Schoolcraft v. The City Of New York et al

Filing 499

MEMORANDUM OF LAW in Support re: 498 MOTION in Limine To Preclude Plaintiff From Offering Certain Evidence at Trial. With Redactions. Document filed by Christopher Broschart(Tax Id. 915354 in his official capacity), Timothy Caughey(Tax Id. 885374 Individually), Kurt Duncan(Shield No. 2483, Individually), William Gough(Tax Id. 919124, Individually), Elise Hanlon(in her official capacity as a lieutenant with the New York City Fire Department), Shantel James(Shield No. 3004 in his official capacity), Theodore Lauterborn(Tax Id. 897840 in his official capacity), Michael Marino, Gerald Nelson(Assistant Chief Patrol Borough Brooklyn North, Tax Id. 912370 in his official capacity), Frederick Sawyer(Shield No. 2576 in his official capacity), The City Of New York. (Shammas, Cheryl)

10-CV-6005 (RWS)
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

ADRIAN SCHOOLCRAFT,
Plaintiff,
-againstTHE CITY OF NEW YORK, et al.,
Defendants.

CITY DEFENDANTS’ MEMORANDUM OF LAW
IN SUPPORT OF THEIR MOTION IN LIMINE

ZACHARY W. CARTER
Corporation Counsel of the City of New York
Attorney for Defendants
100 Church Street
New York, N.Y. 10007
Of Counsel: Alan Scheiner
Tel: [phone]
Cheryl Shammas
Tel: [phone]
Kavin Thadani
Tel: [phone]
Matter #: 2010-033074

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ......................................................................................................... iv
ARGUMENT 
POINT I 
EVIDENCE RELATED TO PLAINTIFF’S PRIOR
INTERNAL COMPLAINTS ABOUT POLICE
MISCONDUCT SHOULD BE PRECLUDED .......................................... 1 
A.  Plaintiff’s Allegations of Prior Police
Misconduct and Other Prior Statements
Constitute Inadmissible Hearsay. ........................................................ 2 
B.  Plaintiff Should Be Precluded From Testifying
About the Existence of a “Quota” System or
Any Purported False Arrests in the 81st
Precinct Because He Has Admitted that He
Lacks Personal Knowledge of Those Subjects. ................................... 4 
C.  Evidence Relating to the Truth of Plaintiff’s
Allegations of Prior Police Misconduct Should
be Precluded......................................................................................... 7 
D.  Evidence Related to Plaintiff’s Prior
Allegations of Police Misconduct Should Be
Precluded Even Though the Municipal Liability
Issues Are Not Bifurcated .................................................................... 9 
POINT II 
PLAINTIFF SHOULD BE PRECLUDED FROM
OFFERING
EVIDENCE
OF
ECONOMIC
DAMAGES ............................................................................................... 12 
POINT III 
PLAINTIFF SHOULD BE COMPELLED TO
MAKE LARRY SCHOOLCRAFT AVAILABLE
TO TESTIFY AT TRIAL ......................................................................... 16 

Page
POINT IV 
PLAINTIFF SHOULD BE PRECLUDED FROM
SEEKING DECLARATORY RELIEF AT TRIAL ................................. 17 
POINT V 
PLAINTIFF SHOULD BE PRECLUDED FROM
OFFERING
EVIDENCE
OF
OTHER
INSTANCES OF ALLEGED RETALIATION BY
THE NYPD AGAINST OTHER OFFICERS .......................................... 20 
A.  Evidence of Alleged Conditions at Precincts
Other than the 81st Precinct................................................................ 20 
B.  Evidence of Conditions at the 81st Precinct ....................................... 21 
C.  Joseph Ferrara Lacks Personal Knowledge ....................................... 23 
D.  The Purported Evidence of Specific Instances
of Retaliation are Insufficient to Establish a
Custom and Practice .......................................................................... 25 
POINT VI 
PLAINTIFF SHOULD BE PRECLUDED FROM
INQUIRING INTO OR OFFERING EVIDENCE
REGARDING ANY DISCIPLINARY HISTORY
OR LAWSUITS AGAINST THE DEFENDANTS
AND ANY QAD OR IAB REPORTS...................................................... 28 
A.  Disciplinary Histories and Lawsuits .................................................. 28 
B.  Defendant Marino .............................................................................. 32 
C.  Defendant Mauriello .......................................................................... 33 
D.  Defendant Hanlon .............................................................................. 34 
E.  Broschart ............................................................................................ 34 
F.  The QAD and IAB Reports Constitute
Inadmissible Hearsay ......................................................................... 35 
G.  The danger of undue prejudice outweighs any
probative value................................................................................... 36 
ii

Page
H.  The Mollen Commission Report Should be
Excluded ............................................................................................ 40
POINT VII
PLAINTIFF SHOULD BE PRECLUDED FROM
INTRODUCING NEWSPAPER ARTICLES .......................................... 41
POINT VIII 
PLAINTIFF SHOULD BE PRECLUDED FROM
OFFERING EVIDENCE RELATING TO THE
NYPD’S PRESENCE IN JOHNSTOWN ................................................ 42 
POINT IX 
PLAINTIFF SHOULD BE PRECLUDED FROM
OFFERING ANY EVIDENCE THAT DEFENSE
ATTORNEYS ARE ATTORNEYS FOR THE
CITY AND THAT THE CITY MAY INDEMNIFY
A DEFENDANT ....................................................................................... 43 
POINT X 
PLAINTIFF SHOULD BE PRECLUDED FROM
REQUESTING A SPECIFIC DOLLAR AMOUNT
FROM THE JURY. .................................................................................. 45 
POINT XI 
DEFENDANTS RESERVE THEIR RIGHT TO
FILE SUPPLEMENTAL MOTIONS IN LIMINE. .................................. 46 
CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 47 

iii

TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
Cases

Pages

Beech Aircraft Corp. v. Rainey,
488 U.S. 153 (1988) ................................................................................................................. 36
Berkovich v. Hicks,
922 F.2d 1018 (2d Cir. 1991)............................................................................................. 29, 30
Board of County Com'rs of Bryan County, Okl. v. Brown,
520 U.S. 397, 404 (1997)………………………………………………………………………25
Bright v. Firestone Tire & Rubber Co.,
756 F.2d 19 (6th Cir. 1984) ..................................................................................................... 37
Chandler v. Roudebush,
425 U.S. 840, 96 S. Ct. 1949, 48 L. Ed. 2d 416 (1976) ........................................................... 35
Chepilko v. City of New York,
2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15110 (E.D.N.Y. Feb. 6, 2012).......................................................... 27
Chevron Corp. v. Donziger,
974 F. Supp. 2d 362, 701 n. 172 (S.D.N.Y. 2014)................................................................... 16
Chiste v. Travelocity.com, LP,
756 F. Supp. 2d 382 (S.D.N.Y. 2010)................................................................................ 18, 19
City of Los Angeles v. Lyons,
461 U.S. 95 (1983) ................................................................................................................... 19
Consorti v. Armstrong World Industries, Inc.,
72 F.3d 1003 (2d Cir. 1995)..................................................................................................... 46
Cont’l Cas. Co. v. Coastal Sav. Bank,
977 F.2d 734 (2d Cir. 1992)..................................................................................................... 18
Contreras v. Artus,
778 F.3d 97 (2d Cir. 2015)....................................................................................................... 23
Cook v. Hatch Assocs.,
2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 31558 (W.D.N.Y. 2007) ........................................................ 37, 38, 39
Curry v. City of Syracuse.,
316 F.3d 324 (2d Cir. 2003)..................................................................................................... 27
Deler v. Commodore Cruise Line,
1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18341 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 11, 1995) ....................................................... 17
iv

Cases

Pages

Design Strategy, Inc. v. Davis,
469 F.3d 284 (2d Cir. 2006) .................................................................................................... 14
Delrosario v. City of New York,
2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20923 (S.D.N.Y. 2010)……………………………………………….41
Dettelis v. City of Buffalo,
3 F. Supp.2d 341 ...................................................................................................................... 27
Devenpeck v. Alford,
543 U.S. 146, 153 (2004)……………………………………………………………………22
Dockery v. Tucker,
2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 97826 (E.D.N.Y. 2006)………………………………………………..42
Dolphin Direct Equity Partners, LP v. Interactive Motorsports & Entm’t Corp.,
No. 08 Civ. 1558 (RMB)(THK),
2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21938 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 2, 2009) ......................................................... 18
Edwards v. City of New York,
03-cv-9407, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 34376 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 19, 2005) ................................... 27
Edwards v. City of New York,
2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 75300 (E.D.N.Y. July 13, 2011)…………………………………….44
Escobar v. City of New York,
766 F. Supp. 2d 415 (E.D.N.Y. 2011) ..................................................................................... 27
Figueroa v. Boston Sci. Corp.,
00 Civ. 7922 (DC), 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10936 (S.D.N.Y. June 25, 2003) ........... 32, 34, 35
Finigan v. Marshall
574 F.3d 57, 61-62 (2d Cir. 2009)……………………………………………………………..22
Floyd v. City of New York,
959 F.Supp. 2d 540 (S.D.N.Y. 2013)....................................................................................... 20
Gaw v. Comm’r,
1995 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 530, Nos. 17906-92, 18268-92 (T.C. Nov. 9, 1995) .................. 17
Gianni Sport Ltd. v. Metallica,
No. 00 Civ. 0937 (MBM), 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17339 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 4, 2000) .............. 19
Green v. City of New York,
465 F.3d 65 (2d Cir. 2006)....................................................................................................... 27
v

Cases

Pages

Hall v. Western Prod. Co.,
988 F.2d 1050 (10th Cir. 1993) ............................................................................................... 40
Hancock v. City of New York, et al.,
10 Civ. 7989 (JMF), Motion In Limine Rulings,
at Docket Entry No. 53 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 5, 2013) ............................................................... 43-44
Hardy v. Town of Greenwich,
629 F. Supp. 2d 192 (D. Conn. 2009) ............................................................................ 9, 22, 37
Harty v. Simon Prop. Group, L.P.,
428 F. App’x 69 (2d Cir. 2011) ............................................................................................... 19
Holland v. City of Houston,
41 F. Supp. 2d 678 (S.D. Tex. 1999) ....................................................................................... 11
Huddleston v. United States,
485 U.S. 681 (1988) ................................................................................................................. 28
ICOS Vision Systems Corp., N.V. v. Scanner Techs. Corp.,
699 F. Supp. 2d 664 (S.D.N.Y. 2010)...................................................................................... 18
Jackson v. City of New York,
No. 93 CV 174, unpublished order (E.D.N.Y. April 24, 1996) ............................................... 41
Jean-Laurent v. Wilkinson,
05 Civ. 583, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20472 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 13, 2009) ............................. 30,44
Jeffes v. Barnes,
208 F.3d 49 (2d Cir. 2000)....................................................................................................... 11
John McShain v. Cessna Aircraft Co.,
563 F.2d 632 (3 Cir. 1977)....................................................................................................... 38
Johnson v. Yellow Freight System, Inc.,
734 F.2d 1309 (8th Cir. Mo. 1984) .......................................................................................... 39
LeRoy v. Sabena World Airlines,
344 F.2d 266 (2d Cir. 1965)..................................................................................................... 36
Lewis v. City of Philadelphia,
No. 03-2310, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23499 (E.D. Pa. Nov. 19, 2004) .................................... 4
Lombardo v. Stone,
No. 99 Civ. 4603 (SAS) 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1267 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 29, 2002) ............. 29, 30

