Katrina Woodall v. Wayne Cnty., Mich. ( 2021 )


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  •                          NOT RECOMMENDED FOR PUBLICATION
    File Name: 21a0516n.06
    Case No. 20-1705
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE SIXTH CIRCUIT
    FILED
    Nov 15, 2021
    )
    KATRINA WOODALL, et al.,                                                  DEBORAH S. HUNT, Clerk
    )
    Plaintiffs-Appellees,                           )
    )     ON APPEAL FROM THE UNITED
    v.                                                     )     STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR
    )     THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF
    WAYNE COUNTY, MICHIGAN,                                )     MICHIGAN
    Defendant-Appellant.                            )
    )
    Before: GUY, DONALD, and MURPHY, Circuit Judges.
    BERNICE BOUIE DONALD, Circuit Judge. Wayne County challenges the district
    court’s certification of a putative class in this action pursuant to 
    42 U.S.C. § 1983
    . This is an
    interlocutory appeal filed under 
    28 U.S.C. § 1292
    (e) and Rule 23(f). For the reasons set forth
    below, we REVERSE the district court’s grant of certification and REMAND for further
    proceedings.
    I.
    Plaintiffs Katrina Woodall, Katana Johnson, Kelly Davis, and Latoya Hearst were formerly
    incarcerated at Wayne County Jail between 2010–2014. Wayne County operates the largest
    county jail in Michigan with a current average daily population of 1,700 individuals, and as many
    as 2,200 per day. The Wayne County jail primarily holds individuals awaiting trial and those
    serving sentences under one year. As part of its policies, the inmates are subjected to strip searches
    Case No. 20-1705, Woodall v. Wayne Cnty., Mich.
    in the Registry area, and during other random cellblock searches. The Registry area is where
    female inmates are searched when they come into the facility for new bookings, or when they
    return from the court or the hospital. Cellblock floor searches take place as an unannounced check
    for contraband when inmates are already inside a cell.
    The jail had a formal policy covering searches, which operated “[t]o prevent weapons and
    contraband from entering the jail and to control the possession of weapons and contraband by
    inmates during their confinement.” The policy outlined that same gender staff were to strip search
    inmates and that staff were not allowed to use derogatory language toward inmates. Wayne County
    updated its policy in 2013, expressly prohibiting “any other inmate or person, including a civilian
    employee, to visually observe the inmate during the entire strip search of the inmate.”
    In 2017, the named Plaintiffs filed a putative class action against Wayne County Sheriff
    Benny N. Napoleon, and Corporal Terry Graham. The Plaintiffs alleged that they and other
    similarly-situated pretrial detainees were subjected to unconstitutional strip searches based on the
    jail’s policy or custom to strip search women (1) in the presence, or public viewing, of male
    officers; (2) in groups with numerous inmates who didn’t share any penological interest in viewing
    each other in a state of undress; (3) under unsanitary or unhygienic conditions; and/or (4) subject
    to derogatory gender-biased comments. In their complaint, Plaintiffs asserted Monell claims
    against Wayne County and Sheriff Napoleon in his official capacity, based on their policy to
    conduct strip searches.
    On June 28, 2018, Plaintiffs filed a motion for class certification to which Plaintiffs
    attached approximately 400 declarations from inmates attesting to the way they were strip searched
    while housed at the jail.
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    Case No. 20-1705, Woodall v. Wayne Cnty., Mich.
    On March 26, 2019, the district court denied without prejudice Plaintiffs’ motion for class
    certification finding “[t]he three-year statute of limitations bars claims which accrued before
    November 14, 2014.” Given the district court’s ruling relative to the statute of limitations, the
    court indicated “[i]f plaintiffs want to file a new motion for class certification consisting of
    members whose claims accrued on or after November 14, 2014, they may still do so.”
    On June 25, 2019, Plaintiffs filed a renewed motion for class certification with
    approximately one hundred more declarations dating after November 14, 2014. The allegations
    mirror those of the women detained prior to November 14, 2014.
    On July 6, 2019, Defendants filed a response to Plaintiffs’ renewed motion to certify a
    class, asserting that (1) the proposed subclasses were not ascertainable and were “fail-safe”; (2) the
    inapplicability of Rule 23(b)(1) to a lawsuit for individualized money damages; (3) Plaintiffs’
    inability to meet the requirements of Rules 23(a) and 23(b)(3); and (4) that the PLRA would
    exclude a large number of potential class members because of a failure to exhaust administrative
    remedies.
    On January 23, 2020, the district court issued an order certifying a class as to the common
    issue of law and fact relative to whether Wayne County may be liable under Monell for maintaining
    a policy or custom that violated Plaintiffs’ constitutional rights under the Fourth and Eighth
    Amendments. The district court separated the class members into four separate subclasses:
    Class No. 1 all females who were housed, detained, and/or incarcerated by the
    Wayne County Sheriff at any of the three Wayne County Jail Divisions from the
    period of November 14, 2014 until the date of judgment or settlement of this case,
    who, without a legitimate penological interest, were exposed in the nude to
    members of the opposite sex while being strip searched pursuant to the Wayne
    County Sheriff’s policies, practices, and/or customs, and who allege they have
    suffered a compensable injury as a result of the search;
    Class No. 2 all females who were housed, detained, and/or incarcerated by the
    Wayne County Sheriff at any of the three Wayne County Jail Divisions from the
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    Case No. 20-1705, Woodall v. Wayne Cnty., Mich.
