Opinion ID: 573072
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Collateral Estoppel Argument

Text: 14 Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1738 (1988), the federal courts must give to a state-court judgment the same preclusive effect as would be given that judgment under the law of the State in which the judgment was rendered. Migra v. Warren City School District Board of Education, 465 U.S. 75, 81, 104 S.Ct. 892, 896, 79 L.Ed.2d 56 (1984). This rule applies to determine the preclusive effect of a state court judgment on a subsequent suit in federal court brought pursuant to § 1983. See Allen v. McCurry, 449 U.S. 90, 101 S.Ct. 411, 66 L.Ed.2d 308 (1980); Temple of the Lost Sheep, Inc. v. Abrams, 930 F.2d 178, 183 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 112 S.Ct. 193, 116 L.Ed.2d 153 (1991). Nonetheless, [c]ollateral estoppel does not apply where the party against whom an earlier court decision is asserted did not have a full and fair opportunity to litigate the claim or issue decided by the first court. Allen v. McCurry, 449 U.S. at 101, 101 S.Ct. at 418. 15 Under Connecticut law,  '[f]or an issue to be subject to collateral estoppel, it must have been fully and fairly litigated in the first action. It also must have been actually decided and the decision must have been necessary to the judgment.'  Aetna Casualty and Surety Co. v. Jones, 220 Conn. 285, 296, 596 A.2d 414, 421 (1991) (quoting Virgo v. Lyons, 209 Conn. 497, 501, 551 A.2d 1243, 1245 (1988)); P.X. Restaurant, Inc. v. Town of Windsor, 189 Conn. 153, 454 A.2d 1258, 1262 (1983). As to the first condition, the only one of the three at issue here, the Connecticut Supreme Court has explained that [t]he requirement of full and fair litigation ensures fairness, which is a 'crowning consideration' in collateral estoppel cases. Aetna Casualty and Surety Co. v. Jones, 220 Conn. at 306, 596 A.2d at 425. Thus, if the nature of the hearing carries procedural limitations that would not be present at a later hearing, the party might not have a full and fair opportunity to litigate. Id. at 306, 596 A.2d at 426; see also Bailey v. Andrews, 811 F.2d 366, 370 (7th Cir.1987) (finding of probable cause in state-court hearing, at which suspect was not allowed to present evidence or cross-examine witnesses, not given preclusive effect in subsequent § 1983 suit); Coogan v. City of Wixom, 820 F.2d 170, 175 (6th Cir.1987) (state-court finding of probable cause given preclusive effect in subsequent § 1983 suit because prior proceeding, at which suspect had a right to call witnesses and cross-examine witnesses, afforded him a full and fair opportunity to litigate the issue of probable cause). 16 We think the district court was correct in its assessment that, for collateral estoppel purposes, the 1984 state hearing entailed procedural limitations that curtailed Golino's efforts to secure the full and fair litigation of the probable cause issue. The purpose of such a hearing is generally the evaluation of the sufficiency of the evidence to constitute probable cause, not the integrity of the evidence. See, e.g., Schertz v. Waupaca County, 875 F.2d 578, 581 (7th Cir.1989); Bailey v. Andrews, 811 F.2d at 369-70. Thus, at such a hearing under Connecticut law, the suspect apparently has no right to call any witnesses or to introduce any evidence of his own. Nor did the state court exercise discretion to permit Golino to call witnesses or offer evidence. Rather, he was limited to cross-examining the state's witnesses and submitting a written offer of proof identifying witnesses and evidence he wished to present. Further, in connection with the preliminary hearing, Golino had no access to the police investigative file. As has transpired in the present action, that file contained numerous items of evidence that could have been used to cross-examine the police officers who testified and to create substantial questions about the existence of probable cause to prosecute Golino. 17 Given (a) the substantial showing in the present case that appellants' presentations in support of probable cause contained numerous significant misstatements and omissions, and (b) the limitations on Golino's ability to present his own evidence and to gain access to undisclosed significant facts known to the police in order to cross-examine the state's witnesses, we conclude that the 1984 state hearing did not provide Golino a full and fair opportunity, for collateral estoppel purposes, to litigate the issue of probable cause. Accordingly, the district court properly ruled that the probable cause decision of Judge Kinney should not be given preclusive effect. 18