Translate
Text Highlighter

Bookmark

PDF

Share

Report a problem
AMICUS AI
Citation Codes
Equivalent Citations
citation codes
Docket Number
Attorney(S)
Judges
Are you a practicing lawyer?
Enhance your digital presence and reach by creating a Casemine profile.
Upload pleading to use the new AI search
Cites
Cited by
Citation Codes
Equivalent Citations
citation codes
Docket Number
Attorney(S)
Judges
Smart Summary

Case Summary: William E. Davis et al. v. James Temple et al., No. 5-95-0566 (Ill. App. Ct., 5th Dist. Nov. 26, 1996)

Factual and Procedural Background

Plaintiffs William and Pamela Davis brought a seven-count civil complaint alleging wrongdoing by Carbondale police officer James Temple (and the City of Carbondale under respondeat superior) arising from Officer Temple's investigation of reported criminal damage to property at Bud's Warehouse. William's counts (I–V) alleged malicious prosecution (against Temple and the city), false arrest (against Temple and the city), and negligent retention (against the city). Pamela's counts (VI–VII) alleged invasion of privacy in the form of unreasonable intrusion upon seclusion against Temple and the city.

The original complaint was dismissed with leave to amend; plaintiffs filed a first amended complaint on May 18, 1995. Defendants moved for involuntary dismissal under section 2-619.1 of the Code of Civil Procedure. The trial court dismissed the first amended complaint with prejudice. Plaintiffs appealed. They did not seek leave to file a second amended complaint and stand on their first amended complaint.

Legal Issues Presented

  1. Whether the facts alleged in counts I and II (malicious prosecution against Officer Temple and the City) sufficiently state the elements of malicious prosecution under Illinois law.
  2. Whether the facts alleged in counts III and IV (false arrest against Officer Temple and the City) state a claim for false arrest given the existence of a judicially issued arrest warrant and the content of the affidavit of probable cause.
  3. Whether Illinois recognizes a cause of action for unreasonable intrusion upon the seclusion of another (an invasion-of-privacy tort) and, if so, whether Pamela's counts VI and VII sufficiently allege that cause of action.
  4. Whether count V (negligent retention of an employee—Officer Temple—by the City) states an independent viable claim given the other counts.

Arguments of the Parties

Plaintiffs' (Appellants') Arguments

  • William alleged that Officer Temple prepared and submitted an affidavit of probable cause containing false information, thereby causing criminal charges to be filed (malicious prosecution), and that the affidavit lacked probable cause and was motivated by malice.
  • William alleged that the affidavit of probable cause and the resulting warrant resulted in his arrest, fingerprinting and booking, and that he was later acquitted by directed verdict—facts plaintiffs contend satisfy malicious prosecution and false arrest elements.
  • Pamela alleged that Officer Temple engaged in a course of harassing conduct (phone call to her workplace, secluding and verbally abusing her at the station, unannounced visits to her workplace, forcibly entering a storeroom and telling her she was "in custody") constituting an unreasonable intrusion upon her seclusion.
  • Pamela asked the court to recognize the intrusion-upon-seclusion tort in Illinois and to find her allegations sufficient under that tort.

Defendants' (Appellees') Arguments

  • Defendants argued William's pleadings were conclusory and failed to specify what information in the affidavit was false or to allege that Officer Temple pressured the State's Attorney to prosecute—facts defendants maintained were required to establish malicious prosecution.
  • Defendants contended there were insufficient factual allegations to show Officer Temple acted without probable cause or that he knowingly provided false information, and that an arrest pursuant to a judicially issued warrant cannot, by itself, support a false arrest/false imprisonment claim.
  • Defendants argued that Illinois courts had not uniformly recognized an intrusion-upon-seclusion cause of action and, even if the court recognized it, Pamela's allegations were insufficient because the conduct complained of occurred in the course of a public criminal investigation rather than involving a private matter.
  • With respect to negligent retention, defendants asserted that the negligent-retention claim could not stand because it was predicated on the allegedly deficient underlying claims against Officer Temple.

