Opinion ID: 196118
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Claims Against the Police Officers

Text: 26 After the false arrest claims were allowed to proceed, the police defendants contended that the district court had dismissed, as frivolous, the claim that the police deprived Reid of due process of law and a fair trial by concealing exculpatory evidence. Unable to obtain clarification of the district court dismissal order, Reid pursued further discovery in an attempt to establish each police defendant's awareness of the exculpatory evidence and whether, and when, the officers had disclosed what they knew to one another and to the prosecutors. The district court ultimately permitted the third amended complaint, including the false arrest claims and the concealment claims, to be filed against the police defendants. 27 (i) The Third Amended Complaint 28 On February 14, 1992, the magistrate judge ordered the police defendants to respond to Reid's interrogatories and requests for production of documents. On June 10, Reid filed a motion to compel further responses to interrogatories, followed by motions to join additional defendants and for permission to file the third amended complaint alleging, inter alia, that the police defendants conspired with the prosecutors to conceal the exculpatory evidence. There followed, in July 1992, another motion to compel production. 29 Prior to any disposition of Reid's June 10 motions to compel responses to interrogatories and for leave to file the third amended complaint, the police defendants moved for summary judgment on qualified immunity grounds based on their contention that other evidence in their possession was sufficient to establish probable cause for Reid's arrest even assuming they had withheld the exculpatory evidence. In addition, Sergeant Simmons submitted an affidavit denying that he had withheld police reports relating to Misty. On August 27, 1992, Reid requested further time to respond to the police defendants' motion for summary judgment, because he was unable to do so until the district court ruled on his discovery requests. 14 30 In November, 1992, the case was transferred from Rhode Island to New Hampshire and reassigned to a different district judge. On December 14, the newly assigned judge allowed Reid until January 11, 1993, to respond to the police defendants' motion for summary judgment. At the same time, the court directed that Reid's motions to compel discovery and to substitute the third amended complaint be considered withdrawn from the docket, without prejudice to their renewal by January 4, 1993. Reid renewed each motion within the deadline and again sought additional time to respond to the motion for summary judgment. 31 On January 22, 1993, the district court allowed Reid seven days to respond in writing to the motion for summary judgment. The court denied Reid's motion to substitute the third amended complaint insofar as it would add claims against prosecutors Wageling and McDonough for malicious prosecution, denial of due process of law and false imprisonment caused by the failure to disclose the exculpatory evidence, and against Attorney Renfro for conspiring with the prosecutors to conceal the exculpatory evidence from Reid. At the same time, the court allowed an amendment adding a separate malicious prosecution claim against all police defendants and restating the claim that the police defendants had violated Reid's constitutional rights by continuously withholding the exculpatory evidence. Lastly, the district court rejected Reid's motion to compel further discovery under Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(f), on the ground that the discovery sought was not substantially related to the police defendants' qualified immunity claims. 32 On February 5, 1993, the district court granted summary judgment for all police defendants. Relying primarily on reports of the police investigation preceding Reid's arrest, the court reasoned that the police defendants were entitled to qualified immunity because an objectively reasonable police officer, based on all the evidence, including the exculpatory information withheld until August of 1988, nonetheless could have believed that there was probable cause to arrest Reid for sexually assaulting Misty, even assuming the police defendants concealed the exculpatory evidence. 15 The district court did not mention the malicious prosecution claims relating to the alleged failure of the police defendants to disclose the exculpatory evidence, but concluded that when probable cause exists notwithstanding the existence of some exculpatory evidence, no violation of the Fourth Amendment occurs and the shield of qualified immunity remains viable. (emphasis added). Final judgment was entered dismissing all claims against the police defendants on February 8. 