    period of November 14, 2014, until the date of judgment or settlement of this case,
    who, without a legitimate penological interest, were stripped searched in a group
    with other inmates, pursuant to the Wayne County Sheriff’s policies, practices,
    and/or customs, and who allege they have suffered a compensable injury as a result
    of the search;
    Class No. 3 all females who were housed, detained, and/or incarcerated by the
    Wayne County Sheriff at any of the three Wayne County Jail Divisions from the
    period of November 14, 2014, until the date of judgment or settlement of this case,
    who, without a legitimate penological interest, were stripped searched under
    unsanitary and/or unhygienic conditions, including being exposed to the bodily
    fluids of other inmates who were being strip searched, pursuant to the Wayne
    County Sheriff’s policies, practices, and/or customs, and who allege they have
    suffered a compensable injury as a result of the search;
    Class No. 4 all females who were housed, detained, and/or incarcerated by the
    Wayne County Sheriff at any of the three Wayne County Jail Divisions from the
    period of November 14, 2014 until the date of judgment or settlement of this case,
    who, without a legitimate penological interest, were subject to derogatory gender-
    based comments by Defendant Graham during strip searches, and who allege they
    have suffered a compensable injury as a result of the search.
    R. 81, Page ID # 2245-2246, Order Certifying Class. Wayne County filed an interlocutory appeal,
    challenging the district court’s class certification order.
    II.
    We review a district court’s class certification order under the abuse-of-discretion standard.
    In re Whirlpool Corp. Front-Loading Washer Prods. Liab. Litig., 
    722 F.3d 838
    , 850 (6th Cir.
    2013) (citing Olden v. LaFarge Corp., 
    383 F.3d 495
    , 507 (6th Cir. 2004)). A district court has
    broad discretion in certifying a class action, but “it must exercise that discretion within the
    framework of Rule 23.” Coleman v. Gen. Motors Acceptance Corp., 
    296 F.3d 443
    , 446 (6th Cir.
    2002). A district court abuses its discretion if it “misapplies the correct legal standard when
    reaching” its class-certification conclusion. In re Whirlpool, 722 F.3d at 850. That is, while the
    class-certification decision “calls for an exercise of judgment,” the “use of the proper legal
    framework does not.” Pilgrim v. Universal Health Card, LLC, 
    660 F.3d 943
    , 946 (6th Cir. 2011).
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    Case No. 20-1705, Woodall v. Wayne Cnty., Mich.
    A. Rule 23(a)
    Prior to certification of a class, district courts must conduct a “rigorous analysis” to
    determine if the movant has shown that the action satisfies all the prerequisites of Rule 23. Gen.
    Tel. Co. of the Sw. v. Falcon, 
    457 U.S. 147
    , 161 (1982); Stout v. J.D. Byrider, 
    228 F.3d 709
    , 716
    (6th Cir. 2000). The district court may only certify a class where “an adequate statement of the
    basic facts” demonstrates that each of Rule 23’s requirements are met. Young v. Nationwide Mut.
    Ins. Co., 
    693 F.3d 532
    , 537 (6th Cir. 2012) (citation omitted). A district court must determine the
    permissibility of class certification based upon information other than that which is in the pleadings
    although it may do so based on the pleadings alone where they set forth sufficient facts. 
    Id.
     In
    making such a determination, a district court may draw reasonable inferences from the facts before
    it. Senter v. Gen. Motors Corp., 
    532 F.2d 511
    , 523 (6th Cir. 1976).
    Rule 23(a) establishes four requirements for class certification: (1) the class is so numerous
    that joinder of all members is impracticable; (2) there are questions of law or fact common to the
    class; (3) the claims or defenses of the representative parties are typical of those of the class; and
    (4) the representative parties will fairly and adequately protect the interests of the class. Fed. R.
    Civ. P. 23(a); Gen. Tel. of the Nw., Inc. v. Equal Emp. Opportunity Comm’n, 
    446 U.S. 318
    , 321
    n.3 (1980).      We place an additional requirement that the proposed class definition be
    “administratively feasible” to allow the Court to ascertain membership in the class by reference to
    objective criteria. See Young, 693 F.3d at 537-38. If the requirements of Rule 23(a) are satisfied,
    the action must also meet one of the conditions in Rule 23(b). Coleman, 
    296 F.3d at 446
    . The
    parties seeking class certification bear the burden of showing that the requirements for class
    certification are met. Bridging Cmtys. Inc. v. Top Flite Fin. Inc., 
    843 F.3d 1119
    , 1124 (6th Cir.
    2016).
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    Case No. 20-1705, Woodall v. Wayne Cnty., Mich.
    i. Commonality and Typicality
    Wayne County challenges the class’s “commonality” and “typicality” requirements.
    To demonstrate commonality, Plaintiffs must show that class members have suffered the same
    injury. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes, 
    564 U.S. 338
    , 350 (2011). Their claims must depend upon
    a common contention of such a nature that it is capable of class-wide resolution, “which means
    that determination of its truth or falsity will resolve an issue that is central to the validity of each
    one of the claims in one stroke.” 
    Id.
     What matters to the commonality requirement of class
    certification is the “capacity of a class-wide proceeding to generate common answers apt to drive
    the resolution of the litigation.” 
    Id.
     (quotation omitted); Davis v. Cintas Corp., 
    717 F.3d 476
    , 487
    (6th Cir. 2013) (same).
    Although typicality tends to merge with commonality, Dukes, 
    564 U.S. at
    349 n.5, it asks
    whether the claims “of the representative parties are typical of the claims . . . of the class.” Rule
    23(a)(3). We have held that the claim is not typical if “[a] named plaintiff who proved his own
    claim would not necessarily have proved anybody else’s claim.” Sprague v. Gen. Motors Corp.,
    