vi

Cases

Pages

Mathie v. Fries,
121 F.3d 808 (2d Cir. 1997)..................................................................................................... 45
Matthews v. City of New York,
957 F. Supp. 2d 442 (S.D.N.Y. July 29, 2013) ........................................................................ 20
McAllister v. N.Y. City Police Dep't,
49 F. Supp. 2d 688, 706 n. 12 (S.D.N.Y.1999)………………………………………………...41
McGuire v. Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Co.,
00 Civ. 5951 (WK), 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19753 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 29, 2001) ...................... 44
Media Alliance, Inc. v. Mirch,
2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6332 (N.D.N.Y Jan. 19, 2012)…….……………………………….....41
Mercado v. City of New York,
No. 08 Civ. 2855 (BSJ) (HP),
2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 140430 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 5, 2011) ....................................................... 10
Middle Market Fin. Corp. v. D’Orazio,
No. 96 Civ. 8138 (SWK)(HBP),
2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17817 (S.D.N.Y. Sept 23, 2002) .................................................. 14, 15
Mikulec v. Town of Cheektowaga,
302 F.R.D. 25 (W.D.N.Y. 2014).............................................................................................. 14
Mileski v. Long Island R.R. Co.,
499 F.2d 1169 (2d Cir. 1974)................................................................................................... 46
Miller v. County of Nassau,
467 F. Supp. 2d 308, 314 (E.D.N.Y. 2006)…………………………………………………...25
Monell v. Dep't of Soc. Servs,
436 U.S. 658 (1978) ................................................................................................................. 10
Munafo v. Metro. Transp. Auth.,
Nos. 98 CV-4572 (ERK), 00-CV-0134 (ERK),
2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13495 (E.D.N.Y. Jan. 22, 2003) .................................................. 7, 8, 9
Nat’l Union Fire Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh v. Int’l Wire Group, Inc.,
2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9193 (S.D.N.Y. June 2, 2003)............................................................ 19
New York v. Pullman, Inc.,
662 F.2d 910 (2d Cir. N.Y. 1981) ............................................................................................ 38

vii

Cases

Pages

O’Brien v. City of Yonkers,
2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43551, 11-12 (S.D.N.Y. 2013)……………………………………….22
Paolitto v. John Brown E. & C., Inc.,
151 F.3d 60 (2d Cir. 1998)................................................................................................. 35, 39
Park W. Radiology v. CareCore Nat’l LLC,
675 F. Supp. 2d 314 (S.D.N.Y. 2009)...................................................................................... 39
People v. Mingey,
190 N.Y. 61 (1907) .................................................................................................................. 23
Provost v. Newburgh,
262 F.3d 146 (2d Cir. 2001)..................................................................................................... 44
In re REFCO Inc. Securities Litig.: Krys v. Aaron,
No. 07-md-1902 (JSR), No. 08-cv-7416,
2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 142588 (S.D.N.Y. July 19, 2010) ...................................................... 18
Richmond v. General Nutrition Ctrs., Inc.,
08 Civ. 3577 (PAE)(HBP),
2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 32070 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 9, 2012) .............................................. 31-32, 34
Rios v. Selsky,
32 A.D.3d 632, 819 N.Y.S.2d 622 (3d Dep’t 2006) ................................................................ 23
Shaw v. City of New York,
1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4901 (S.D.N.Y. 1997)………………………………………………41
Tieman v. City of Newburgh,
No. 13 Civ. 4178 (KMK), 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 38703 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 26, 2015)………..25
U.S. Bank Nat’l Ass’n v. PHL Variable Ins. Co.,
Nos. 12 Civ. 6811 (CM) (JCF); 13 Civ. 1580 (CM) (JCF),
2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 143398 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 3, 2013) ........................................................ 13
United States v. Annabi,
No. S1 10 Cr. 7 (CM), 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19762 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 14, 2012) ..................... 2
United States v. Costello,
221 F.2d 668 (2 Cir. 1955),
aff’d, 350 U.S. 359, 100 L. Ed. 397, 76 S. Ct. 406 (1956) ...................................................... 38
United States v. Doherty,
786 F.2d 491 (2d Cir. 1986)..................................................................................................... 18
viii

Cases

Pages

United States v. Fosher,
590 F.2d 381 (1st Cir. 1979) .............................................................................................. 37, 38
United States v. Lake,
150 F.3d 269 (3d Cir. 1998)....................................................................................................... 4
United States Football League v. National Football League,
1986 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 25390 (S.D.N.Y. 1986)……………………………………………….42
United States v. Robinson,
560 F.2d 507 (2 Cir. 1977),
cert. denied, 435 U.S. 905, 55 L. Ed. 2d 496, 98 S. Ct. 1451 (1978) ...................................... 38
United States v. Stone,
05 CR 401, 2007 WL 4410054 (E.D.N.Y. Dec. 14, 2007) ...................................................... 31
Van Ort v. Estate of Stanewich,
92 F.2d 831 (9th Cir. 1996) ..................................................................................................... 11
Varlesi v. Wayne State Univ.,
2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 162508, No. 10-14793 (E.D. Mich. Nov. 14, 2012) .......................... 15
Vippolis v. Village of Haverstraw,
768 F.2d 40 (2d Cir. 1985)....................................................................................................... 10
Walker v. City of New York,
2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 91410, 16-17 (S.D.N.Y. July 14, 2015) ................................................ 25
West v. Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc.,
967 F. Supp. 2d 479 (D.N.H. 2013) .................................................................................... 14-15
Williams v. City of New York,
No. 94 Civ. 6234, unpublished transcript at 85 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 6, 1996) ............................... 41
Williams v. McCarthy,
05 Civ. 10230, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 79151 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 25, 2007) .......................... 44-45
Wilton v. Seven Falls Co.,
515 U.S. 277 (1995) ................................................................................................................. 18

ix

Statutes

Pages

42 U.S.C. § 1983 ............................................................................................................... 10, 25, 27
Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(a) ......................................................................................................... 12, 13, 14
Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(a)(2) ................................................................................................................. 15
Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(a)(1)(A)(iii) ..................................................................................................... 12
Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6)................................................................................................................. 34
Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(e) ..................................................................................................................... 13
Fed. R. Civ. P. 37(c)(1) ................................................................................................................. 14
Fed. R. Evid.105 ............................................................................................................................. 3
Fed. R. Evid. 401 ...................................................................................................................... 8, 20
Fed. R. Evid. 401(a) ...................................................................................................................... 22
Fed. R. Evid. 402 ....................................................................................................................... 5, 9
Fed. R. Evid. 403 ................................................................................................................... passim
Fed. R. Evid. 404 .................................................................................................................... 30, 32
Fed. R. Evid. 404(b)............................................................................................................... passim
Fed. R. Evid. 411 .................................................................................................................... 42, 44
Fed. R. Evid. 602 ...................................................................................................................... 4, 23
Fed. R. Evid. 608(b)................................................................................................................ 30, 31
Fed. R. Evid.701 ............................................................................................................................. 4
Fed. R. Evid. 801(c) ........................................................................................................................ 2
Fed .R. Evid. 803 ................................................................................................................... passim
Fed. R. Evid. 804 .......................................................................................................................... 17

x

Other Authorities
5-801 Weinstein’s Federal Evidence § 801.30 ............................................................................... 2
McCormick § 168; Annot., 4 A.L.R.2d 761…………………………………………… ............. 43
12 Moore’s Federal Practice § 57.04(3) (3rd ed. 2004) ................................................................ 19
C. Wright and V. Gold, 27 Federal Practice and Procedure: Evidence
§ 6023 (West 1990).................................................................................................................... 4
Weinstein and Berger, 1 Weinstein’s Evidence P 403(04) (1980)………………………………38

xi

The City defendants respectfully submit this Memorandum of Law in Support of their
Motions in Limine.1
ARGUMENT
POINT I
EVIDENCE RELATED TO PLAINTIFF’S PRIOR
INTERNAL
COMPLAINTS
ABOUT
POLICE
MISCONDUCT SHOULD BE PRECLUDED
Plaintiff contends that his prior internal complaints about police misconduct provided the
motivation for the defendants’ actions and he has indicated that he plans to offer evidence at trial
of the fact that he made certain allegations of police misconduct prior to October 31, 2009, and
that such allegations were in fact true. For example, in his pre-trial exhibit list, plaintiff includes
numerous items, such as roll call audio recordings / transcripts,2 documents pertaining to other,
unrelated proceedings,3 disciplinary investigation files, interviews, reports and decisions,4
plaintiff’s memo books,5 plaintiff’s recordings regarding his reporting,6 and internal reports
concerning plaintiff’s allegations,7 which either in whole or in part have no direct bearing on the
incident at hand and instead relate solely to plaintiff’s prior allegations of police misconduct.

1

The City Defendants also join in the motions submitted by all co-defendants and hereby
incorporate the arguments contained therein.
2

See, e.g., PTX 25, 34, 40, 84.

3

See, e.g., PTX 404, 410, 411.

4

See, e.g., PTX 18, 26, 33, 42, 64, 65, 66, 79, 81, 93, 402, 403, 408, 409, 421, 426, 427.

5

See, e.g., PTX 29, 30, 95.

6

See, e.g., PTX 306, 309.

7

See, e.g., PTX 4, 6, 13.

As an initial matter, plaintiff’s prior specific allegations of police misconduct are relevant
and admissible here only to the extent that plaintiff can establish that they were known by the
individual defendants. There is no evidence that the defendants were aware of any of plaintiff’s
internal complaints, except those he made directly to them.8 In addition, and as explained below,
(i) plaintiff’s allegations constitute inadmissible hearsay and (ii) plaintiff lacks sufficient
personal knowledge to testify about the events underlying his allegations. In any event, the truth
of plaintiff’s allegations are irrelevant to plaintiff’s claims in this case. Accordingly, evidence
related to plaintiff’s prior allegations of police misconduct should be precluded at trial.
A.

Plaintiff’s Allegations of Prior Police Misconduct and Other Prior
Statements Constitute Inadmissible Hearsay.

Plaintiff’s prior allegations of police misconduct, are not admissible when offered by the
plaintiff to prove the truth of his allegations. See Federal Rule of Evidence 801(c) (defining
hearsay as an out-of-court statement that “a party offers in evidence to prove the truth of the
matter asserted”). Hearsay is inadmissible absent an applicable exclusion or exception. The
party-opponent exclusion does not render plaintiff’s out-of-court statements non-hearsay when
offered by plaintiff. See, e.g., 5-801 Weinstein’s Federal Evidence § 801.30 (“A party cannot
use [the party-opponent exclusion] to offer his or her own statements into evidence.”); United
States v. Annabi, No. S1 10 Cr. 7 (CM), 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19762, at *3 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 14,
2012).9

8

At most, plaintiff may proffer some evidence that a defendant was aware that plaintiff may have been
involved in the QAD investigation. This does not establish that they were aware of anything he said to
QAD or IAB.

9

In addition, all recordings and records, including police records, which contain plaintiff’s own
statements and/or the statements of non-parties are hearsay if offered by the plaintiff absent an applicable
exclusion or exception, whether or not they relate to plaintiff’s prior allegations of police misconduct.

2

Plaintiff’s out-of-court statements in this respect, therefore, could only be admissible if
they are offered not for their truth but rather solely for the fact that the statements were made.
Because the fact that plaintiff’s prior allegations were made is not in dispute, it would be
improper under Rule 403 to allow Schoolcraft to offer his own hearsay statements just to prove
that he made them. The parties could readily stipulate that plaintiff made prior allegations of
misconduct by his supervisors.10 Plaintiff’s prior statements, if offered by plaintiff, are more
prejudicial than probative, and are likely to lead to jury confusion, and should be excluded for
that reason.
If the hearsay is admitted, an immediate limiting instruction is required. Pursuant to
Federal Rule of Evidence 105, “[i]f the court admits evidence that is admissible . . . for a purpose
– but not . . . for another purpose – the court, on timely request, must restrict the evidence to its
proper scope and instruct the jury accordingly.”

