Opinion ID: 2972797
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Defendants Smith and Gura

Text: Knott first appears to allege that Defendants Smith and Gura conducted an unconstitutional search of her property when they walked into her yard and inspected a mound of ashes. The district court below granted summary judgment to Defendants Smith and Gura, concluding that no search occurred given that Smith and Gura were permitted to approach Knott’s residence in order to ask her questions and that the pile of ashes was not located in part of the residence’s curtilage. We conclude, however, that there are genuine issues of material fact that make entry of summary judgment in favor of Defendants Smith and Gura inappropriate at this time. When determining whether an area is subject to Fourth Amendment protection by virtue of being part of a home’s curtilage, the ultimate question we must resolve is “whether the area harbors the intimate 3 Knott does not appear to be challenging on appeal the district court’s entry of summary judgment as it pertains to the search conducted after the telephone call claiming that persons with guns were on the Knott property. We note that the district court’s entry of summary judgment with respect to this claim does not appear to be in error because there is no evidence suggesting that the consent provided by Diane Knott’s husband, Brett Knott, was in any way invalid. See United States v. Riascos-Suarez, 73 F.3d 616, 625 (6th Cir.) (“A search may be conducted without a warrant if a person with a privacy interest in the item to be searched gives free and voluntary consent.”) (citing Schneckcloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 219, 222 (1973)), cert. denied, 519 U.S. 848 (1996). No. 04-3045 Knott v. Sullivan et al. Page 8 activity associated with the sanctity of a man’s home and the privacies of life.” United States v. Dunn, 480 U.S. 294, 300 (1987) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). In making this determination, we look to four factors to guide our inquiry: “the proximity of the area claimed to be curtilage to the home, whether the area is included within an enclosure surrounding the home, the nature of the uses to which the area is put, and the steps taken by the resident to protect the area from observation by people passing by.” Id. at 301. The district court below concluded that the portion of the Knotts’ property containing the ash pile did not constitute part of the residence’s curtilage, noting that “no structure enclos[ed] the pile of ashes,” there was “nothing to keep trespassers from observing or interfering with the ashes,” and an “ash pile is not a part of the sanctity of Plaintiff’s home.” J.A. at 28-29 (D. Ct. Op. at 15-16); see Oliver v. United States, 466 U.S. 170, 178 (1984) (“[A]n individual may not legitimately demand privacy for activities conducted out of doors in fields, except in the area immediately surrounding the home.”). We, however, do not find the issue to be so clear-cut. Based on our review of the record, we are admittedly somewhat unclear as to the precise location of the ash pile. The record seems to suggest that the ash pile may have been located in relatively close proximity to the Knotts’ garage. Indeed, Defendant Smith described the area as part of the Knotts’ “yard,” J.A. at 73 (Smith Aff. ¶ 6), and Diane Knott noted during her deposition that the area was not overgrown with tall grass. J.A. at 47 (Diane Knott Dep. at 38) (“Q. Was there grass and stuff, tall grass in the yard? A. The grass wasn’t tall, no.”). See Daughenbaugh v. City of Tiffin, 150 F.3d 594 (6th Cir. 1998) (concluding that garage was included as part of curtilage and that entry into backyard constituted a search); United States v. Jenkins, 124 F.3d 768 (6th Cir. 1997) (concluding that backyard was included in curtilage of defendant’s home). While the Knotts’ property does not appear to have been encircled with fencing, it is unclear whether the trees or other geographical features of the Knotts’ property created a reasonable expectation of privacy. Finally, although Defendant Smith indicated in his affidavit that “[t]he mound of dirt is visible from the public roadway,” the Defendants do not claim to have initially spotted the ash pile from outside the curtilage. J.A. at 73 (Smith Aff. ¶ 6). Indeed, they ventured into the Knotts’ backyard in order to investigate the pile of ashes. Thus, based on the scant information contained in the record regarding the physical layout of the Knott property and the location of the ash pile in comparison to the Knotts’ mobile home and garage, we cannot conclude that there is no genuine issue of material fact as to whether the area involved was included within the curtilage of the Knott residence.