Table of Precedents Cited

Precedent Rule or Principle Cited For Application by the Court
McCormick v. Kruk, 220 Ill. App.3d 449 (1991) Standard of review for a motion to dismiss under section 2-615 (whether complaint states a cause of action). Cited as authority for the standard used to evaluate whether plaintiffs stated a cause of action.
Health Employees Labor Program v. County of Cook, 236 Ill. App.3d 93 (1992) Scope of motions under section 2-619—proper when affirmative matter negates plaintiff's cause of action. Referenced to distinguish section 2-619 grounds from 2-615 review and to describe when a section 2-619 dismissal is proper.
Fellhauer v. City of Geneva, 142 Ill.2d 495 (1991) On review of a dismissal for failure to state a cause of action, courts accept all well-pleaded facts and inferences as true. Cited to state the pleading-rule framework the court applied when reviewing the dismissal.
Groenings v. City of St. Charles, 215 Ill. App.3d 295 (1991) Conclusions of law or fact unsupported by specific facts are not accepted as true on motion to dismiss. Used to explain that conclusory allegations (e.g., that information was "false") are insufficient.
In re Marriage of Skinner, 149 Ill. App.3d 788 (1986) Disputed questions of law are reviewed de novo. Cited to state the appellate review standard for legal questions in the appeal.
Krautstrunk v. Chicago Housing Authority, 95 Ill. App.3d 529 (1981) A motion to dismiss should not be granted unless no set of facts could be proven under the pleadings that would entitle plaintiff to relief. Quoted to emphasize the pleading threshold and that dismissal is proper only when relief could not be granted under any set of facts consistent with the pleadings.
Freides v. Sani-Mode Mfg. Co., 33 Ill.2d 291 (1965) Elements of malicious prosecution (six elements set forth in the opinion). Used to state the required elements plaintiffs had to plead for malicious prosecution and to evaluate counts I and II against those elements.
Wiemann v. County of Kane, 150 Ill. App.3d 962 (1986) Arrest under a judicially issued warrant cannot give rise to a claim of false imprisonment. Cited as authority supporting the proposition that a valid warrant precludes a false arrest claim; applied in dismissing counts III and IV.
Jacobson v. Rolley, 29 Ill. App.3d 265 (1975) Same principle: arrest under a judicially issued warrant cannot support false imprisonment claim. Also cited to support dismissal of the false arrest claim where a judicial warrant issued.
Wilson v. Hunk, 51 Ill. App.3d 1030 (1977) It is necessary to plead sufficient factual allegations of an unlawful arrest; conclusory allegations are insufficient. Invoked to support the conclusion that William's conclusory allegations about falsity were inadequate to state false arrest.
Lovgren v. Citizens First Nat'l Bank, 126 Ill.2d 411 (1989) Supreme court analysis of intrusion-upon-seclusion facts; emphasized that the tort's core is offensive prying, not publication. Cited at length: court summarized Lovgren's discussion and noted Lovgren did not resolve whether the tort should be recognized statewide; used in the intrusion analysis.
Bank of Indiana v. Tremunde, 50 Ill. App.3d 480 (1977) This district assumed the supreme court would recognize intrusion-upon-seclusion but did not expressly hold it. Referenced in the historical discussion of Illinois courts' approaches to the intrusion tort.
Leopold v. Levin, 45 Ill.2d 434 (1970) Statement recognizing privacy as a protected value ("right 'to be let alone'"). Quoted for the principle that privacy deserves legal protection; used to show earlier statements supporting privacy protection.
Melvin v. Burling, 141 Ill. App.3d 786 (1986) Third District recognized the intrusion-upon-seclusion tort and set forth four elements required to state the cause of action. Adopted by this court as the four-pronged test for alleging intrusion upon seclusion and used as the test the court applied in this case.
Kelly v. Franco, 72 Ill. App.3d 642 (1979) First District previously declined to entertain an intrusion-on-seclusion cause of action. Cited to show inter-district conflict and differing approaches to recognizing the tort.
Mucklow v. John Marshall Law School, 176 Ill. App.3d 886 (1988) First District applied Melvin's elements but did not expressly hold the cause exists in Illinois. Referenced as part of the first district's line of decisions addressing intrusion allegations.
Miller v. Motorola, Inc., 202 Ill. App.3d 976 (1990) First District application of Melvin elements; found allegations insufficient. Used to show the first district's treatment of intrusion allegations post-Melvin.
Dwyer v. American Express Co., 273 Ill. App.3d 742 (1995) First District post-Melvin decision finding plaintiff's allegations did not satisfy element one. Included in the survey of appellate decisions addressing intrusion-on-seclusion claims.
Bureau of Credit Control v. Scott, 36 Ill. App.3d 1006 (1976) Fourth District refused to recognize intrusion on seclusion, finding the plaintiff had an IIED claim instead. Cited to illustrate another district's refusal to adopt the intrusion tort.
Restatement (Second) of Torts § 652B (and Prosser/Keeton treatise) Definition and examples of the intrusion-upon-seclusion tort (one who intentionally intrudes upon the solitude/seclusion of another is liable if intrusion would be highly offensive to a reasonable person). Quoted and used as the doctrinal basis for the intrusion analysis and to define the contours of that tort.