33 On February 10, the district court clerk received and docketed Reid's timely opposition to the motion for summary judgment, together with his supporting affidavit, exhibits, memorandum, and statement of contested and uncontested facts. 16 The supporting materials included the 1985 and 1986 police reports, which recorded prior complaints of sexual assaults against Misty, as well as portions of the DCYS reports describing relevant family history. 34 The DCYS reports described how Misty and her sister, Wendy, had been physically abused by their mother. The allegations were made by Wendy, and by a former roommate of Misty's mother. The reports related that Misty's mother engaged in sexual intercourse in Misty's presence. The former roommate described how she had found Misty fellating her four-year-old son on April 17, 1985. Misty's mother denied the allegations and accused Wendy of making false charges in order to force the mother into allowing her to move in with a boyfriend, and because Wendy was under the influence of drugs. 35 The DCYS reports further indicated that Wendy had refused to return to her mother's residence for a period of two weeks, and that the Manchester Police had attempted, without success, to find Wendy and return her to her mother. Wendy requested that she be placed in protective custody, but that her request was denied due to lack of concrete evidence. Later, after joint counseling, Wendy voluntarily returned home. Finally, the DCYS reports reflect that during 1985--the year before Reid's arrest--Misty's mother was under investigation for child abuse and neglect. 36 Reid contended that these materials established that both Misty and her mother were unreliable and that the mother had an ulterior motive for fabricating charges against Reid since she had been the subject of a DCYS investigation for abuse and neglect based on Wendy's allegations that the mother repeatedly had beaten her and Misty. 17 37 Although Reid's timely opposition and supporting materials were received and docketed on February 10, the police reports and the DCYS reports were returned to Reid the same day by the clerk, pursuant to Local Rule 14 which provides that the clerk is not required to retain discovery materials. On February 22, Reid moved for reconsideration of the summary judgment order entered February 8. 18 Reconsideration was summarily denied on May 10, 1993, though the exculpatory evidence was not before the court. The district court noted, however, that it had considered Reid's pro se objection and memorandum in opposition to the motion for summary judgment, which described some of the exculpatory evidence. Reid appealed. 38 We review the summary judgment order de novo, Lallemand v. University of Rhode Island, 9 F.3d 214, 215 (1st Cir.1993), the Rule 56(f) order for abuse of discretion, Mattoon v. City of Pittsfield, 980 F.2d 1, 7 (1st Cir.1992), and the order denying reconsideration for abuse of discretion, DeSenne v. Jamestown Boat Yard, Inc., 968 F.2d 1388, 1392 (1st Cir.1992). 39 The district court prematurely granted summary judgment on the claims that Reid was arrested without probable cause and that the police failed to disclose the exculpatory impeachment evidence to the prosecutors. As noted above, see note 8 supra, a procedural due process claim may not be redressed under section 1983 where an adequate state remedy exists. Perez-Ruiz v. Crespo-Guillen, 25 F.3d 40, 42 (1st Cir.1994); Smith v. Massachusetts Dept. of Correction, 936 F.2d 1390, 1402 (1st Cir.1991); Torres v. Superintendent of Police, 893 F.2d 404, 410 (1st Cir.1990). Since New Hampshire recognizes the common-law torts of false arrest, Hickox v. J.B. Morin Agency, Inc., 110 N.H. 438, 272 A.2d 321, 323 (1970), and malicious prosecution, Stock v. Byers, 120 N.H. 844, 424 A.2d 1122, 1123 (1980), the claim that Reid was arrested without probable cause should have been addressed under New Hampshire law, not section 1983. Richardson v. Chevrefils, 131 N.H. 227, 552 A.2d 89, 92 (1988); Opinion of the Justices, 126 N.H. 554, 493 A.2d 1182-90 (1985); Merrill v. Manchester, 114 N.H. 722, 332 A.2d 378, 383 (1974) (abrogating doctrine of municipal immunity); see also N.H.Rev.Stat.Ann. Sec. 491:24. On the other hand, the allegation that the police withheld the exculpatory evidence from the prosecutors does not state an actionable claim under New Hampshire common law and thus must be analyzed under federal law in accordance with section 1983 jurisprudence. See Walker v. City of New York, 974 F.2d 293, 300 (2d Cir.1992), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 113 S.Ct. 1387, 122 L.Ed.2d 762 (1993), and cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 113 S.Ct. 1412, 122 L.Ed.2d 784 (1993); Henderson v. Fisher, 631 F.2d 1115, 1119 (3d Cir.1980) (per curiam); Taylor v. Hansen, 731 F.Supp. 72, 78 (N.D.N.Y.1990); Carter v. Harrison, 612 F.Supp. 749, 758 (E.D.N.Y.1985). 