(emphasis added) Thus, with respect to

plaintiff’s out-of-court statements concerning his prior allegations of police misconduct, the jury
must be instructed at the time the evidence is offered that plaintiff’s out-of-court statements,
when offered by the plaintiff, may not be considered for the truth of the matter asserted within
the statements. The jury should further be instructed that the mere fact that an allegation is made
does not lend any credence to its truth or veracity.
Accordingly, evidence of plaintiff’s prior allegations of police misconduct should be
precluded or, if they are not precluded, subject to a limiting instruction.

10

Should the Court grant this motion, the City defendants will work with plaintiff to prepare an
appropriate stipulation, subject to the Court’s approval.

3

B.

Plaintiff Should Be Precluded From Testifying About the Existence of a
“Quota” System or Any Purported False Arrests in the 81st Precinct Because
He Has Admitted that He Lacks Personal Knowledge of Those Subjects.

Federal Rule of Evidence 602 (“Rule 602”) provides that “[a] witness may testify to a
matter only if evidence is introduced sufficient to support a finding that the witness has personal
knowledge of the matter.” “Knowledge, as it is required by Rule 602, includes ‘an awareness of
objects or events,’ comprised of (1) sensory perception; (2) comprehension of what was
perceived; (3) present recollection; and (4) ability to testify based on what was perceived. Lewis
v. City of Philadelphia, No. 03-2310, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23499, at *5-6 (E.D. Pa. Nov. 19,
2004) (citing C. Wright and V. Gold, 27 Federal Practice and Procedure: Evidence § 6023 (West
1990)). A district court has discretion in determining whether a witness has sufficient personal
knowledge to testify about a particular matter. See, e.g., United States v. Lake, 150 F.3d 269,
273 (3d Cir. 1998). Federal Rule of Evidence 701 similarly instructs that lay witness testimony
must be “rationally based on the witness’s perception.”
Here, plaintiff should be precluded from testifying about a “quota” system and/or any
purported false arrests in the 81st precinct or elsewhere as he has admitted at deposition that he
lacks personal knowledge in this regard.

To the extent that plaintiff claims to have any

knowledge whatsoever on these subjects, such knowledge is indisputably based upon hearsay for
which no exclusion or exception applies.

4

5

6

Plaintiff’s testimony on these matters is not properly based on his personal observations,
perception or knowledge, but rather on hearsay and speculation. “General knowledge” – the
equivalent of saying “everybody knows” – may be sufficient for a conversation at a backyard
barbecue, but it does not meet the rigorous standards for competent evidence in a court of law.
Accordingly, plaintiff should be precluded from testifying about the existence of a “quota”
system or any purported false arrests in the 81st precinct, alleged practices for which he has no
first-hand personal knowledge or independent non-hearsay evidentiary support.
C.

Evidence Relating to the Truth of Plaintiff’s Allegations of Prior Police
Misconduct Should be Precluded.

The truth of plaintiff’s prior complaints of police misconduct, for which he claims he was
retaliated against, is wholly irrelevant to a determination of the defendants’ liability in this case.
See, e.g., Munafo v. Metro. Transp. Auth., Nos. 98 CV-4572 (ERK), 00-CV-0134 (ERK), 2003
U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13495, at *36 (E.D.N.Y. Jan. 22, 2003) (“The truth of [plaintiff’s] allegations
are not relevant to his retaliation claim.11 [Plaintiff] does not need to prove that his complaints
were accurate in order to sustain his claim for wrongful termination; retaliation in response to his
speech is prohibited by the First Amendment regardless of its truth.”); see also, e.g., id. at *48

11

The findings by QAD and/or IAB with respect to plaintiff’s prior allegations of police
misconduct (see, e.g., PTX 42, 64 and 65) are not relevant and should be precluded.

7

(holding that the “truth or falsity of plaintiff’s complaints is simply not relevant to [the]
determination” of whether defendants’ treatment of plaintiff was in fact motivated by his
allegations or was instead punishment for disobedience and insubordination). In other words,
whether plaintiff’s allegations were true or not does not make any fact of consequence more or
less probable, or establish any of plaintiff’s causes of action. See Federal Rule of Evidence 401.
The only evidence relevant to establishing the individual defendants’ purported motive
for retaliation against plaintiff would be that the plaintiff made allegations against them and that
they were aware of such allegations. The same alleged retaliatory motive would be present
regardless of whether or not plaintiff’s allegations were true because the individual defendants
would have the same motive to silence false allegations as true ones. See, e.g., Munafo, 2003
U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13495, at *49 (rejecting plaintiff’s argument that the veracity of his allegations
bore directly upon the motive of the defendants because defendants would have no reason to
retaliate against him if his allegations were baseless).
Moreover, even if the Court were to conclude that the truth or falsity of plaintiff’s
allegations of prior police misconduct is relevant to the individual defendants’ motive to
retaliate, and therefore to plaintiff’s claims, such evidence should still be precluded under
Federal Rule of Evidence 403. Pursuant to Rule 403, “[t]he court may exclude relevant evidence
if its probative value is substantially outweighed by a danger of . . . unfair prejudice, confusing
the issues, misleading the jury, undue delay, wasting time, or needlessly presenting cumulative
evidence.”
Permitting inquiry into the truth of plaintiff’s myriad allegations of prior police
misconduct would result in a mini-trial on each one of those allegations, which in turn would
result in an inordinate amount of witness testimony on collateral matters.

8

Under such

circumstances, the Court is entitled to exclude evidence of limited relevance on the grounds that
its marginal probative value is substantially outweighed by a danger of wasting time. See, e.g.,
Munafo, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13495, at *49; Hardy v. Town of Greenwich, 629 F. Supp. 2d
192, 197-198 (D. Conn. 2009) (“Nor will the Court allow this trial to be sidetracked by several
mini-trials on the veracity of civilian complaints that have been investigated and found to be of
no substance.”).12
Furthermore, a mini-trial with respect to the truth or falsity of each of plaintiff’s prior
allegations of police misconduct, some of which do not involve the defendants here at all, would
necessarily confuse and potentially mislead the jury as to the issues in the case and prejudice the
defendants as there would be a significant danger that the jury would conclude that if the
plaintiff’s allegations are true, then the defendants should be held liable. This added danger
further warrants exclusion.
Accordingly, evidence relating to the truth of plaintiff’s prior allegations of police
misconduct should be precluded.
D.

Evidence Related to Plaintiff’s Prior Allegations of Police Misconduct Should
Be Precluded Even Though the Municipal Liability Issues Are Not
Bifurcated

Even if the Court deems the truth of plaintiff’s prior allegations to be relevant to his
Monell claim, it should nevertheless be excluded under Fed. R. Evid. 402 and 403. Put simply,
all evidence of police misconduct not involving plaintiff should be precluded at trial. As an
initial matter, much of plaintiff’s own testimony is incompetent for the reasons explained above.

12

Should the Court deny this portion of the City defendants’ motion, the City defendants reserve the
right to supplement their witness list with the many witnesses that would be required to have trials on all
of the plaintiff’s prior allegations, and offer additional exhibits on those subjects as well.

9

More specifically, much of plaintiff’s evidence is either inadmissible hearsay or based upon
speculation and a lack of personal knowledge, or both.
In addition, plaintiff’s evidence is irrelevant to the issue of municipal liability because
there is no causal link between plaintiff’s prior allegations of police misconduct and plaintiff’s
alleged constitutional violations.
In order to hold a municipality liable under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, a plaintiff must
demonstrate that a policy or custom caused the deprivation of the injured plaintiff’s federal or
constitutional rights. See Monell v. Dep’t of Soc. Servs, 436 U.S. 658, 690-91 (1978). It is well
settled that “[t]o establish Monell liability, the causal link must be strong; that is, the policy
must be the ‘moving force’ behind a constitutional violation.” Mercado v. City of New York, No.
08 Civ. 2855 (BSJ) (HP), 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 140430, at *23 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 5, 2011)
(quoting Monell, 436 U.S. at 691, 694) (emphasis added); see also Vippolis v. Vill. of
Haverstraw, 768 F.2d 40, 44 (2d Cir. 1985) (“[T]he Plaintiff must establish a causal connection
– an affirmative link – between the policy and the deprivation of his constitutional rights.”)
(internal quotation marks and citation omitted) (emphasis added).
Even accepting plaintiff’s allegations of a “quota” policy or the manipulation of crime
statistics, or “downgrading,” as true, plaintiff cannot show, nor does plaintiff’s evidence support,
that such policies caused his claimed constitutional injuries. Such policies cannot be said to be
the “moving force” behind any of plaintiff’s claims, which include, inter alia, false arrest,
excessive force and retaliation in violation of the First Amendment.
Put differently, proof of a “quota” or downgrading system is not relevant to the issue of
municipal liability because such policies are not directed at depriving police officers like the
plaintiff of their constitutional rights. The individual police defendants here were certainly not

10

acting pursuant to any “quota” or downgrading policy when they had plaintiff taken into custody
pursuant to the Mental Hygiene Law on October 31, 2009.
That is the case even if defendants were retaliating against plaintiff – which they were not
– for making complaints about the alleged policies. The law under Monell requires a much
closer causal connection than merely a “but for” link. See, e.g., Van Ort v. Estate of Stanewich,
92 F.2d 831, 837 (9th Cir. 1996) (“Pointing to a municipal policy action or inaction as a ‘butfor’ cause is not enough to prove a causal connection under Monell.”) (emphasis added);
Holland v. City of Houston, 41 F. Supp. 2d 678, 704 (S.D. Tex. 1999) (“The focus must be on
the direct and foreseeable effects of the policy or custom, not merely a ‘but for’ notion of
causation.”). Rather, as explained above, there must be a strong and clear casual connection
between the alleged policy and the constitutional violation.

Thus, courts “apply ‘rigorous

standards or culpability and causation . . . to ensure that’ the indirect-causation theory not result
in the municipality’s being ‘held liable solely for the actions of its employee.’” Jeffes v. Barnes,
208 F.3d 49, 61 (2d Cir. 2000) (citation omitted). 13
The constitutional violation here is allegedly being taken into custody as an EDP without
probable cause, not “quotas” or downgrading, which are not themselves unconstitutional. Only
evidence of a policy of encouraging the constitutional violation suffered by plaintiff – here,
alleged retaliation by a false EDP arrest – could “cause” the violation in the required Monell
sense of a “moving force” or “affirmative link” behind the violation. There is nothing about a
policy of indifference to “quotas” or the downgrading of criminal complaints that provides a
13

By way of analogy, plaintiff cannot challenge alleged policies of quotas or downgrading in the
same way that he would not be able to challenge, for example, any policy of unlawful stops and
frisks. There can be no question that plaintiff would lack standing to sue the City for having an
alleged policy of unlawful stops and frisks even despite an allegation of retaliation or noncompliance with the policy.