Court's Reasoning and Analysis

The court proceeded in an organized, claim-by-claim analysis using established pleading and substantive standards set out in the cited authorities.

  1. Standard of review and pleading principles.

    The court reiterated that on a motion to dismiss under section 2-615 all well-pleaded facts and inferences must be accepted as true, but legal conclusions and conclusory factual assertions unsupported by specific facts are not. A section 2-619 motion (raised here as 2-619.1) is appropriate only when an affirmative matter negates the plaintiff's cause of action.

  2. Counts I and II — Malicious prosecution.

    The court set out the six elements of malicious prosecution and examined William's allegations. William alleged that Officer Temple prepared and submitted an affidavit of probable cause containing "false information," failed to obtain a uniform complaint signed by the alleged victim, and filed the affidavit without consulting the alleged victim. He also asserted malice and lack of probable cause.

    The court found the pleading deficient because (a) the complaint did not specify which statements in the affidavit were false; (b) it contained conclusory allegations of falsity, malice, and lack of probable cause without supporting facts; and (c) there was no allegation that Officer Temple pressured the State's Attorney to prosecute. The court relied on the State's Attorney's affidavit (filed in connection with the case) stating that an officer need not file a uniform complaint or contact the victim prior to filing an affidavit of probable cause and that the decision to file an information rests with the State's Attorney — undercutting any inference that the officer's mere submission of an affidavit equates to legally causative pressure on the prosecutor. On that basis, the court held the malicious prosecution counts were insufficiently pleaded.

  3. Counts III and IV — False arrest.

    The court noted the plaintiff's obligation to prove arrest or restraint caused by defendants without reasonable grounds to believe an offense was committed. It emphasized settled Illinois law that an arrest pursuant to a judicially issued arrest warrant cannot give rise to a false imprisonment claim. William's allegation that the affidavit contained "false" information was conclusory and failed to identify specific falsehoods or facts showing a lack of probable cause. The court also observed that the alleged failure to obtain a uniform complaint or to contact the alleged victim did not, as a matter of law, establish an unlawful arrest. Therefore the false arrest counts were dismissed for failure to plead sufficient facts of an unlawful arrest.

  4. Counts VI and VII — Intrusion upon seclusion (Pamela's invasion-of-privacy claim).

    The court reviewed the doctrinal history and inter-district conflict regarding the intrusion-upon-seclusion tort. It adopted the Melvin four-element test (unauthorized/prying intrusion into seclusion; intrusion offensive to a reasonable person; the subject of the intrusion is private; and the intrusion causes anguish/suffering).

    After adopting the Melvin framework, the court expressly recognized a cause of action for unreasonable intrusion upon the seclusion of another in Illinois. However, it held Pamela's allegations insufficient because the intrusive conduct complained of occurred in the context of a criminal investigation concerning criminal damage at the plaintiffs' workplace. The court reasoned that a criminal investigation is a public matter rather than a private matter and therefore the third Melvin element (that the matter intruded upon be private) was not met. While acknowledging the alleged conduct (calls, station interview, unannounced presence at workplace, forcible entry to storeroom) might be questionable, the court concluded those acts did not constitute the tort of unreasonable intrusion into seclusion because of the public nature of the investigation.