    133 F.3d 388
    , 399 (6th Cir. 1998) (citing Retired Chi. Police Ass’n v. City of Chicago, 
    7 F.3d 584
    ,
    597 (7th Cir. 1993) (typicality requirement was not satisfied where different groups of class
    members received different representations). As we clarified in Sprague, “[t]he premise of the
    typicality requirement is simply stated: as goes the claim of the named plaintiff, so go the claims
    of the class.” 
    Id.
     As such, “a class representative must be part of the class and possess the same
    interest and suffer the same injury as the class members.” Falcon, 
    457 U.S. at 156
     (emphasis
    added) (citation omitted).
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    Case No. 20-1705, Woodall v. Wayne Cnty., Mich.
    Plaintiffs assert that the typicality and commonality of the class members claims are based
    on the common claim that Wayne County maintained a policy or custom of tolerating the manner
    in which strip searches were being conducted in the jail. We disagree.
    Plaintiffs allege that they saw male officers in the Registry while they were being searched.
    Plaintiffs allege that the inmates were called derogatory names and told that they stink. Plaintiffs
    also allege that Corporal Graham operated a “snack shop” where she would sell sodas, chips and
    other snacks from a room adjacent to the Registry, and that male staff members would see naked
    women being strip searched when they would go in the back room to buy snacks. They further
    state that when they were on their menstrual cycles during searches, Corporal Graham would force
    them to remove their pads, and then force them to clean up their menstrual discharge from the
    floor.
    Here, Plaintiffs would have to show that Wayne County’s policy was unconstitutional for
    all inmates who have been strip searched. But the policy prohibited such conduct, which
    distinguishes this case from other blanket strip search cases. The district court treated each
    subclass as a separate class under Rule 23(c)(5), and limited the scope temporally to strip searches
    from 2014 to resolution of litigation.
    The district court recognized that the constitutionality of each strip search will depend on
    an individualized determination of the balancing of the particular need for the search against the
    personal intrusion the search entailed. See Williams v. City of Cleveland, 
    907 F.3d 924
    , 935 (6th
    Cir. 2018). The district court failed to recognize that the same is also true for the municipal liability
    claims. Most obviously, due to the statute of limitations problem resolved earlier in this case, the
    putative class claims all accrued after November 14, 2014; but the named plaintiffs’ claims all
    accrued before that date. Proof of indifference to violations of the County’s written policies before
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    Case No. 20-1705, Woodall v. Wayne Cnty., Mich.
    it implemented new directives in November and December 2013 would not also establish the
    existence of such a custom or policy afterward. As such, the class fails to meet the “commonality”
    and “typicality” requirements.
    ii. Adequacy of Representation
    In order to show adequacy, the class representative must be part of the class and possess
    the same interest and suffer the same injury as the class members. Young, 693 F.3d at 543. The
    named plaintiffs must have common interests with unnamed members of the class and must be
    able to rigorously prosecute the interests of the class through qualified counsel. Id.; Senter,
    