11

“moving force” and “affirmative link” to taking plaintiff into custody without justification: such
policies could exist without such an event ever arising.
Finally, even if there was a sufficient causal link between the evidence relating to
plaintiff’s prior allegations of police misconduct and his alleged constitutional violations such
that the evidence was the “moving force” behind the violations (which is not the case), such
evidence should still be excluded under Federal Rule of Evidence 403 in a combined, nonbifurcated trial because the likelihood of prejudice substantially outweighs any probative value
on the issue of municipal liability. The relevance of the Monell evidence is extraordinarily
strained in light of the lack of causal connection between plaintiff’s allegations of “quotas” and
downgrading and his claimed constitutional injuries, and the prejudice is extraordinarily high in
light of the risk that the jury will confuse the existence of the alleged policies – which are not
directly actionable – with the constitutional violation alleged. Accordingly, evidence related to
plaintiff’s prior allegations of police misconduct should be precluded at trial.
POINT II
PLAINTIFF SHOULD BE PRECLUDED FROM OFFERING
EVIDENCE OF ECONOMIC DAMAGES
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(a)(1)(A)(iii) (“Rule 26(a)”) requires that “a party
must, without awaiting a discovery request, provide to the other parties a computation of each
category of damages claimed by the disclosing party.” Plaintiff has failed to comply with this
requirement and should therefore be precluded from offering evidence of economic damages at
trial. Should the Court deny this portion of the motions in limine, the City defendants reserve the
right to amend their witness and exhibits lists in the JPTO to add any additional evidence
necessary to rebut a claim for economic damages, to the extent that such evidence is required by
the Court’s Individual Practices to be listed in the JPTO.

12

In his Initial Disclosures, served on May 11, 2011, under the category “Itemized
Damages,” the plaintiff stated the following: “N/A,” or not applicable. See Ex. B. Plaintiff thus
failed to disclose a proper computation of economic damages as required by Rule 26(a) and,
during the past more than four years, he has never supplemented his initial disclosure, as
required by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(e), if he intended to seek economic damages.
Although plaintiff had an independent obligation to disclose a damages computation
without awaiting a discovery request, the City defendants’ nevertheless propounded the
following interrogatory demanding that plaintiff:
Identify all economic injuries claimed by plaintiff as a result of the allegations
involving the City defendants as contained in the Amended Complaint, including
but not limited to, expenditures for medical, psychiatric, or psychological
treatment; lost income; property damage; and attorneys’ fees. Identify the
specific amounts claimed for each injury.
Following a series of objections, plaintiff merely stated in response that he “is asserting a claim
for both lost earnings and lost future earnings as a result of this incident. Plaintiff states that the
salary for his last full calendar year with the N.Y.P.D. was $104,763.08.” See Response to
Interrogatory Number 4, Plaintiff’s Response to Defendant City of New York’s First Set of
Interrogatories and Document Requests, (Ex. C). Plaintiff’s response is plainly insufficient and
does not comply with the disclosure requirements of Rule 26(a).

“[R]ather, Rule 26(a)

contemplates an estimate of damages and ‘some analysis.’” U.S. Bank Nat’l Ass’n v. PHL
Variable Ins. Co., Nos. 12 Civ. 6811 (CM) (JCF); 13 Civ. 1580 (CM) (JCF), 2013 U.S. Dist.
LEXIS 143398, at *17 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 3, 2013) (citation omitted). Plaintiff’s sole addition to his
analysis was to list as trial exhibits his W-2s from 2005-2008,14 which were never previously

14

See Plaintiff’s JPTO, PTX 22 (Docket No. 483-1); PTX 22. Plaintiff produced his W-2s for the first
time on August 20, 2015, a day before the final JPTO was due according to the adjournment that plaintiff
requested. This is too late to comply with discovery requirements for an economic damages claim and
PTX 22 should be excluded from evidence as irrelevant.

13

produced despite discovery demands for documents concerning plaintiff’s compensation
(including W-2s), as well as for all evidence of economic damages. See Document Requests 7,
10, 19, City Defendants’ First Combined Set of Interrogatories and Document Requests (Ex. D).
Other than this, there is no mention of a claim for economic damages to be tried – or indeed any
damages – in the plaintiff’s proposed JPTO. See Docket No. 483-1.
Accordingly, plaintiff should be barred from presenting evidence at trial with respect to
his economic damages because “[t]he ‘automatic sanction’ for a violation of Rule 26(a) is
preclusion.” Middle Mkt. Fin. Corp. v. D’Orazio, No. 96 Civ. 8138 (SWK)(HBP), 2002 U.S.
Dist. LEXIS 17817, at *12 (S.D.N.Y. Sept 23, 2002); see also Federal Rule of Civil Procedure
37(c)(1) (“If a party fails to provide information . . . as required by Rule 26(a) . . . the party is not
allowed to use that information . . . to supply evidence . . . at a trial, unless the failure was
substantially justified or is harmless.”); Mikulec v. Town of Cheektowaga, 302 F.R.D. 25, 30
(W.D.N.Y. 2014) (precluding plaintiff “from offering any evidence of economic damages,
except for evidence of his past and future medical expenses, at trial” where plaintiff failed to
disclose a computation of damages for any economic loss, other than past and future medical
expenses).
The fact that plaintiff failed to properly disclose a computation of damages despite City
defendants’ specific request further warrants preclusion. See, e.g., Design Strategy, Inc. v.
Davis, 469 F.3d 284, 295 (2d Cir. 2006) (finding that plaintiff’s failure to comply with Rule
26(a) “was especially troubling because . . . Defendants specifically requested a calculation of
damages”).
Finally, plaintiff has proffered no expert evidence to support a claim for economic
damages.

Without expert evidence on the issue of economic damages, particularly future

14

economic damages, plaintiff is unable to recover such damages at trial. See, e.g., West v. Bell
Helicopter Textron, Inc., 967 F. Supp. 2d 479, 500 (D.N.H. 2013) (“A plaintiff cannot recover
future economic damages without expert testimony or other competent evidence discounting
those damages to net present value. . . . Without such evidence . . . the jury cannot be left to
calculate the discounting based upon ‘personal knowledge [they] may or may not possess’ as to
how to perform such a calculation.”) (citation omitted).15
Nor may plaintiff, or any other non-expert witness, competently testify about these
issues, which involve, inter alia, calculating work and life expectancy, estimating pay raises,
discounting to present value, and assessing lost pension benefits. See, e.g., Varlesi v. Wayne
State Univ., 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 162508, No. 10-14793, at *8 (E.D. Mich. Nov. 14, 2012)
(“Plaintiff may not testify as to issues relating to future damages which require expert
testimony.”); id. at *4 (“[T]he Court cannot allow any testimony, by way of any other witness
who may testify at trial which Plaintiff . . . did not designate as an expert on the subject [of future
damages] and as to any factors pertinent to the calculation of future damages, such as Plaintiff’s
work and life expectancy and discount tables to determine the present value of future
damages.”). Rather, any such testimony would be inherently speculative in nature and an
improper basis upon which to evaluate damages. Accordingly, plaintiff should be precluded
from offering evidence of economic damages.

15

It is too late for plaintiff to offer such expert testimony now, because plaintiff made none of the
disclosures required by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(a)(2) with respect to expert evidence
concerning economic damages. See, e.g., Middle Mkt. Fin. Corp., 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17817, at *12
(“Before an expert can testify at trial, the disclosures set forth in Rule 26(a)(2) must be made.”) (emphasis
in original).

15

POINT III
PLAINTIFF SHOULD BE COMPELLED TO MAKE
LARRY SCHOOLCRAFT AVAILABLE TO TESTIFY AT
TRIAL
It is undisputed that the plaintiff’s father, Larry Schoolcraft, was intimately involved in
the events which transpired on October 31, 2009 and otherwise.

For example, deposition

testimony and documentary evidence has established, inter alia, that Mr. Schoolcraft had
numerous conversations with the plaintiff on October 31, 2009 which demonstrate plaintiff’s
awareness of the New York City Police Department’s efforts to locate and speak with him after
he prematurely abandoned his post without authorization. See, e.g., L. Schoolcraft Dep. Tr.
(Dec. 11, 2013) at 179:22-25, 181:8-182:23 (Ex. E). He is also relevant to plaintiff’s claims of
economic and emotional damages, since Larry Schoolcraft lives with his son. See id. at 30:231:3.
Although Mr. Schoolcraft is listed on plaintiff’s pre-trial exhibit list, City defendants
have reason to believe that plaintiff may not call Mr. Schoolcraft as a witness, and may not
otherwise make Mr. Schoolcraft available at trial to be called by the defendants. Mr. Schoolcraft
is outside the Court’s subpoena power because he lives more than 100 miles away from the
Court.
However, as plaintiff’s father, Mr. Schoolcraft is uniquely within plaintiff’s power to
produce.

Indeed, as the court explained in Chevron Corp. v. Donziger, certain close

relationships, such as a familial relationship, render a witness peculiarly within a party’s power
to produce. 974 F. Supp. 2d 362, 700 n.161, 701 n. 172 (S.D.N.Y. 2014) (citing as examples the
relationship of a party and his mother-in-law and a party and her son).
“The law in [the Second Circuit] is clear that when a party has it peculiarly within his
power to produce witnesses whose testimony would elucidate the transaction and fails to produce
16

such witnesses, the jury may infer that the testimony, if produced, would be unfavorable to that
party.” Deler v. Commodore Cruise Line, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18341, at *12 (S.D.N.Y. Dec.
11, 1995) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted); see also, e.g., Gaw v. Comm’r, 1995
Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 530, Nos. 17906-92, 18268-92, at *77-78 (T.C. Nov. 9, 1995) (“The
failure of a party to call as a witness a relative who would ordinarily be expected to favor that
party suggests that relative’s testimony would be unfavorable.”).
Because Mr. Schoolcraft’s testimony would be material to the issues in this case and
because he is peculiarly within plaintiff’s power to produce, plaintiff should be compelled to
make him available to testify at trial in the event that plaintiff does not call him as a witness. If,
however, plaintiff does not produce Mr. Schoolcraft at trial, the jury should be instructed to draw
an adverse inference to the effect that were Mr. Schoolcraft to testify at trial, his testimony would
have been unfavorable to the plaintiff (i.e., a missing witness charge). In addition, the City
defendants should be allowed to present excerpts of Mr. Schoolcraft’s deposition testimony to
the jury as he would then be an unavailable witness pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 804 for
hearsay purposes.16
POINT IV
PLAINTIFF SHOULD BE PRECLUDED FROM SEEKING
DECLARATORY RELIEF AT TRIAL
On January 28, 2015, after the City defendants filed their motion for summary judgment,
plaintiff filed a Third Amended Complaint in which he, for the first time in this litigation,
asserted a claim for declaratory relief. See Third Amended Complaint, Docket No. 342, at 63.
Specifically, plaintiff seeks:

16

See JPTO at 17, n. 15.