  5. Count V — Negligent retention.

    The court agreed with the trial court that the negligent-retention claim could not stand because it was based on the pending causes of action against Officer Temple (i.e., the underlying tort claims were dismissed), and thus count V failed as pleaded.

Holding and Implications

The appellate court affirmed the judgment of the circuit court dismissing plaintiffs' first amended complaint with prejudice, but expressly recognized a cause of action for unreasonable intrusion upon the seclusion of another.

Implications and direct effects (as stated in the opinion):

  • The dismissal of all seven counts as pleaded in the first amended complaint was affirmed. The trial court's dismissal with prejudice stands because plaintiffs did not seek leave to file a second amended complaint and did not preserve opportunity for amendment.
  • The court formally recognized the intrusion-upon-seclusion tort in Illinois and adopted the Melvin four-element test for pleading that claim. Nonetheless, the court found Pamela's specific allegations insufficient because they arose in the course of a public criminal investigation and thus did not involve a sufficiently private matter.
  • Counts I–IV (malicious prosecution and false arrest) were dismissed for failure to plead sufficient factual detail (e.g., failure to specify false statements in the affidavit; failure to allege pressure on the State's Attorney; conclusory allegations of malice and lack of probable cause). Count V (negligent retention) was dismissed because it relied on the underlying dismissed claims.
  • Although the court recognized the intrusion tort (thereby adding to Illinois law an explicit recognition of that cause of action), it did not find that the facts alleged in this case met the required elements and therefore did not grant relief on Pamela's intrusion claims.

All statements in this summary reflect only the content and reasoning contained in the provided opinion and do not add facts or legal conclusions beyond those expressly stated by the court.

WILLIAM E. DAVIS et al., Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. JAMES TEMPLE et al., Defendants-Appellees.

JUSTICE GOLDENHERSH delivered the opinion of the court:

Plaintiffs, William E. Davis and Pamela Davis, appeal from the judgment of the circuit court of Jackson County granting a motion to dismiss their complaint. The motion to dismiss was filed by defendants, James Temple, a police officer with the City of Carbondale, and the City of Carbondale.

Plaintiffs brought the present action to recover damages allegedly caused by Officer Temple while he was acting in his capacity as a police officer for the city. Plaintiffs filed a seven-count complaint against defendants. Counts I through V were brought by William. Count I was against Officer Temple and alleged malicious prosecution. Count II was against the city under a theory of respondeat superior and likewise alleged malicious prosecution. Count III was against Officer Temple and count IV was against the city; both alleged false arrest. Count V was against the city and alleged negligent retention of an employee, namely, Officer Temple. Counts VI and VII were brought by Pamela against Officer Temple and the city, respectively. Counts VI and VII alleged invasion of privacy, more specifically, the tort of unreasonable intrusion upon the seclusion of another. On appeal, we must determine as to counts I through V whether William alleged sufficient facts to sustain a cause of action for the alleged torts. As to counts VI and VII, we must first determine whether a cause of action exists in Illinois for unreasonable intrusion upon the seclusion of another, and, if so, whether Pamela sufficiently alleged such a cause of action in counts VI and VII. We affirm with one exception. We expressly recognize a cause of action for unreasonable intrusion upon the seclusion of another. However, we find the facts alleged in counts VI and VII insufficient to state that cause of action.

FACTS

Plaintiffs are husband and wife. At the time of the alleged occurrences, Pamela was employed by Bud's Warehouse. William was also an employee of Bud's Warehouse but was discharged from that employment on January 20, 1994. Plaintiffs filed their original action on February 9, 1995. The trial court granted defendants' motion to dismiss all seven counts but allowed plaintiffs leave to amend. On May 18, 1995, plaintiffs filed their first amended complaint.