    532 F.2d at 525
    . The adequacy of representation requirement can merge with the commonality
    and typicality requirements of Rule 23(a). Amchem Prods., Inc. v. Windsor, 
    521 U.S. 591
    , 626
    n.20 (1997); In re Am. Med. Sys., 
    75 F.3d 1069
    , 1083 (6th Cir. 1996).
    Plaintiffs assert that they share common interests with the potential class members who are
    currently incarcerated and subject to strip searches. Other courts have found that actual conflicts
    arise between proposed class representatives who seek only injunctive relief and members of the
    proposed class who have already experienced personal injuries, which renders the representatives
    inadequate under Rule 23(a). In re Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (“MTBE”) Prods. Liab. Litig.,
    
    209 F.R.D. 323
    , 338–40 (S.D.N.Y. 2002).
    We have also previously raised a standing issue in a case arising out of similar
    circumstances, involving the same defendant, and found that the no-longer incarcerated plaintiff
    did not have standing to seek injunctive and punitive relief for other incarcerated individuals. See
    Sumpter v. Wayne County, 
    868 F.3d. 473
    , 490-91 (6th Cir. 2017). The formerly-incarcerated lead
    plaintiffs cannot adequately represent a class that includes those incarcerated, because they are
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    Case No. 20-1705, Woodall v. Wayne Cnty., Mich.
    simply not part of that class given that they were detained before November 2014.1 See Dukes,
    