17

Declaratory judgment in favor of plaintiff and against each of the defendants,
finding that the defendants’ conduct was unlawful, including without limitation,
findings that the claims for relief have been established; that the practices and
policies of the NYPD on quotas for stops, summons and arrests and the
manipulation and downgrading of crime reports are unlawful; that the practices
and policies for falsification of training records are unlawful; and that the NYPD
and JHMC records should be expunged to the extent that those records suggest
that plaintiff is (or ever was) emotional [sic] disturbed, or suffering from a mental
illness or dangerous to himself or others.
“Federal courts have ‘unique and substantial discretion in deciding whether to declare the
rights of litigants.’” Dolphin Direct Equity Partners, LP v. Interactive Motorsports & Entm’t
Corp., No. 08 Civ. 1558 (RMB)(THK), 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21938, at *35 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 2,
2009) (quoting Wilton v. Seven Falls Co., 515 U.S. 277, 286 (1995)); see also Chiste v.
Travelocity.com, LP, 756 F. Supp. 2d 382, 407 (S.D.N.Y. 2010). In deciding whether to exercise
this jurisdiction, the Second Circuit has held that courts should consider “whether a declaratory
judgment will [i] ‘serve a useful purpose in clarifying and settling the legal relations in issue’; or
[ii] ‘afford relief from the uncertainty, insecurity, and controversy giving rise to the
proceeding.’” Dolphin Direct, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21938, at *35 (quoting Cont’l Cas. Co. v.
Coastal Sav. Bank, 977 F.2d 734, 737 (2d Cir. 1992)).
Plaintiff should be precluded from seeking declaratory relief because there is no “actual
controversy between the parties” as required for declaratory relief to lie. In re REFCO Inc.
Securities Litig.: Krys v. Aaron, No. 07-md-1902 (JSR), No. 08-cv-7416 (JSR), 2010 U.S. Dist.
LEXIS 142588, at *41 (S.D.N.Y. July 19, 2010) (citing United States v. Doherty, 786 F.2d 491,
498-99 (2d Cir. 1986)). To warrant declaratory relief, “[t]here must be a substantial controversy,
between parties having adverse legal interests, of sufficient immediacy and reality to warrant the
issuance of a declaratory judgment.” ICOS Vision Systems Corp., N.V. v. Scanner Techs. Corp.,
699 F. Supp. 2d 664, 667 (S.D.N.Y. 2010) (citations and internal quotation marks omitted).

18

Past acts do not constitute an appropriate basis for invoking declaratory relief. See, e.g.,
Chiste, 756 F. Supp. 2d at 407 (S.D.N.Y. 2010) (“There is no basis for declaratory relief where
only past acts are involved.”) (quoting Nat’l Union Fire Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh v. Int’l Wire
Group, Inc., 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9193, at *15 (S.D.N.Y. June 2, 2003)); Gianni Sport Ltd. v.
Metallica, No. 00 Civ. 0937 (MBM), 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17339, at *11 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 4,
2000) (“Any damages that are due have already accrued. Therefore, Gianni will not ‘avoid the
accrual of avoidable damages by means of this action.’”); 12 Moore’s Federal Practice §
57.04(3) (3rd ed. 2004) (“Declaratory relief is inappropriate to adjudicate past conduct, such as
when the damages have already accrued”).
To the extent that plaintiff makes a claim for injunctive relief, that claim fails for the
same reason. See, e.g., Harty v. Simon Prop. Group, L.P., 428 F. App’x 69, 71 (2d Cir. 2011)
(citing City of Los Angeles v. Lyons, 461 U.S. 95, 105 (1983)) (“[A] plaintiff seeking injunctive
relief cannot rely only on past injury to satisfy the injury requirement but must show a likelihood
of future harm.”).
The entirety of the dispute between plaintiff and defendants arises out of past acts. As
such, plaintiff should be precluded from seeking declaratory (and injunctive) relief at trial.17

17

Plaintiff may argue that the insufficiency of this claim should have been raised previously.
Because plaintiff asserted this claim for the first time after summary judgment motions had
already been filed, a failure to previously move on the issue should be excused. In any event,
insufficiency of a claim as a matter of law is not waived, and the Court will of necessity, for the
reasons stated herein, have to dismiss the claim at some point during the trial. The Court should
not allow the introduction of any evidence that would be relevant solely to this infirm claim.

19

POINT V
PLAINTIFF SHOULD BE PRECLUDED FROM OFFERING
EVIDENCE OF OTHER INSTANCES OF ALLEGED
RETALIATION BY THE NYPD AGAINST OTHER
OFFICERS
Plaintiff seeks to offer the evidence that other members of the service – e.g., Adhyl
Polanco, Pedro Serrano, Craig Matthews, and Joseph Ferrara – have similarly accused the
Department of institutional pressure to increase enforcement of alleged quotas, and of retaliation
against those who report it. See Floyd v. City of New York, 959 F.Supp. 2d 540 (S.D.N.Y. 2013)
(SAS); Matthews v. City of New York, 957 F. Supp. 2d 442 (S.D.N.Y. July 29, 2013). Specifically,
Officers Polanco, Serrano and Matthews have made accusations concerning alleged conditions at
precincts other than at the 81st Precinct, and Officer Ferrara had made accusations concerning
alleged conditions at the 81st Precinct and elsewhere. See Floyd, 959 F.Supp. 2d 540; Matthews,
957 F. Supp. 2d 442. Evidence concerning alleged quotas and pressures to comply (a) have no
relevance to plaintiff’s claims; (b) lack reliability; (c) amounts to impermissible propensity
evidence; and (d) ultimately serves only to confuse the jury and unduly prejudice defendants.
A.

Evidence of Alleged Conditions at Precincts Other than the 81st Precinct

The test for relevance is whether evidence has “any tendency to make a fact [of
consequence] more or less probable than it would be without the evidence.” Fed. R. Evid. Rule
401. Here plaintiff is seeking to offer testimony of several witnesses who had no interaction
with any of the defendants, were not involved in the events of October 31, 2009, and will only
testify about purported working conditions in precincts that plaintiff never worked in, in other
boroughs. See Floyd, 959 F.Supp. 2d 540 at 598-599 (Officer Polanco’s testimony concerned
alleged conduct at the 41st Precinct, and Officer Serrano’s testimony concerned alleged conduct
at the 40th Precinct). As such, these witnesses lack personal knowledge of the facts that underlie

20

the incident, including the conditions at the 81st Precinct.

Thus, their testimony bears no

relevance to plaintiff’s claims of retaliation within the 81st Precinct. Accordingly, it should be
precluded.
Moreover, there is no evidence that defendants had any knowledge or awareness of the
conduct alleged by these witnesses, thus plaintiff cannot argue that the evidence is relevant to the
defendants’ motive to retaliate against plaintiff. It is illogical and impermissible for plaintiff to
proffer evidence that defendants in this case acted in conformity with the way officers in other
precincts acted, particularly when defendants here had no knowledge of the conduct of those
officers at the relevant time. Even if ruled marginally relevant, and it is not, the admission of
this evidence will cause the jury to think that because officers in other precincts allegedly
retaliated against other officers, defendants here similarly retaliated against plaintiff, causing
severe prejudice to defendants.
For these same reasons, the Court should similarly preclude testimony by any witness –
or any other form of evidence, including but not limited to unidentified roll calls – concerning
the alleged quotas or downgrading of statistics at the 81st Precinct. Accordingly, the evidence is
subject to preclusion under Rule 401 or, if at all relevant, then under Rules 404(b) or 403, as it
constitutes impermissible propensity evidence, and further, any probative value is outweighed by
the severe prejudice and likelihood of juror confusion.
B.

Evidence of Conditions at the 81st Precinct

Evidence of the alleged conditions within the 81st precinct should also be precluded under
Rules 403 and 404(b). Here plaintiff is attempting to elicit testimony from witnesses who will
corroborate that the prior allegations of misconduct made by plaintiff before his current claim
arose were in fact true. As an initial matter, and as set forth herein, the truth of plaintiff’s prior
allegations of other misconduct prior is wholly irrelevant to a determination of the defendants’
21

liability because, as already discussed above, the veracity of the allegations need not be proven
by plaintiff in order to prove his claims.18
Even assuming, arguendo that the truth or falsity of plaintiff’s accusations were deemed
relevant to the motive to seize him – which it is not – the evidence should still be precluded
under Fed.R.Evid. Rule 403, as danger of undue prejudice, substantially outweighs any probative
value. Plaintiff made a great many allegations of wrongdoing, but none of those, if true, would
establish any cause of action asserted by plaintiff in this case. A mini-trial on the truth or falsity
of each one of the accusations, or any of them, would necessarily confuse the jury as to the issues
in the case, and lead the jury to conclude that if the accusations were true, then the defendants
should be held liable. As shown above, a mini-trial on plaintiff’s myriad accusations would also
require an inordinate amount of testimony and witnesses on collateral mattes, and the Court is
entitled to exclude evidence on the grounds that allowing it would engender a waste of time that
outweighs any marginal relevance. See Hardy, 629 F. Supp. 2d at 197-198.
Accordingly, the Court should preclude plaintiff from calling the aforementioned
witnesses.
Additionally, Polanco’s testimony, if offered at trial would be severely prejudicial to
defendants because Polanco has previously asserted that his supervisor – an officer who is not
involved in this case – attempted to declare Polanco as an EDP during an altercation in alleged
retaliation for his complaints.

As a purported instance of similar but otherwise irrelevant

18

Importantly, motive is irrelevant to the reasonableness of the seizure under the Fourth
Amendment. “In determining whether there was probable cause, [the] inquiry is an objective
one that focuses on the facts available to the arresting officer at the time of the arrest.” O’Brien v.
City of Yonkers, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43551, 11-12 (S.D.N.Y. 2013) (quoting Finigan v.
Marshall, 574 F.3d 57, 61-62 (2d Cir. 2009)); see also Devenpeck v. Alford, 543 U.S. 146, 153
(2004) (noting that “an arresting officer's state of mind . . . is irrelevant to the existence of
probable cause”). In addition, trial judges in this district regularly charge juries that when
making a seizure, an officer’s motive – whether good or bad – is irrelevant.

22

conduct, this evidence violates rules Fed. R. Evid. 403 and 404(b). It would also entail a waste
of time, as it would require a mini-trial on the facts alleged by Polanco, in the midst of the trial of
this case.
C.

Joseph Ferrara Lacks Personal Knowledge

The testimony of Joseph Ferrara and evidence of recordings made by him should be
precluded not only because he lacks personal knowledge of the relevant facts, but also because
the recording occurred well after October 31, 2009, and thus, bears no relevance to plaintiff’s
claims. It is a “fundamental general rule of evidence that a witness must confine his testimony to
matters within his personal knowledge . . . .” Contreras v. Artus, 778 F.3d 97, 109 (2d Cir.
2015) (quoting People v. Mingey, 190 N.Y. 61, 64 (1907); Fed. R. Evid. Rule 602 (“A witness
may testify to a matter only if evidence is introduced sufficient to support a finding that the
witness has personal knowledge of the matter.”); Rios v. Selsky, 32 A.D.3d 632, 633, 819
N.Y.S.2d 622, 623 (3d Dep’t 2006) (affirming denial of “request to call certain witnesses since
those witnesses had no personal knowledge of the incident” and “[t]heir testimony, therefore,
would have been irrelevant”). Accordingly, both the testimony and records of Ferrara should be
precluded.
Joseph Ferrara did not “witness first hand” any quota, downgrading or retaliation: he
admits he never witnessed it and knows of it only by “talking to people.” See Ferrara Dep. at
75:16-25, annexed as Exhibit F to Scheiner Decl. Thus, Ferrara’s testimony on this supposed
practice, including his unsupported “belie[f]” that it “would be DI Mauriello” giving orders to
further investigate complaints, is speculation, without foundation, and inadmissible. Id. at 77:2478:19. He testifies about alleged calls from IAB to the precinct asking for plaintiff (Pl. Opp. to
Defs.’ SJ Mot. at 76), but Ferrara offers only hearsay: that he heard from unidentified others that
IAB called to leave a message for plaintiff. Ferrara Dep. 193:10-18; 194:25-195:3. Ferrara
23

emphatically testified that it was not the practice of IAB to call the precinct. Id. at 194:2-24)
Ferrara’s supposed testimony of “a policy” of leaking information to commanding officers about
complaints also consists of hearsay and speculation: Ferrara heard “people talk” about one
commanding officer and speculated “how does somebody find out about it” if they were not told.
Id. at 224:9-19. Ferrara admitted that he had heard of only one instance (“no, that --- that’s
really []it”) and expressly admitted that he lacked personal knowledge: “I mean I can’t say
definitely, you know,” and related hearsay from his wife about another commanding officer
being disciplined, not warned.). Id. at 225:3-226:6.
Ferrara testified that he did not make a complaint about the downgrading system because
“there’s a perception in the NYPD to punish people who try to do good stuff sometimes.” Id. at
79:1-10. While this statement may be admissible were Ferrara’s personal intent relevant – which
it is not – his testimony about his own unsupported perceptions, let alone testimony about others’
beliefs, is not admissible to prove a policy or practice of the NYPD. Nor did Ferrara witness any
“retaliation” against plaintiff or anyone (which would be irrelevant to Monell issues in any
event). Ferrara testified that sometime “right before” or “two to four weeks” before February 18,
2010 – after Schoolcraft was already suspended and had moved upstate – he heard Deputy
Inspector Mauriello state that he had received a “heads up” about Schoolcraft. See Id. 219:14220:25. Contrary to Schoolcraft’s assertion, this is the only comment to the “effect” that plaintiff
was a “rat” that Ferrara recalled. Ferrara Deposition at 202:23-203:8. Indeed, Ferrara admitted
that he could not testify that Mauriello even used the term “rat,” as plaintiff claims. Id. at
207:18-19 (“I wasn’t sure exactly what was said. I wasn’t sure if he used the word rat.”) This is
hardly an instance of retaliation, and occurred long after any alleged instances of retaliation
towards plaintiff.