Plaintiffs' first amended complaint alleged that on January 20, 1994, Officer Temple, in the course of his duty as a police officer, was called to Bud's Warehouse to investigate reported criminal damage to property. Plaintiffs further alleged that from January 20, 1994, until February 9, 1994, Officer Temple engaged "in a course of conduct of hounding and harassing" both William and Pamela "in an attempt to coerce a confession" from William on the criminal damage charge. In count I, William alleged a cause of action against Officer Temple for malicious prosecution, specifically alleging as follows:

"3. That on February 18, 1994, the Defendant James Temple, motivated by malice[,] did cause to be filed a criminal action, namely, Jackson County No. 94-CM-82, against this Plaintiff, by preparing and submitting to the Jackson County State's Attorney an 'Affidavit of Probable Cause,' which contained false information. Defendant failed to obtain a Uniform Complaint form signed by the alleged victim, and in fact, prepared and filed said Affidavit of Probable Cause without consulting with or informing the alleged victims of his intent to charge the Plaintiff William E. Davis with Assault. Defendant submitted this 'Affidavit of Probable Cause' although he knew that said charges were unjustified and that probable cause for the prosecution of this plaintiff was lacking." (Emphasis in original.)

Count II made the same allegations against the city under a theory of respondeat superior.

In count III, William alleged a cause of action against Officer Temple for false arrest, specifically alleging as follows:

"3. That on January 20, 1994, the Defendant James Temple, in the course of his duty as a Carbondale Police officer, was called to Bud's Warehouse in Carbondale, Illinois, to investigate a reported criminal damage to property.
4. That from January 20, 1994, until February 9, 1994, the Defendant James Temple did engage in a course of conduct of hounding and harassing the Plaintiff, William Davis, in an attempt to coerce a confession to the aforesaid criminal damage to property charge.
5. That on February 9, 1994, the harassment by the Defendant James Temple reached such an extent that the Plaintiff filed a complaint with both the Carbondale Police Department and the Jackson County State's Attorney's office, alleging police misconduct.
6. That on February 10, 1994, the Defendant, James Temple, in retaliation for Plaintiff's filing of the police misconduct complaint, did prepare and submit to the Jackson County State's Attorney an 'Affidavit of Probable Cause,' which contained false information. Defendant failed to obtain a Uniform Complaint form signed by the alleged victim, and in fact, prepared and filed said Affidavit of Probable Cause without consulting with or informing the alleged victims of his intent to charge the Plaintiff William E. Davis with Assault. Defendant submitted this 'Affidavit of Probable Cause' and did cause a warrant to issue for the arrest of the Plaintiff upon the charge of Assault.
7. That Defendant James Temple filed the 'Affidavit of Probable Cause' without any probable cause, and did so out of malice, and that the arrest of the Plaintiff was wholly without cause.
8. That as a result of the actions of the Defendant James Temple, Plaintiff was caused to be arrested, fingerprinted and booked, and was detained against his will for a period of time.
9. That upon trial of said charges, the Court entered a directed verdict in favor of this Plaintiff and thereby acquitted this Plaintiff, [and] that judgment was entered in favor of Plaintiff and is now final.
10. That Defendant James Temple caused said criminal charges to be lodged against Plaintiff and caused Plaintiff to be arrested with the intent to bring this Plaintiff into disrepute and to cause, if possible, great shame and humiliation to Plaintiff, in which objective the Defendant was successful; and that in addition to the actual financial losses caused by such conduct, including the expenses incident to the defense of such case, the Plaintiff was subjected to great stress and anxiety which adversely affected his health, peace of mind and physical condition." (Emphasis in original.)

In count IV, William made the same allegations against the city, again under a theory of respondeat superior.

In count V, William alleged a cause of action against the city for negligent retention of Officer Temple as a police officer. William alleged that previous complaints were made against Officer Temple but the city failed to take appropriate measures to correct the conduct of Officer Temple.