    564 U.S. at
    348–49; Great Rivers Coop. of Se. Iowa v. Farmland Indus., 
    120 F.3d 893
    , 899 (8th
    Cir. 1997); see also 7A Charles A. Wright et al., Federal Practice & Procedure § 1761, at 154–
    57 (3d ed. 2005).
    In sum, the class fails to meet the certification requirements under Rule 23(a).
    B. Rule 23(b)
    To determine that the movant has met the requirements of Rule 23(b)(3), courts have a
    “duty to take a ‘close look’ at whether common questions predominate over individual ones.”
    Comcast Corp. v. Behrend, 
    569 U.S. 27
    , 34 (2013). Subdivision (b)(3) parallels subdivision (a)(2)
    in that both require that common questions exist, but subdivision (b)(3) contains the more stringent
    requirement that common issues “predominate” over individual issues. See 
    id.
     Courts consider a
    non-exhaustive list of factors to determine if Rule 23(b)(3)’s requirements are met:
    (A) the class members’ interest in individually controlling the prosecution or
    defense of separate actions; (B) the extent and nature of any litigation concerning
    the controversy already begun by or against class members; (C) the desirability or
    undesirability of concentrating the litigation of the claims in the particular forum;
    (D) the likely difficulties in managing a class action.
    Where common issues predominate, the class members “will prevail or fail in
    unison.” Amgen Inc. v. Conn. Ret. Plans & Tr. Funds, 
    568 U.S. 455
    , 460 (2013). A plaintiff’s
    failure to prove an essential element of the claim will cause the class to “fail in its entirety.” 
    Id. at 469
    . To clarify, a question is individual if the plaintiffs “will need to present evidence that varies
    from member to member, while a common question is one where the same evidence will suffice
    1
    Separately, Wayne County asserts the named Plaintiffs cannot adequately represent the interests of all class
    members because the Prison Litigation Reform Act (“PLRA”) requires the individual class members, apart from the
    named Plaintiffs, to exhaust their administrative remedies. Because Plaintiffs have not met the Rule 23(a)
    requirements in the first place, we decline to address this question at this time.
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    Case No. 20-1705, Woodall v. Wayne Cnty., Mich.
    for each member to make a prima facie showing or the issue is susceptible to generalized, class-
    wide proof.” Tyson Foods, Inc. v. Bouaphakeo, 577 U.S 442, 453 (2016) (citation omitted).
    Wayne County contends the district court abused its discretion in certifying a class under
    Rule 23(b)(3) because individual claims will predominate over class claims but does not explain
    how, other than focus on damages. Wayne County also asserts that, because Plaintiffs cannot point
    to an “official policy or legislative enactment that was, on its face, unconstitutional and uniformly
    applied,” individual inquiries would be necessary separate and apart from the common question of
    law and fact arising under Monell.
    Plaintiffs assert that Monell clarifies that those constitutional deprivations pursuant to
    governmental “custom” are actionable even if such custom is not embodied in a “formal” or
    “official” written policy.2 See Monell v. Dep’t of Soc Servs. of City of New York, 
    436 U.S. 658
    ,
    690 (1978). Wayne County’s written policy titled “Inmate Searches” defines strip searches as:
    An examination of an inmate’s naked body for weapons, contraband, physical
    abnormalities, injuries and signs of illness. This includes a thorough search of all
    of the individual’s clothing, which is not being worn. This search is to be conducted
    by an officer of the same gender as the inmate being searched and out of view of
    persons of the opposite gender.
    R. 102-3, Page ID #3344-45, Wayne County Sheriff Document No. 14.4 (B). Wayne County’s
    policies further provide that strip searches should be conducted “out of view of the public and
    other inmates” when possible. R. 102-3, Page ID #3345, WC pg. 959.
    Under this policy, Plaintiffs have not shown that common issues predominate. First, the
    district court’s opinion did not identify the legal theory on which Plaintiffs would rely to hold the
    County directly liable for the allegedly illegal strip searches. See Order, R.81, Page ID # 2253-55.
    2
    Defendants assert that a municipal defendant such as Wayne County cannot be held liable under Monell
    absent a precedent finding a constitutional violation separate and apart from the violations alleged against Wayne
    County. We will not address the merits of this claim prior to a thorough review of class certification requirements.
    - 10 -
    Case No. 20-1705, Woodall v. Wayne Cnty., Mich.
    Monell does not come with a single theory for holding the County liable on a custom or policy.
    Our cases instead identify many different Monell theories, including, for example, that a county
    has a formal policy that is unconstitutional; that a high-level county official engaged in the
    unconstitutional act; that the county failed to adequately train the employees who engaged in the
    unconstitutional act; that the county had a custom of inaction toward the unconstitutional act; and
    that the county ratified the unconstitutional act by failing to adequately investigate it. See, e.g.,
    Pineda v. Hamilton County, 
    977 F.3d 483
    , 495 (6th Cir. 2020); Burgess v. Fischer, 
    735 F.3d 462
    ,
    478 (6th Cir. 2013); Thomas v. City of Chattanooga, 
    398 F.3d 426
    , 429 (6th Cir. 2005). These
    Monell theories come with different elements and different evidentiary burdens. Compare Pineda,
    977 F.3d at 495 (unconstitutional ratification), with Thomas, 
    398 F.3d at 429
     (unconstitutional
    inaction).
    Second, even if we consider that the class intends to establish their Monell claim on a so-
    called “inaction theory” of liability, predominance remains an issue. To succeed on this theory,
    we have stated that a plaintiff must show the following four elements (not including damages):
    (1) the existence of a clear and persistent pattern of illegal activity; (2) notice or
    constructive notice on the part of defendant; (3) the defendant’s tacit approval of
    the unconstitutional conduct, such that their deliberate indifference in their failure
    to act can be said to amount to an official policy of inaction; and (4) that the
    defendant’s custom was the “moving force” or direct causal link in the
    constitutional deprivation.
    Thomas, 
    398 F.3d at 429
     (internal alterations and citation omitted).
    A proper analysis must consider which of these elements can be established on a class-
    wide basis and which would require proof for each of the class members. Perhaps the first
    element—a clear pattern of unconstitutional strip searches—could be established for each of the
    four subclasses. See 
    id.
     But that is the only element that could conceivably be resolved in this
    common fashion. Insurmountable timing issues, for example, would bar any class-wide treatment
    - 11 -
    Case No. 20-1705, Woodall v. Wayne Cnty., Mich.
    of the second (notice) and third (deliberate indifference) elements. Wayne County must have had
    notice of the unconstitutional conduct and been deliberately indifferent to it at the time each class
    member allegedly suffered the unconstitutional search. See 
    id. at 433-34
    . Yet what the County
    did and did not know and what actions it did or did not take in response will almost certainly vary
    from year to year, month to month, and even day to day. A class member in, say, 2019, might
    have a stronger or weaker claim of deliberate indifference than a class member in, say, 2014. After
    all, all of the strip searches that were allegedly unconstitutional and that happened in between those
    two times perhaps could provide additional evidence to show the County’s notice and indifference
    to the conduct. But that evidence will be irrelevant to a class member’s claim in 2014. Deliberate
    indifference in 2019 is not deliberate indifference in 2014. If anything, these class members have
    a conflict of interest.
    Equally important, it is not enough to show generically that the County had a policy of
    acting with deliberate indifference toward the four types of unconstitutional strip searches (which
    were allegedly conducted in violation of its formal policies). Rather, a class member must also
    show that the class member was herself subjected to a “constitutional deprivation” in the way that
    she was searched. See 
    id. at 429
    . And the class member must then show a “direct causal link”
    between the County’s general policy of deliberate indifference and this constitutional violation.
    
