Opinion ID: 181046
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Santiago's Complaints are Filed and Dismissed

Text: On May 12, 2008one day before the expiration of the statute of limitations Santiago filed her initial complaint in the District Court, citing constitutional violations and state law tort claims and naming Warminster, Warminster's police department, John Doe police officers, and CBSRT as defendants. For reasons not pertinent here, the bulk of that complaint was dismissed, including all counts against the Warminster police department (because it was not a separate legal entity from Warminster) and CBSRT (for insufficient service of process), and, after a series of amended complaints and further dismissals, the operative pleading left in the case is Santiago's Third Amended Complaint. That complaint is framed in two counts: (1) a §§ 1983 and 1988 claim against Warminster and the individual defendants for violation of the Fourth Amendment; and (2) state law claims against the individual defendants for assault, battery, false arrest, false imprisonment, and harm resulting from a state created danger. Unlike earlier versions of the complaint, the Third Amended Complaint replaced John Does with the names of the officers on the scene, identifying Detective Jones and Officers Ogborn, Kutzer, and Murphy. The Third Amended Complaint also added, for the first time, allegations against three Warminster police officers claimed to have been involved in planning and supervising the operation: Chief of Police Michael Murphy, Lieutenant Christopher Springfield, and Lieutenant James Donnelly, III (collectively, the Supervising Officers). The entirety of the allegations against the Supervising Officers were contained in three paragraphs: Chief Michael Murphy is Police Chief of Warminster Township Police Department. Chief Murphy is a founding member and director of the CBSRT. Although Chief Murphy was not present at the scene on May 13, 2006, he ordered and approved the plan to execute the arrest warrants. This early morning surround and call out operation specifically sought to have all occupants exit the Plaintiff's home, one at a time, with hands raised under threat of fire, patted down for weapons, and then handcuffed until the home had been cleared and searched. Chief Murphy violated Plaintiff's Fourth Amendment rights in that this plan used excessive force in restraining Plaintiff, a non-target occupant who presented no threat or risk, for a lengthy period of time and used coercion in obtaining her consent to search the premises. Christopher Springfield was a police officer with Warminster Township Police Department. On May 13, 2006, he held the rank of Lieutenant and was in [sic] placed in charge of the surround and call out operation by Chief Murphy. Lt. Springfield was responsible for all assets including the CBSRT and Warminster Township Police Officers. Lt. Springfield violated Plaintiff's Fourth Amendment rights in that he permitted the use of excessive force in restraining Plaintiff, a non-target occupant who presented no threat or risk, for a lengthy period of time and used coercion in obtaining her consent to search the premises. Lt. James Donnelly is an officer with the Warminster Township Police Department. On May 13, 2006, he was also the Tactical Team Leader of CBSRT. Chief Murphy ordered Lt. Donnelly to plan and help execute an early morning surround and call out operation which sought to have all occupants exit the Plaintiff's home, one at a time, with hands raised under threat of fire, patted down for weapons, and then handcuffed until the home had been cleared and searched. Lt. Donnelly violated Plaintiff's Fourth Amendment rights in that this plan used excessive force in restraining Plaintiff, a non-target occupant who presented no threat or risk, for a lengthy period of time, and used coercion in obtaining her consent to search the premises. As Tactical Team Leader of CBSRT, Lt. Donnelly was responsible for the actions of Alpha Team. (Third Am. Compl. at ¶¶ 21-23.) Both Warminster and the individual defendants moved to dismiss and on December 23, 2009, the District Court issued an opinion granting the motion. First, the Court dismissed the claims against the officers of Alpha Team as barred by the statute of limitations. [3] Next, the Court dismissed the Fourth Amendment claims against the Supervising Officers because it held that Santiago had alleged only respondeat superior liability as to them but that government officials cannot be liable for constitutional violations on that basis. The Court then dismissed the claim against Warminster because Santiago had not alleged that Chief Murphy was a final policymaker, which is a necessary element of the claim Santiago attempted to assert against the Township. Finally, because it had dismissed all of Santiago's federal claims, the Court declined to exercise pendent jurisdiction over the state law claims and dismissed them, without prejudice. Santiago's timely appeal to us followed.