In counts VI and VII, Pamela alleged a cause of action for invasion of privacy, specifically, unreasonable intrusion on the seclusion of another, against both Officer Temple and the city, respectively. Pamela specifically alleged:

"5. That from January 20, 1994, until February 9, 1994, the Defendant James Temple did engage in a course of conduct of hounding and harassing Plaintiff Pamela Davis, in an attempt to coerce her husband to confess to the criminal damage to property charge, to-wit:
(a) On February 2, 1994, the Defendant James Temple did call Plaintiff Pamela Davis at her place of employment, and demanded that she appear at the Carbondale Police Department to discuss his investigation of damage to Plaintiff's [co-worker's] automobile. Upon her arrival, the Defendant James Temple secluded himself in a room with Plaintiff, and verbally abused her, calling her a 'fucking liar,' and threatening to 'make (her) life a living hell' until her husband confessed to damaging Plaintiff's co-worker's automobile.
(b) On February 8, 1994, the Defendant James Temple did come to the place of employment of the Plaintiff Pamela Davis, namely, Bud's Warehouse, unannounced and demanding to speak to the Plaintiff, in the clear view of her friends and co-workers, thus invading the privacy of the Plaintiff among her friends and co-workers.
(c) That on February 8, 1994, in an attempt to get away from the Defendant James Temple, the Plaintiff Pamela Davis walked to the stockroom of her employer's place of business, a place not open to the public, and was talking to her manager, when Defendant James Temple forcefully entered the storeroom, informed Plaintiff Pamela Davis she was 'in custody' and again demanded that she talk to him, all in the presence of and clear view and hearing of the store manager of Plaintiff's employment, thus invading the privacy of the plaintiff and causing a loss of confidence and reputation of the Plaintiff among her friends and co-workers." (Emphasis in original.)

Plaintiffs allege that as a result of the action of defendants, they suffered great shame and humiliation, financial loss, and great stress and anxiety, which adversely affected their health, peace of mind, and physical condition.

On June 14, 1995, defendants filed a motion for involuntary dismissal of plaintiffs' first amended complaint, pursuant to section 2-619.1 of the Code of Civil Procedure (the Code). 735 ILCS 5/2-619.1 (West 1994). The trial court dismissed plaintiffs' first amended complaint with prejudice. Plaintiffs filed a timely notice of appeal. Plaintiffs did not file a motion for leave to file a second amended complaint, nor have they sought that relief from this court. Plaintiffs stand on their first amended complaint.

ISSUES

The first issue we are asked to address is whether plaintiffs' first amended complaint alleged sufficient facts to sustain the various causes of action stated in counts I through V. We initially note that the standard of review on appeal from a motion to dismiss under section 2-615 of the Code is whether the complaint sufficiently states a cause of action. 735 ILCS 5/2-615 (West 1994); McCormick v. Kruk, 220 Ill. App.3d 449, 451, 581 N.E.2d 73, 75 (1991). Generally, a motion brought under section 2-619 of the Code is properly allowed only if it raises an affirmative matter which negates the plaintiff's cause of action completely or when it refutes crucial conclusions of law or conclusions of material fact that are unsupported by allegations of specific facts. 735 ILCS 5/2-619 (West 1994); Health Employees Labor Program v. County of Cook, 236 Ill. App.3d 93, 97, 603 N.E.2d 591, 593 (1992). On review of an order dismissing a complaint for failure to state a cause of action, all well-pleaded facts and inferences are accepted as true ( Fellhauer v. City of Geneva, 142 Ill.2d 495, 499, 568 N.E.2d 870, 872 (1991)), but not conclusions of law or conclusions of fact unsupported by specific facts. Groenings v. City of St. Charles, 215 Ill. App.3d 295, 299, 574 N.E.2d 1316, 1319 (1991). Disputed questions of law are reviewed de novo. In re Marriage of Skinner, 149 Ill. App.3d 788, 791, 501 N.E.2d 311, 313 (1986). A motion to dismiss a complaint for failure to state a cause of action should not be granted unless it clearly appears that no set of facts could be proven under the pleadings which would entitle the plaintiff to relief. Krautstrunk v. Chicago Housing Authority, 95 Ill. App.3d 529, 420 N.E.2d 429 (1981).