    Id.
     In that respect, just because a policy exists does not mean it caused the particular class
    member’s harm. As we have said, there is an “analytical distinction” between the general policy
    and the specific constitutional violation. Doe v. Claiborne County, 
    103 F.3d 495
    , 508 (6th Cir.
    1996). “A municipality could be found to have a policy of failing to act in the face of repeated
    constitutional violations. But it could also be found to have acted reasonably, or even negligently,
    in a particular case, thus precluding liability.” 
    Id.
     at 508–09. So, this causation question would
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    Case No. 20-1705, Woodall v. Wayne Cnty., Mich.
    have to be decided on an individual basis, too. Cf. Brown v. Electrolux Home Prods., Inc.,
    
    817 F.3d 1225
    , 1235-37 (11th Cir. 2016); Ebert v. Gen. Mills, Inc., 
    823 F.3d 472
    , 479-80 (8th Cir.
    2016); Stout, 
    228 F.3d at 718
    .
    The district court’s reliance on Tardiff v. Knox County to support the conclusion that
    individualized determination of each constitutional violation would not defeat the predominance
    of the common questions was likewise misplaced. 
    365 F.3d 1
    , 3-6 (1st Cir. 2004). The class
    claims in Tardiff challenged the county’s policies of conducting strip searches of all detainees
    without evaluation for individualized suspicion. 
    Id. at 3
    . The common questions there included
    what the county’s policies were and whether such policies were constitutional when the charges
    did not involve weapons, drugs, or violent felonies. 
    Id. at 3-4
    . If there was such a blanket strip
    search policy, it could be expected to be the proximate cause of the challenged searches. And, if
    the blanket policy was found constitutional, the class claims would fail together. The same is not
    true here. One plaintiff’s success in proving that acquiescence in the violation of the County’s
    policies was a moving force behind her unconstitutional search would not establish the claims of
    the rest.
    Lastly, as the district court itself recognized, the court would have to resolve each class
    member’s damages, if any, on an individual basis. See Order, R.81, PageID # 2252-53. To be
    sure, despite Behrand’s rejection of a class on the basis of damages alone, 
    569 U.S. at 34
    , the
    circuit courts continue to recognize that individual damages determinations alone do not make
    individual issues predominate over common ones. See, e.g., Carriuolo v. Gen. Motors Co.,
    
