Kerman suggested that Hume leave a message for Dr. Brozovsky to call the apartment, Hume did so. Kerman also testified that before Crossan caused him to be taken to Bellevue Hospital, Crossan cut off a telephone call to Dr. Malone after Kerman told Pontrelli that Dr. Malone wanted to speak to the police. Pontrelli had placed the telephone to Kerman's ear; Kerman asked Dr. Malone to get these goons out of my house (Tr. 136), whereupon Crossan grabbed the phone from Pontrelli and pushed the off button, hanging up (Tr. 485). 23 Landau testified that she telephoned Kerman's apartment while the officers were there and identified herself as the person who had called 911. ( See Tr. 234-35.) The person to whom she spoke — eventually identified as officer Hume — hung up on her. ( See Tr. 236.) Dr. Malone, in his deposition, testified that while the officers were in Kerman's apartment one of the paramedics telephoned him and allowed Kerman to speak to him; but when Kerman asked Dr. Malone to get these goons out of here, the telephone call was terminated because the phone was hung up .... in the middle of [the] conversation. (Tr. 652.) Dr. Malone testified that while they spoke, Kerman had seemed coherent, insightful, and even witty. (Tr. 662-63; see id. at 652 (Kerman, when asked by Dr. Malone why he was upset about the officers searching his apartment for a gun, said `That he used lawyers, not guns').) Dr. Malone testified that he did not speak to any police officer. ( See, e.g., Tr. 651, 654.) 24 Crossan testified that he made the decision to remove Kerman from his home and send him to the hospital ( see Tr. 524), and he denied having hung up on anyone ( see Tr. 569). Crossan described his normal procedures in responding to complaints about emotionally disturbed persons ( see, e.g., Tr. 610-14), but he remembered few details of the events involving Kerman ( see, e.g., Tr. 623, 625). Crossan remembered that the radio dispatch that directed the officers to Kerman's apartment mentioned an emotionally disturbed person and a firearm. ( See Tr. 542, 615; see also id. at 276 (testimony of officer Daniel DiLucia: We received a central radio call saying that there was an EDP [emotionally disturbed person] with a gun.... Nothing other than that.).) Crossan did not recall whether he telephoned the dispatcher to obtain any further information about the 911 call. ( See Tr. 529-32.) 25 Crossan did not recall whether he had had any conversation with Kerman. ( See Tr. 552.) He did not recall whether Landau telephoned the apartment. ( See, e.g., Tr. 549.) Crossan remembered that officer Hume (who testified at the first trial but not at the second) was in the apartment and spoke with someone on the telephone; but Crossan could not recall whether Hume spoke with Landau, or whether he heard Hume's side of any conversation, or whether he had any discussion with Hume. ( See, e.g., Tr. 528-29.) Crossan also did not recall whether Kerman had a telephone conversation with his doctor ( see Tr. 556). Further, although two other police officers testified that they had seen Crossan talking on the telephone in Kerman's apartment and believed he was speaking with a psychiatrist because he was addressing someone as Doctor or Doc (Tr. 398, 401-02, 452-53), Crossan did not remember whether he had any conversation with Kerman's doctor or indeed whether he spoke on the telephone with anyone ( see, e.g., Tr. 550-52, 529). 26 Crossan testified that Kerman was incoherent and would not calm down. ( See Tr. 536.) At his deposition, Crossan had described Kerman's behavior as irrational only in that Kerman was `[s]creaming and yelling' (Tr. 537; see also id. (`Q. Anything else in addition to screaming and yelling? A. Not that I recall specifically.')); at trial, Crossan testified that he would not regard screaming and yelling in and of itself as fitting within the definition of conduct that was likely to result in harm to oneself or to others ( see Tr. 532-33). Crossan also did not recall any of the contents of Kerman's shouts except that there were references to Hitler and Mark Furhman; Crossan did not consider those references to be an indication of dangerousness. ( See Tr. 537-39.) 27 Crossan testified that [t]he only thing that made this case memorable was the fact that Mr. Kerman was naked. (Tr. 627.) Crossan did not regard a person's nakedness in his own home, in and of itself, to be an indication of dangerousness to himself or others. (Tr. 543.) However, Crossan did not recall asking Kerman why he was naked, although Crossan would have considered the reason for his being in that condition to be material to an assessment of whether Kerman was dangerous. ( See Tr. 546-48.) 28 As to the events following the order that Kerman be taken to the hospital, Kerman testified, inter alia, that when he arrived at Bellevue, he was given a hospital gown and paper slippers to wear (the police officers had let him put on only sweatpants before sending him to the hospital); the handcuffs were removed, and he was allowed to make local telephone calls. However, he was placed in a room that had a red line on the floor and was ordered not to cross that line without permission; he was not allowed to use the bathroom without permission; and he felt like [he] was in prison (Tr. 152). Kerman was never formally admitted to Bellevue but was kept there overnight. 29 Kerman testified that he suffered physical pain from the manner in which he was treated, including being transported to the hospital on his back with his hands cuffed under him. He testified that he suffered emotional distress from various aspects of the incident and from the event as a whole. There was also evidence that Kerman developed post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the event and that his prior depression worsened. 30