COUNTS I AND II

The necessary elements for malicious prosecution are:

"(1) the commencement or continuance of an original criminal or civil judicial proceeding, (2) its legal causation by the present defendant against plaintiff who was the defendant in the original proceeding, (3) its bona fide termination in favor of the present plaintiff, (4) the absence of probable cause for such proceedings, (5) the presence of malice, and (6) damages resulting to plaintiff." Freides v. Sani-Mode Manufacturing Co., 33 Ill.2d 291, 295, 211 N.E.2d 286, 288 (1965).

William maintains that he alleged that Officer Temple caused criminal charges to be filed against him and that is sufficient to reasonably inform Officer Temple of the nature of the claim against him. Further, William maintains that because he alleged that the affidavit contained "false" information, the pleadings meet the required elements of malicious prosecution. Defendants respond that plaintiff failed to allege that Officer Temple pressured the State's Attorney into prosecuting William and that there are insufficient allegations that Officer Temple knowingly supplied "false" information to the State's Attorney on which the State's Attorney relied in deciding to prosecute William. We agree with defendants.

In the present case, there is no allegation in count I that Officer Temple in any way pressured or coerced the State's Attorney to file charges against William. The first amended complaint merely contends that Officer Temple, "motivated by malice," caused charges to be filed against plaintiff by preparing and submitting to the State's Attorney an affidavit of probable cause which contained false information. William did not specify which information in the affidavit was false, but he only alleged that defendant did not obtain a uniform complaint form signed by the alleged victim and that defendant prepared and filed the said affidavit without consulting or informing the alleged victim. However, in conjunction with this case, the State's Attorney filed an affidavit in which he stated that there is no statutory requirement for filing a uniform complaint when an officer files an affidavit of probable cause and that there is no duty or statutory requirement for a police officer to contact the victim before filing the affidavit of probable cause. The State's Attorney explained that it is his decision whether to file an information. A close examination of the first amended complaint reveals that plaintiff makes conclusory allegations that the information supplied by Officer Temple was "false," without specifying what was false. Moreover, we agree with defendants that plaintiff's allegations of malice and lack of probable cause found in the complaint are also mere conclusions and, therefore, are insufficient to state a cause of action for malicious prosecution. We find that plaintiff did not allege sufficient facts to sustain a cause of action for malicious prosecution as pleaded in counts I and II.

COUNTS III AND IV

To sustain an action for false arrest, the plaintiff has the burden of proving a restraint or an arrest caused or procured by the defendants without their having reasonable grounds to believe that an offense was committed by the plaintiff. Karow v. Student Inns, Inc., 43 Ill. App.3d 878, 881, 357 N.E.2d 682, 686 (1976). William submits that he alleged facts sufficient to constitute false arrest. He claims that the trial court incorrectly dismissed counts III and IV because it overlooked that the alleged facts in counts III and IV included the statement that the warrant of arrest was based upon Officer Temple's affidavit of probable cause which contained false information. Defendants respond that there are no facts alleged which, if proven, would show that Officer Temple acted without probable cause or that he knew that there was no probable cause but proceeded anyway. Defendants maintain that there were insufficient factual allegations pleaded in counts III and IV to establish a lack of probable cause and malice on the part of Officer Temple in arresting William. We agree with defendants.

The trial court correctly found that a "cause of action for false arrest cannot be based upon a valid Warrant of Arrest issued by a Court," as the law is well settled that if an arrest is made under a judicially issued arrest warrant, the arrest itself cannot give rise to a claim of false imprisonment. Wiemann v. County of Kane, 150 Ill. App.3d 962, 968, 502 N.E.2d 373, 376 (1986); Jacobson v. Rolley, 29 Ill. App.3d 265, 267, 330 N.E.2d 256, 258 (1975). The fact that William alleged that the affidavit of probable cause contained "false" information does not mean that this trial court's determination was incorrect. William's pleadings on this matter are conclusory and do not give us any indication what, if anything, was false. It is not enough to plead false arrest; it is necessary to plead sufficient factual allegations of an unlawful arrest. See Wilson v. Hunk, 51 Ill. App.3d 1030, 1032-33, 367 N.E.2d 478, 480-81 (1977). Moreover, the other allegations made by William, namely, that Officer Temple failed to obtain a uniform complaint signed by the alleged victim and that Officer Temple filed an affidavit of probable cause without consulting the alleged victim, do not support William's claim of false imprisonment since, as previously discussed, it was not necessary for Officer Temple to have taken either action. Accordingly, we find the complaint insufficient to state a cause of action for false arrest.