24

Ferrara’s recording of a roll-call in February 2010, in which Mauriello appears to refer to
Schoolcraft as a “rat” is inadmissible because it post-dates the events at issue here by four
months, and it is highly prejudicial.

19

Whatever opinions about Schoolcraft may have been

expressed four months after the fact cannot bear on the knowledge, motive or intent of
defendants on October 31, 2015.20
D.

The Purported Evidence of Specific Instances of Retaliation are Insufficient
to Establish a Custom and Practice

As the City defendants established in their briefs in support of their summary judgment
motions, a mere handful of other incidents of alleged retaliation do not establish a widespread
practice, and plaintiff has offered no authority to the contrary. In order to prove Monell liability,
plaintiff must show, inter alia, that “the relevant practice is so widespread as to have the force of
law.” Walker v. City of New York, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 91410, 16-17 (S.D.N.Y. July 14, 2015)
(quoting Tieman v. City of Newburgh, No. 13 Civ. 4178 (KMK), 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 38703
(S.D.N.Y. Mar. 26, 2015) (quoting Board of County Com'rs of Bryan County, Okl. v. Brown, 520
U.S. 397, 404 (1997) (internal quotation marks omitted)). Thus, “[i]n order for Plaintiff to
establish municipal liability through this prong, he needs to show that the City ‘indirectly caused
the misconduct of a subordinate municipal employee by acquiescing in a longstanding practice
or custom which may fairly be said to represent official policy.’” Walker, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS
91410 at 16-17 (quoting Miller v. County of Nassau, 467 F. Supp. 2d 308, 314 (E.D.N.Y. 2006)
(citing Monell, 436 U.S. at 694)).
19

See, e.g., PTX 314.

20

Moreover, the statements of a party defendant remain hearsay with respect to the other
defendants in the case who do not offer such a statement. Accordingly, Mauriello’s statements
are hearsay as to other defendants and should be excluded on that basis as well under Rule 403,
as unfairly prejudicial to the other defendants. The jury will necessarily be tarred by the same
brush, although the statement is even more irrelevant to them.

25

As an initial matter, plaintiff may not prove up a custom and practice sufficiently
pervasive to support Monell liability through the say so of fact witnesses, never disclosed as
experts, who can point to absolutely no independent evidence other than their own subjective
impressions or their own individual cases. Were plaintiff’s approach admissible to prove Monell
liability, every trial involving municipal liability under §1983 would be burdened with otherwise
unrelated lay witnesses testifying as to personal opinions or their experience in unrelated cases.
The end result of such an approach would be a series of mini-trials aimed at assessing the
credibility of these other witnesses. Accordingly, preclusion is warranted.
Additionally, there are specific defects in plaintiff’s proffered evidence as well.
Importantly, plaintiff conflates the alleged “quota and downgrading system” – which could not
have deprived plaintiff of any rights – and the supposed “system of retaliation.” See Pl. Opp. to
Defs.’ SJ Mot. at 75.

As discussed above, proof of the quota and downgrading system is not

relevant to this case, and certainly not to Monell issues, since that is not a policy directed at
depriving police officers such as Schoolcraft of their constitutional rights.
Further, plaintiff offers no admissible evidence from Police Officers Polanco or Serrano,
both of whom testified at the trial of another matter about different precincts, namely the 40th and
41st Precincts in the Bronx. Moreover, the actual testimony of these witnesses is quite limited:
Polanco testified to his subjective belief that officers who report misconduct “are considered
rats,” and Serrano testified to his belief that such officers are “called a rat.” Pl. Opp. Defs.’ SJ
Mot. at 78.
Even if true and admitted as evidence (and it should not be), this evidence of a few
instances of alleged misconduct -- in a police force containing approximately 35,000 uniformed
members of service – does not establish a department-wide policy of retaliation, let alone a

26

policy of improper confinement of complainants as EDPs. Alleged evidence of a few instances
of retaliation (not proven in any court, proceeding or investigation) should be precluded because
“[s]uch lopsided numbers hardly suggest, much less allow the inference, that the claimed policy
existed, especially in light of . . . the City’s force of over 35,000 police officers.” Escobar v.
City of New York, 766 F. Supp. 2d 415, 420-421 (E.D.N.Y. 2011) (finding “a handful of isolated
incidents insufficient to create a material fact in dispute about the existence of any seizurerelated policy”). Indeed, three or four instances of misconduct over the course of a period of
several years cannot constitute a practice that is “so manifest as to imply the constructive
acquiescence of senior policy-making officials.” Chepilko v. City of New York, 2012 U.S. Dist.
LEXIS 15110, *48-50 (E.D.N.Y. Feb. 6, 2012) (quoting Green v. City of New York, 465 F.3d
65, 80 (2d Cir. 2006)) (holding that 5 isolated instances of misconduct over a two year period is
insufficient to prove a policy for Monell purposes); Dettelis v. City of Buffalo, 3 F. Supp.2d 341,
348 (W.D.N.Y. Mar. 28, 1998) (four unconstitutional strip-searches in addition to the incident in
question in seven years failed as a matter of law to constitute a custom); Edwards v. City of New
York, 03-cv-9407, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 34376, at *33 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 19, 2005) (Monell
“would be rendered sterile if, as plaintiff asserts, mere conclusory allegations of a few isolated
incidents ... were sufficient to hold the municipality liable”); see also Curry v. City of Syracuse,
316 F.3d 324, 330 (2d Cir. 2003) (“[A] municipality may not be held liable under § 1983 simply
for the isolated unconstitutional acts of its employees.”).
Moreover, as already discussed, even assuming a policy – which there was none – such
policies cannot be said to be the driving force behind the alleged adverse action by defendants.
In other words, even assuming the truth of plaintiff’s allegations, he lacks standing to challenge

27

the policies because he was not seized pursuant to an arrest quota, nor was he a victim of
downgrading statistics.
POINT VI
PLAINTIFF
SHOULD
BE
PRECLUDED
FROM
INQUIRING
INTO
OR
OFFERING
EVIDENCE
REGARDING ANY DISCIPLINARY HISTORY OR
LAWSUITS AGAINST THE DEFENDANTS AND ANY QAD
OR IAB REPORTS
Plaintiff should be precluded from inquiring about any disciplinary history or any prior or
current lawsuits against defendants. The officers’ disciplinary histories are irrelevant to the
claims in this case, and as such are confusing, a waste of time, and highly prejudicial to the
individual defendants. For this reason alone, this evidence should be precluded.
A.

Disciplinary Histories and Lawsuits

Plaintiff should be precluded from inquiring about any disciplinary history of defendants
because such questioning directly conflicts with Rule 404(b) of the Federal Rules of Evidence.
Rule 404(b) states that evidence of past acts “to prove the character of a person in order to show
action in conformity therewith” is inadmissible. Under the rule, evidence of past acts is only
admissible to prove “motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, or
absence of mistake or accident.” However, evidence of prior bad acts is not automatically
admissible merely because the proponent has articulated some purpose unrelated to character.
The decision to admit evidence under Rule 404(b) also depends on “whether the danger
of unfair prejudice outweighs the probative value of the evidence in view of the availability of
other means of proof and other factors appropriate for making decisions of this kind under Rule
403.” Huddleston v. United States, 485 U.S. 681, 688 (1988). Thus, Rule 404(b) requires a twopart analysis: (1) whether the proposed evidence fits within one of the “exceptions” provided by
the Rule; and (2) if the evidence does fall into an exception, a balancing test under Rule 403 of

28

whether the probative value of the evidence is substantially outweighed by the potential for jury
confusion or prejudice. Lombardo v. Stone, No. 99 Civ. 4603 (SAS) 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS
1267, at *8 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 29, 2002); see also ADVISORY COMMITTEE NOTES TO FED. R. EVID.
404(b).
The Second Circuit has consistently held that evidence of a police officer’s prior bad acts
are only admissible under Rule 404(b) if the alleged prior act has a close nexus with the acts
complained of by plaintiff in his complaint. Berkovich v. Hicks, 922 F.2d 1018 (2d Cir. 1991).
In Hicks, a case in which the plaintiff sought to introduce a police officer’s past Civilian
Complaint Review Board (“CCRB”) complaints to prove a “pattern of conduct” on the part of
the officer regarding false arrest and excessive force claims, the court held that, “[t]o merit
admission under this theory, the extrinsic acts must share ‘unusual characteristics’ with the act
charged or represent a ‘unique scheme.’” Id. at 1022-23 (affirming exclusion of disciplinary
history). In addition, the potential for confusion or undue prejudice substantially outweighs any
probative value.
Here, plaintiff can make no showing that any potential disciplinary complaints –
substantiated or otherwise – against any defendant share the requisite “unusual characteristics” or
“unique scheme.” While some of the defendants have not had any allegations made against
them, the purpose of this motion is to ensure that the questions are not even asked, and the
inference that other complaints have been made is not suggested to the jury. Accordingly,
plaintiff should be precluded from questioning any officer regarding their disciplinary history, or
otherwise proving that history.
Moreover, even if plaintiff could demonstrate the requisite “unusual characteristics” or
“unique scheme,” or show that the proposed evidence falls under one of the other “exceptions” to

29

Rule 404, such evidence should still be precluded as the prejudicial effect of same outweighs any
probative value. The Second Circuit has found that a district court did not abuse its discretion
when it excluded evidence of prior complaints against an officer at trial. See Berkovich, 922
F.2d at 1023. The Second Circuit held that even where the prior complaints could be admissible
under Rule 404 to establish the officer’s motive, the district court’s finding that the prejudicial
effects of such prior complaints outweighed their probative value was appropriate. Id. (stating
that introduction of prior complaints would “inflame the situation” and carry insurmountable
prejudice for the defendant to overcome.).
District courts in this Circuit have ruled similarly, finding that even where evidence of
prior acts could be relevant under Rule 404, it should be precluded as unduly prejudicial. See,
e.g., Lombardo, 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1267, at *20-24 (finding that while prior act of a
defendant could be relevant, prejudice outweighed probative value). This is particularly the case
where the prior complaints against an officer were not substantiated, as in these cases “the
probative-prejudice balancing test weighs heavily in favor of excluding the evidence.” JeanLaurent, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 122767, at *63-64; see also Berkovich, 922 F.2d at 1023
(finding that where an officer was exonerated on six of seven prior complaints, “the slight
probative value of this evidence – as to a theory of motive, pattern or other less plausible theories
of relevance – was substantially outweighed by its potential for unfair prejudice.”).
Moreover, plaintiff should be prohibited from using defendants’ disciplinary history to
cross-examine them at trial because none of the allegations of wrongdoing against them are
probative of their credibility. A witness’s credibility may be impeached on cross-examination
using specific instances of conduct to demonstrate the witness’s character for untruthfulness.
F.R.E. 608(b).