    823 F.3d 977
    , 988-89 (11th Cir. 2016) (citing cases). But damages are at least relevant to the
    predominance inquiry and can “defeat predominance when they are accompanied by ‘significant
    individualized questions going to liability.’” Brown, 817 F.3d at 1240 (citation omitted). That is
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    Case No. 20-1705, Woodall v. Wayne Cnty., Mich.
    case here. Some elements for proving the general policy under a Monell inaction theory, the
    unconstitutionality of the search in each class member’s case, and the causal connection between
    the two would all have to be proven on an individual basis. When damages are added to the mix,
    individual issues predominate. The district court failed to apply the correct legal framework here
    and therefore abused its discretion.3 The record is clear that class adjudication is not proper.
    IV. CONCLUSION
    For the foregoing reasons, we REVERSE the class certification order and REMAND for
    further proceedings.
    3
    Wayne County asserts that the classes as certified by the district court are “fail safe” because, according to
    the County, “[i]f the jury finds no policy or custom, then each Plaintiff would be free to pursue individual claims
    against Defendants” and furthermore that “if the municipal liability question fails, the class members would not be
    bound by the adverse judgment and could still pursue individual claims.” Appellant’s Brief, at 23-24. We need not
    address this issue because the class does not meet the certification requirements under Rule 23(a) and (b)(3).
    - 14 -
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 20-1705

Filed Date: 11/15/2021

Precedential Status: Non-Precedential

Modified Date: 11/15/2021

Authorities (19)

Tardiff v. Knox County , 365 F.3d 1 ( 2004 )

Addie T. Coleman, on Behalf of Herself and Others Similarly ... , 296 F.3d 443 ( 2002 )

Julie Olden, Richard Hunter, Wilbur Bleau, and All Others ... , 383 F.3d 495 ( 2004 )

John Eric Thomas, and Wife, Heather Thomas v. City of ... , 398 F.3d 426 ( 2005 )

Pilgrim v. Universal Health Card, LLC , 660 F.3d 943 ( 2011 )

james-d-stout-shirley-a-brown-v-jd-byrider-aka-docherty-motors , 228 F.3d 709 ( 2000 )

In Re American Medical Systems, Inc. Pfizer, Inc. , 75 F.3d 1069 ( 1996 )

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great-rivers-cooperative-of-southeastern-iowa-an-iowa-farm-cooperative , 120 F.3d 893 ( 1997 )

jane-doe-and-janet-doe-individually-v-claiborne-county-tennessee-by-and , 103 F.3d 495 ( 1996 )

retired-chicago-police-association-an-illinois-not-for-profit-corporation , 7 F.3d 584 ( 1993 )

General Telephone Co. of the Northwest, Inc. v. Equal ... , 100 S. Ct. 1698 ( 1980 )

Robert D. Sprague, Plaintiffs-Appellees/cross-Appellants v. ... , 133 F.3d 388 ( 1998 )

Monell v. New York City Dept. of Social Servs. , 98 S. Ct. 2018 ( 1978 )

General Telephone Co. of Southwest v. Falcon , 102 S. Ct. 2364 ( 1982 )

Amchem Products, Inc. v. Windsor , 117 S. Ct. 2231 ( 1997 )

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes , 131 S. Ct. 2541 ( 2011 )

Amgen Inc. v. Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds , 133 S. Ct. 1184 ( 2013 )

Comcast Corp. v. Behrend , 133 S. Ct. 1426 ( 2013 )

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