Opinion ID: 4557823
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Plaintiffs’ Civil Conspiracy Allegations

Text: In August 2018, Plaintiffs sued Defendants John Adams, Michael Reddy Jr., and Michael Reddy Sr. under § 1983, claiming that those three individuals engaged in an unlawful civil conspiracy to falsify evidence and thereby wrongfully cause Plaintiffs to be criminally investigated for homicide by arson. See Marvaso v. Adams, No. 4:18-cv-12442, 2019 WL 3003641 (E.D. Mich. July 10, 2019). Their first amended complaint alleged the following facts: Plaintiffs lease and operate a restaurant called Marvaso’s Italian Grille. The restaurant is adjoined by a charity pool hall and poker facility, Electric Stick, which Plaintiffs also lease and operate. On the morning of May 8, 2013, a fire broke out in the kitchen of Marvaso’s and spread to Electric Stick. Within ten minutes of receiving the emergency calls, the City of WayneWestland Fire Department responded. The firefighters eventually succeeded in putting out the fire, but in the process a probationary firefighter, Brian Woelke, died from smoke and soot inhalation. The Michigan State Police Department initially offered to investigate the cause and origin of the fire, but Defendant John Adams (the Wayne-Westland Fire Marshal) and Defendant Michael Reddy Jr. (the Wayne-Westland Fire Chief) declined. They chose instead to have the Fire Department conduct the investigation itself. Within two days, Adams completed his onscene investigation. He found no evidence of accelerants. Two other investigators, one representing Plaintiffs’ landlord and the other representing Plaintiffs’ insurer, also investigated the cause of the fire. They each found the cause of the fire to be “undetermined.” From May 8, 2013 until June 30, 2013, the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) investigated Brian Woelke’s death. It concluded that his death resulted, at least in part, from the Fire Department’s multiple violations of health and safety regulations. For example, it found that the Department did not establish and implement written procedures for emergency operations, including a “two-in/two-out” rule, and failed to follow procedures for issuing a mayday call as soon as the firefighters exited the building with one firefighter missing. As a result, MIOSHA cited the Fire Department and assessed it a Nos. 19-1857/1870/1882 Marvaso, et al. v. Sanchez, et al. Page 4 $3,500 fine. In a September 2013 letter, the Fire Department admitted its violations and agreed to pay the fine. Meanwhile, according to Plaintiffs, Fire Marshal Adams, Fire Chief Reddy Jr., and his father, retired Fire Chief Michael Reddy Sr., were planning a scheme to try to divert attention away from the Fire Department for its involvement in Woelke’s death. At some point during the period between June 27, 2013 and early September 2013, those three individuals met and had a least one conversation during which they agreed to change the cause of the fire from accidental or undetermined to “incendiary.” They knew that doing so would likely trigger an arson and homicide investigation into Plaintiffs’ role in the fire. Prior to this conversation, Reddy Sr. had taken the Marvasos’ daughter, Sunday Gaines, to lunch and told her, “You know I would do anything to protect my family.” (No. 4:18-cv-12442, R. 22, Pg. ID 109.) In or about midSeptember 2013, Fire Marshal Adams had lunch with a Westland City Council member. Despite having previously told the council member that the cause of the fire was electrical, Adams said he was changing his conclusion to incendiary. When the council member asked why Adams was changing his report, Adams responded, “Because a firefighter died, Bill.” (Id. at Pg. ID 111.) In November 2013, “despite having received no new evidence,” Adams “suddenly reversed course, concluding that the fire had an incendiary cause.” (Id. at Pg. ID 112.) Adams then, in furtherance of the conspiracy, knowingly submitted the false fire report to the Michigan State Police. Doing so triggered an unjustified homicide investigation into Plaintiffs, which resulted in the search and seizure of their property, loss of employment, and “inability to rebuild their family business” because of the loss of insurance proceeds. (Id. at Pg. ID 115–16.) Plaintiffs were never arrested for any involvement in the fire and no charges against them were ever brought. According to Plaintiffs, Adams’ intentionally false report was the only evidence of any possible wrongdoing by Plaintiffs. They allege that their damages, including the searches of their homes and seizure of their property, occurred as a direct result of this false report.