However, “the possibilities [for] abuse are substantial…. [therefore,] the

30

instances inquired into [must] be probative of truthfulness or its opposite and not remote in
time.” Advisory Committee Note to FRE 608(b) (emphasis added). Further, “the overriding
protection of Rule 403 requires that probative value not be outweighed by danger of unfair
prejudice, confusion of issues, or misleading the jury.” Id.
Plaintiff’s anticipated arguments that defendants’ disciplinary histories are probative of
their truthfulness should be rejected.21 While misconduct of a general variety can be probative of
truthfulness, courts have made clear that not all misconduct is untruthful. “[I]f all that can be
said about behavior is that it might be called improper, immoral, or unlawful ... asking about it
cannot be justified under Fed. R. Evid Rule 608.” United States v. Stone, No. 05 CR 401 (ILG),
2007 WL 4410054 (E.D.N.Y. Dec. 14, 2007) (internal quotations omitted). In the instant case,
defendants here have incidents of wrongdoing that are reflected in their disciplinary records.
While these incidents are at worst, improper, they certainly do not indicate subterfuge, deceit, or
any other motivation indicative of untruthfulness. Indeed, all of the foregoing indicates, at worst,
laziness or dereliction of duty, they certainly do not represent more than “improper, immoral, or
unlawful” behavior. See, e.g., id. (excluding evidence of two incidents as irrelevant to the issue
of truthfulness: first, an officer punched a civilian in the face and was charged with assault, and
second the same officer abused his position and refused to provide his name or badge number.)
Courts in this Circuit have applied the same analysis to prior civil lawsuits, finding that
the probative value of introducing prior lawsuits is outweighed by the prejudicial effect such
evidence could have and its potential to confuse the jury. See Richmond v. General Nutrition
Ctrs., Inc., 08 Civ. 3577 (PAE) (HBP), 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 32070, at *31 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 9,
21

Even assuming, arguendo, that this “threat” is minimally probative of his truthfulness, any
probative value is substantially outweighed by the undue prejudice to defendants that would
result, in violation of Fed.R.Evid. Rule 403.

31

2012) (precluding the introduction of evidence of lawsuits against defendant because “the risk of
unfair prejudice and confusion from introducing documents reflecting allegations in other cases
clearly outweighs the probative value of such claims.”); see also Figueroa v. Boston Sci. Corp.,
00 Civ. 7922 (DC), 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10936, at *11 (S.D.N.Y. June 25, 2003) (finding that
the probative value of introducing evidence of other lawsuits is “substantially outweighed by the
danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues, and considerations of undue delay and waste
of time.”)
As such, the Court should preclude the introduction of evidence at trial concerning prior
complaints or lawsuits against defendants as well as any disciplinary history because (1) plaintiff
cannot meet the requirements of Fed.R.Evid. Rule 404, and (2) even if he could, still the

34

U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10936, at *11 (S.D.N.Y. June 25, 2003).

Accordingly, the Court must

preclude any reference to defendant Broschart’s involvement in Haddid.
As such, the Court should preclude the introduction of evidence at trial concerning prior
complaints or lawsuits, as plaintiff cannot meet the requirements of Rule 404. However, to the
extent that plaintiff could demonstrate that evidence of prior disciplinary complaints or lawsuits
would be admissible under Fed. R. Evid. Rule 404(b), any such evidence should still be
precluded as its prejudicial effect substantially outweighs any probative value.
F.

26

The QAD and IAB Reports Constitute Inadmissible Hearsay

See, e.g., PTX 66, 81.

35

reliability to justify its admission. LeRoy v. Sabena World Airlines, 344 F.2d 266, 272 (2d Cir.
1965). Although trustworthiness and reliability of a report admitted under Rule 803(8)(B) is
presumed and is to be contested by the opponent of the evidence, before the Court can presume
trustworthiness, it must determine that the report contains factual findings based upon a factual
investigation. Beech Aircraft Corp. v. Rainey, 488 U.S. 153, 169 (1988).
That is not so here. In Beech the court precluded a New York City Police Department
Internal Affairs Bureau (“IAB”) report that the plaintiff claimed would have supported his
allegations of retaliation. In fact, the Beech Court held the IAB report did not contain factual
findings resulting from a factual investigation, and thus was not covered by the provisions of
Fed. R. Evid. 803(8)(B).

G.

The danger of undue prejudice outweighs any probative value

Even assuming that the reports bear sufficient indicia of trustworthiness – which they do
not – they should still be precluded under Rule 403 because their probative value is substantially
outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice. “Before finding such evidence admissible, the
Court must “consider the quality of the report, its potential impact on the jury, and the likelihood
that the trial will deteriorate into a protracted an unproductive struggle over how the evidence
36

admitted at trial compared to the evidence considered by the agency.” Cook v. Hatch Assocs.,
2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 31558, *8 (W.D.N.Y. 2007)(citing Paolitto, 151 F.3d at 65.
Here because the reports were authored by divisions of the New York City Police
Department they would undoubtedly be presented to the jury in “an aura of special reliability and
trustworthiness” that is not commensurate with their actual reliability, and thus they must be
precluded. United States v. Fosher, 590 F.2d 381, 383 (1st Cir. 1979). Moreover, a jury “may
[be] influenced by the official character of [a] report [and] afford it greater weight than it [is]
worth.” Bright v. Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., 756 F.2d 19, 23 (6th Cir. 1984). The QAD
Report and the Department Advocate’s Charges and Specifications are not even a final ruling by
the NYPD; they constitute interim, prosecutorial documents, not a final finding of fact. The
NYPD’s position must await an administrative trial on the associated charges.
Should the Court deem proof of the truth of Schoolcraft’s allegations relevant and
admissible at all – and it should not – then Schoolcraft should be required to prove the truth with
direct evidence of wrongdoing. He may not rely on inferences drawn by investigators, based on
hearsay and other sources that are not before the jury. Moreover, introducing the report would
necessitate a min-trial focused on the bases for the conclusions in the report (which itself is about
a collateral matter) and the reliability of the report itself and the nature of the sources on which it
relied. Such a mini-trial would be prejudicial, confusing and a waste of time.
Indeed, all of plaintiff’s evidence of other misconduct, whether involving these
defendants or other officers, would necessitate mini-trials on their truth.

Courts exclude

evidence under Rules 403 and 404(b) when it would lead to protracted mini-trials for the jury to
be able to fully consider the truth of the accusations. See Hardy, 629 F. Supp. 2d at 197-198.
(“Nor will the Court allow this trial to be sidetracked by several mini-trials on the veracity of

37

civilian complaints that have been investigated and found to be of no substance.”). The Second
Circuit has affirmed the exclusion of government reports offered to prove other misconduct,
under Rule 403 and 404(b), stating as follows:
Even if the report was admissible, however, the district
court did not abuse its discretion in holding, in the
alternative, that the report should be excluded under
Fed.R.Evid. 403 because the likelihood that it would
confuse the jury and protract the proceedings outweighed
its probative value. United States v. Robinson, 560 F.2d
507 (2 Cir. 1977), cert. denied, 435 U.S. 905, 55 L. Ed. 2d
496, 98 S. Ct. 1451 (1978). . . . . [A]s a so-called
government report which in fact was incomplete and based
largely on hearsay, the report would have been presented to
the jury in “an aura of special reliability and
trustworthiness” which would not have been commensurate
with its actual reliability. United States v. Fosher, 590 F.2d
381, 383 (1 Cir. 1979); see United States v. Costello, 221
F.2d 668, 674 (2 Cir. 1955), aff’d, 350 U.S. 359, 100 L. Ed.
397, 76 S. Ct. 406 (1956); Weinstein and Berger, 1
Weinstein’s Evidence P 403(04) (1980). Third, the
admission of the report would have been likely to protract
an already prolonged trial with an inquiry into collateral
issues regarding the accuracy of the report and the
methods used in its compilation. John McShain v. Cessna
Aircraft Co., 563 F.2d 632, 636 (3 Cir. 1977).
New York v. Pullman, Inc., 662 F.2d 910, 915 (2d Cir. N.Y. 1981) (emphasis added).

38

Further, any probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair
prejudice, confusion of the issues, and misleading the jury. As noted, the jury might be misled
into thinking that all of plaintiff’s claims have merit, simply because some of his complaints
were found to be validated by this Court. Additionally, as shown above, plaintiff should be
precluded from offering any evidence concerning defendants’ disciplinary histories. Here, the
QAD reports contain and rely upon the defendants’ disciplinary histories, including
unsubstantiated allegations. The QAD reports contains the investigator’s findings and opinions
concerning issues – including issues of credibility -- that are ultimately for the jury to decide,
thereby usurping the jury’s function and causing confusion.
Nor will a limiting instruction alleviate the unfair prejudice created by introduction of the
QAD reports and IAB reports. The jury might feel compelled to rely upon the determinations
contained therein instead of relying upon their own independent judgment. See, e.g., Park W.
Radiology v. CareCore Nat’l LLC, 675 F. Supp. 2d 314, 324 (S.D.N.Y. 2009) (precluding
agency report on grounds of the danger of unfair prejudice because the jury will give undue
weight to the agency’s conclusions, and thus should be excluded under FRE 403.)
Finally, there is little probative value in the QAD’s and IAB’s conclusory statements
regarding the same evidence to be presented to the jury. “To admit the reports under these
circumstances would amount to admitting the opinion of an expert witness to what conclusions
the jury should draw, even though the jury had the opportunity and the ability to draw its own
conclusions from the evidence.” Cook, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 31558, at *8; Johnson v. Yellow
Freight System, Inc., 734 F.2d 1309 (8th Cir. Mo. 1984) (recognizing that the dangers of
prejudicing, confusing, misleading the jury and unduly delaying trial if an agency report is
admitted are particularly present in a jury trial versus bench trial); see also Paolitto, 151 F.3d at

39

65 (affirming district court’s exclusion of a state employment agency’s determination of no
probable cause); Hall v. Western Prod. Co., 988 F.2d 1050, 1058 (10th Cir. 1993) (affirming
district court’s decision to exclude a state agency report under Rule 403 where “all the
evidentiary matter before the [state agency] could be presented to the jury” and thus the sole
purpose would be “to suggest to the jury that it should reach the same conclusion” as the
agency); see also City Defendants’ Memorandum of Law in Support of Motion to Exclude
Expert Testimony, at 5-7 (demonstrating that experts may not usurp the province of the judge
and jury).
Accordingly, because the reports following the investigation into plaintiff’s myriad
allegations of misconduct do not meet the requirements of rule Fed. R. Evid. 803(8)(B) and/or
403, they must be precluded.
H.