40 Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(f) provides a safety valve for claimants genuinely in need of further time to marshal facts, essential to justify [their] opposition ... to a summary judgment motion. Mattoon, 980 F.2d at 7; see Morrissey v. Boston Five Cents Savings Bank, 54 F.3d 27, 34-35 (1st Cir.1995) (further discovery sought under Rule 56(f) must be such as could establish a triable issue). The Rule 56(f) motion must (1) articulate a plausible basis for the belief that discoverable materials exist which would raise a trialworthy issue and (2) demonstrate good cause for failure to have conducted discovery earlier. Id. We have held that where the movant satisfies the requirements of Rule 56(f), a strong presumption arises in favor of relief. Resolution Trust Corp. v. North Bridge Assoc., 22 F.3d 1198, 1203 (1st Cir.1994). 41 Reid made a timely motion to defer ruling on the summary judgment motion, supported by an affidavit sufficiently describing the requested discovery. Prior to the Rule 56(f) motion, moreover, the magistrate judge had ordered the police defendants to respond to interrogatories previously filed by Reid. The police defendants have never complied with the order to respond to these interrogatories. The unanswered interrogatories directly concern the critical DCYS reports on Misty, Wendy and their mother, and when the various police defendants became aware of these reports. 42 The requested discovery was essential to Reid's claims against the police defendants. When the individual police defendants learned of the exculpatory evidence is relevant to (1) whether the individual defendants reasonably could have believed there was probable cause to arrest Reid (false arrest claim) and (2) whether they initiated the criminal prosecution knowing that probable cause was lacking (malicious prosecution claim). When the exculpatory evidence was transmitted to the prosecutors is relevant to determining (3) whether the individual defendants attempted to withhold Brady material from the prosecutors (section 1983 claim). The unanswered interrogatories were pertinent to all these matters. As the discovery sought is such that it could arguably generate a trialworthy issue of material fact, we must determine whether Reid complied with the other strictures of Rule 56(f). 43 Given the direct police involvement in the bitter dispute between Wendy and her mother, and the two police reports relating prior sexual abuse of Misty, it cannot be considered implausible in the least that the police had access to the exculpatory information prior to Reid's arrest. The requested information was within the control of the police defendants, a factor which weighs heavily in favor of relief under Rule 56(f). North Bridge Assoc., 22 F.3d at 1208 (reversing denial of Rule 56(f) motion). Furthermore, Reid not only sought discovery in a timely manner, but obtained a court order requiring the police defendants to respond to his interrogatories. See Mattoon, 980 F.2d at 7 (failure of movant to pursue discovery with diligence permits denial of Rule 56(f) motion). Finally, the Reid motion, affidavit and interrogatories plainly identified the information requested. See Murphy v. Timberlane Regional Sch. Dist., 22 F.3d 1186, 1197 (1st Cir.) (upholding denial of Rule 56(f) motion where movant failed to identify information sought and to submit supporting affidavit), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 115 S.Ct. 484, 130 L.Ed.2d 396 (1994); Nestor Colon Medina & Sucesores, Inc. v. Custodio, 964 F.2d 32, 39 (1st Cir.1992) (finding abuse of discretion in denying portion of Rule 56(f) motion which clearly related facts which would generate a trialworthy issue). 44 In these circumstances Reid was entitled to receive responses to the unanswered interrogatories as previously ordered by the court, and the additional discovery requested in the Rule 56(f) motion. See generally Farmer v. Brennan, --- U.S. ----, ----, 114 S.Ct. 1970, 1985, 128 L.Ed.2d 811 (1994) (remanding Rule 56(f) ruling for reconsideration in light of Court's holding that the central issue governing plaintiff's claim was when state officials actually acquired certain information). On remand, therefore, Reid should be allowed to conduct reasonable further discovery relating to the state-law and section 1983 claims against the police defendants. 45