The Mollen Commission Report Should be Excluded

The Commission Report (“Mollen Report”) (PTX 79) should be precluded because (a) it
is irrelevant to plaintiff’s claims; (b) admission of the report would violated Rule 803; and (c)
any probative value would be substantially outweighed by the undue prejudice to defendants.
The Mollen Report concerns an investigation into police misconduct that took place
decades ago. Conduct of members of the NYPD in or around early 1990’s has no relevance to
conduct of the police department today, which is comprised of an entirely new and different
police force in a different climate. Given the attenuated nature of the report, plaintiff should be
precluded from introducing it as a means of evidencing the alleged culture of the NYPD today,
or for any purpose.
Moreover, the Mollen Report should be precluded for the added reason that it similarly
lacks the requisite trustworthiness required by Fed.R.Evid. Rule 803. The Mollen Report is
fraught with opinions and conclusions of an investigator, and concern issues that are ultimately
40

for the jury to decide. In view of the lack of relevance, trustworthiness and prejudicial effect, the
report should be precluded.

See, e.g, Williams v. City of New York, No. 94 Civ. 6234,

unpublished transcript at 85 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 6, 1996)(Preska, J.) (cited in Shaw v. City of New
York, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4901 (S.D.N.Y. 1997))(precluding plaintiff from proffering
excerpts from the Mollen Commission Report as to the “code of silence” to go to the credibility
of police officer witnesses, finding that the “probative value of the Report is far outweighed by
the extreme prejudice.. . . . It has no relationship to the specific issues or persons in this case. Its
probative value is very, very slim, and its prejudicial value is very, very high. Accordingly, it
will not be admitted.”); Jackson v. City of New York, No. 93 CV 174, unpublished order, *2
(E.D.N.Y. April 24, 1996)(Dearie, J.)(bifurcating plaintiff’s claims against the individual police
officers from plaintiff’s Monell claim against the City and finding, inter alia, that “the admission
of all or parts of the Mollen Commission Report could prejudice individual defendants in the
upcoming trial.”

POINT VII
PLAINTIFF SHOULD BE PRECLUDED
FROM INTRODUCING ANY NEWSPAPER
ARTICLES
Plaintiff should be precluded from introducing any newspaper articles to support his
claims, as they constitute inadmissible hearsay, and further, are incomplete. “Newspaper articles
are hearsay when introduced to prove the truth of the matter asserted, and must not be admitted.”
Media Alliance, Inc. v. Mirch, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6332, *3-4 (N.D.N.Y Jan. 19, 2012)
(quoting Delrosario v. City of New York, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20923 (S.D.N.Y. 2010)) (citing
inter alia, McAllister v. N.Y. City Police Dep't, 49 F. Supp. 2d 688, 706 n. 12 (S.D.N.Y.1999)
(“Newspaper articles are hearsay, . . . and . . . are not admissible evidence of New York City
41

Police Department policy or custom”); see also Dockery v. Tucker, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS
97826 (E.D.N.Y. 2006) (in support of a Monell claim, plaintiff may not rely upon an array of
newspaper articles and judicial decisions discussing general police misconduct).
“Courts rarely allow newspaper articles into evidence to prove the truth of the statements
contained therein.” United States Football League v. National Football League, 1986 U.S. Dist.
LEXIS 25390 (S.D.N.Y. 1986). “Indeed, it is not uncommon for a trial court to summarily reject

are part of the same fax transmission and internet posting as PTX 59.” Should the Court permit
plaintiff to offer PTX 59, then defendants must also be allowed to introduce Exhibit G into
evidence to complete the document.

POINT VIII
PLAINTIFF SHOULD BE PRECLUDED FROM OFFERING
EVIDENCE RELATING TO THE NYPD’S PRESENCE IN
JOHNSTOWN
By the Court’s Opinion dated May 5, 2015, Your Honor dismissed all claims against
former defendant Trainor.27 Plaintiff’s allegations against Captain Trainor concerned his alleged

27

See, e.g., PTX 35, 46, 49-55, 57, 60, 62, 72, 308, 316.

42

involvement in the NYPD visits to Schoolcraft’s Johnstown residence, not the events in
Schoolcraft’s apartment on October 31, 2009. See TAC ¶ 216. Since Schoolcraft’s First
Amendment claim with respect to his post-suspension speech was dismissed (Section IV.B.ii of
the Opinion), all evidence concerning Defendant Trainor or the Johnstown visits must be
precluded.28
POINT IX
PLAINTIFF SHOULD BE PRECLUDED FROM OFFERING
ANY EVIDENCE THAT DEFENSE ATTORNEYS ARE
ATTORNEYS FOR THE CITY AND THAT THE CITY MAY
INDEMNIFY A DEFENDANT
Plaintiff should be precluded from referring to defense attorneys as “City attorneys” or
“attorneys for the City,” and from offering evidence of indemnification of any defendant by the
City. Referring to defense counsel as City attorneys would be prejudicial to defendants as it may
create the impression for the jury that any potential verdict against them would be paid by the
City of New York, which is commonly viewed as a “deep pocket” for the purposes of any
potential judgment.

This unfortunate prejudice is precisely the concern that motivated the

drafters of the Federal Rules of Evidence to include Rule 411, which prohibits the admission of
evidence of a defendant’s liability insurance. See Fed. R. Evid. 411 Advisory Committee’s Note
(“More important, no doubt, has been the feeling that knowledge of the presence or absence of
liability insurance would induce juries to decide cases on improper grounds. McCormick § 168;
Annot., 4 A.L.R.2d 761.”).
Moreover, evidence of the City’s potential indemnification should be precluded because
it is not relevant. See Hancock v. City of New York, et al., 10 Civ. 7989 (JMF), Motion In Limine

28

Defendants reserve their rights, however, to introduce any evidence concerning the Johnstown
visits in defense of plaintiff’s damages claims.

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Rulings, at Docket Entry No. 53 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 5, 2013)(precluding plaintiff from admitting
evidence regarding the City’s potential indemnification of the individual defendants); Edwards v.
City of New York, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 75300, *14-15

(E.D.N.Y. July 13,

2011)(“Indemnification is not relevant to any issue before the jury and plaintiff will not be
permitted to inform the jury that defendant might be indemnified by the City”); Jean-Laurent v.
Wilkinson, 05 Civ. 583 (VM), 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20472, at *8 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 13,
2009)(precluding plaintiff from mentioning City’s potential indemnification of officers);
Williams v. McCarthy, 05 Civ. 10230 (SAS), 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 79151, at *24-25 (S.D.N.Y.
Oct. 25, 2007) (precluding admission at trial of evidence of potential indemnification of
defendant police officers by the City of New York on relevancy grounds)(internal citations
omitted); see also McGuire v. Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Co., 00 Civ. 5951 (WK),
2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19753, at *4 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 29, 2001)(finding indemnification evidence
not relevant at trial); Provost v. Newburgh, 262 F.3d 146, 164 (2d Cir. 2001)(holding that it was
improper for the district court to instruct the jury to consider the individual defendant’s ability to
pay in determining punitive damages aware where the defendant did not offer evidence of his
financial resources at trial.).
Defendants propose two alternative solutions. First, defendants respectfully requests that
their attorneys be referred to as merely “defense counsel” or “attorneys for the defendants.”
Second, if and only if the Court determines that some additional association beyond the first
suggestion is appropriate, defendants suggest an alternative which has previously been adopted
in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. In Williams v. McCarthy,
Judge Shira A. Scheindlin identified counsel for the individual police officer defendants as
attorneys from the Corporation Counsel. 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 79151. The aforementioned

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suggestions are reasonable and will adequately guard against the undue prejudice that would
ensue if plaintiff’s counsel were permitted to refer to defense counsel as “City attorneys”,
“attorneys for the City”, “the City,” or “Corporation Counsel for the City of New York.”
In addition, plaintiff should not be permitted to mention or offer any evidence that the
City of New York may indemnify defendants should a jury find him liable. Such evidence
and/or arguments lack any evidentiary value and would seriously prejudice defendants. If the
jury is permitted to assume that the City of New York will pay, the jury may not carefully assess
issues of liability. As previously stated, this is precisely the concern that motivated the drafters
of the Federal Rules of Evidence to include Rule 411, which prohibits the admission of evidence
of a defendant’s liability insurance. See Fed. R. Evid. 411 Advisory Committee’s Note (“More
important, no doubt, has been the feeling that knowledge of the presence or absence of liability
insurance would induce juries to decide cases on improper grounds.”).
Moreover, indemnification has no bearing on the facts of plaintiff’s claims or damages.
See Mathie v. Fries, 121 F.3d 808, 816 (2d Cir. 1997) (holding that the existence of an
indemnification agreement is relevant only where individual defendants adduce evidence of their
personal financial resources at trial); Williams v. McCarthy, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 79151 at
*24-25 (precluding admission at trial of evidence of potential indemnification of defendant
police officers by the City of New York on relevancy grounds).
Accordingly, plaintiff should be precluded from mentioning or introducing evidence that
defense counsel are City attorneys and that the City may indemnify defendants.

POINT X
PLAINTIFF
SHOULD
BE
PRECLUDED
FROM
REQUESTING A SPECIFIC DOLLAR AMOUNT FROM
THE JURY.
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While the Second Circuit has not adopted a flat prohibition of suggesting a specific dollar
amount, it does disfavor specifying target amounts for the jury to award. Consorti v. Armstrong
World Industries, Inc., 72 F.3d 1003, 1016 (2d Cir. 1995). Such suggestions unlawfully anchor
the jurors’ expectations of a fair award at a place set by counsel, rather than by the evidence. Id.;
see also Mileski v. Long Island R.R. Co., 499 F.2d 1169, 1172 (2d Cir. 1974)(“A jury with little
or no experience in such matters, rather than rely upon its own estimates and reasoning, may give
undue weight to the figures advanced by plaintiff’s counsel . . .”). The Court in Consorti went
on to state:
A jury is likely to infer that counsel’s choice of a particular
number is backed by some authority or legal precedent.
Specific proposals have a real potential to sway the jury
unduly. . . . We encourage trial judges to bar such
recommendations.
Consorti, 72 F.3d at 1016. As such, plaintiff should be precluded from suggesting a specific
dollar amount to the jury during his opening statement, during the testimony of any witness
and/or during summation.
POINT XI
DEFENDANTS RESERVE THEIR RIGHT
SUPPLEMENTAL MOTIONS IN LIMINE.

TO

FILE

The City Defendants respectfully reserve their right to object to any in limine motions
submitted by plaintiff and to file supplemental motions in limine. As set forth more fully in the
motions in limine filed by defendant Steven Mauriello, numerous exhibits on plaintiff’s exhibit
list were not identified by plaintiff or otherwise available to the City defendants until September
17, 2015 (and at least one has still not been identified). The City defendants specifically reserve
the right to make additional motions in limine directed at such exhibits. The City defendants also
reserve the right to object to evidence at trial whether or not such objection is raised by motion in

46

limine. In addition, the City defendants reserve the right to supplement their trial witness and
exhibit lists if necessary, in light of the Court’s rulings on any motions in limine.
CONCLUSION
For the reasons set forth above, defendants respectfully submit that their motion in limine
should be granted in their entirety, and that the Court grant such other and further relief as it
deems just and proper.
Dated:

New York, New York
September 21, 2015
Respectfully submitted,
ZACHARY W. CARTER
Corporation Counsel of the
City of New York
Attorneys for City Defendants
100 Church Street, Room 3-174
New York, New York 10007
[phone]
By:

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/s/ Alan Scheiner
Alan Scheiner
Senior Counsel
Cheryl Shammas
Senior Counsel
Kavin Thadani
Senior Counsel
Special Federal Litigation Division