COUNTS VI AND VII

In count VI, Pamela presented a cause of action against Officer Temple for invasion of privacy, specifically, unreasonable intrusion into the seclusion of another. In count VII, Pamela presented the same cause of action against the city under a theory of respondeat superior. Pamela asks us to expressly recognize this tort and argues that the allegations found in counts VI and VII are sufficient to plead the elements of this cause of action. Defendants respond that neither the supreme court nor the Fifth District Appellate Court has expressly recognized this cause of action and, thus, counts VI and VII of plaintiffs' first amended complaint were properly dismissed for failure to state a cause of action. Assuming, arguendo, that we recognize a cause of action based upon the unreasonable intrusion on the seclusion of another, defendants argue that the facts alleged in counts VI and VII were insufficient to state a cause of action.

Professor William Prosser delineated four distinct types of invasion of privacy, and his approach has been explicitly adopted by the Restatement (Second) of Torts. The four types are: (1) intrusion upon the seclusion of another (Restatement (Second) of Torts § 652B, at 378 (1977)); (2) appropriation of another's name or likeness (Restatement (Second) of Torts § 652C, at 380 (1977)); (3) publicity given to private life (Restatement (Second) of Torts § 652D, at 383 (1977)); and (4) publicity placing a person in a false light (Restatement (Second) of Torts § 652E, at 394 (1977)). The Restatement (Second) of Torts describes the tort of intrusion upon the seclusion of another in the following manner: "One who intentionally intrudes, physically or otherwise, upon the solitude or seclusion of another or his private affairs or concerns, is subject to liability to the other for invasion of his privacy, if the intrusion would be highly offensive to a reasonable person." Restatement (Second) of Torts § 652B, at 378 (1977).

In Lovgren v. Citizens First National Bank, 126 Ill.2d 411, 534 N.E.2d 987 (1989), our supreme court considered whether the facts in that case constituted an unreasonable intrusion upon the seclusion of another and found that the facts of that case did not satisfy the elements of that tort as defined by Prosser. In Lovgren, the debtor-plaintiff brought an action against the bank for invasion of privacy. One theory was intrusion upon seclusion based upon the bank's attempt to collect a debt by running an advertisement that the debtor was selling his farm at a public auction. No such sale had been scheduled, however, and the plaintiff had not consented to such a sale. The ad did not mention the bank's mortgage on the property or the fact that the sale was being held to satisfy the plaintiff's financial obligations. The ad was placed without the bank instituting mortgage foreclosure proceedings. Lovgren, 126 Ill.2d at 415, 534 N.E.2d at 988. The Lovgren court determined that the alleged offensive conduct and subsequent harm pleaded by the plaintiff resulted from the bank's act of publication, not from an act of prying. The Lovgren court specifically cited to the Restatement (Second) of Torts § 652B, previously set forth in this opinion, and added the following discussion about the comments to this Restatement section:

"The comments to this section of the Restatement indicate that the nature of this tort depends upon some type of highly offensive prying into the physical boundaries or affairs of another person. The basis of the tort is not publication or publicity. Rather, the core of this tort is the offensive prying into the private domain of another. (Restatement (Second) of Torts § 652B, comments a, b, at 378-79 (1977).) Prosser and Keeton's treatise on torts echoes the Restatement approach. (See W. Prosser W. Keeton, Torts § 117, at 854-56 (5th ed. 1984).) The examples provided as forming the basis for the tort of intrusion into the seclusion of another include the following acts: invading someone's home; an illegal search of someone's shopping bag in a store; eavesdropping by wiretapping; peering into the windows of a private home; and persistent and unwanted telephone calls. (W. Prosser W. Keeton, Torts § 117, at 854-55 (5th ed. 1984).) Although we recognize that the contours of the tort of unreasonable intrusion into the seclusion of another are intuitive to a degree, we conclude that the defendants' alleged actions in the present case do not constitute unreasonable intrusion into the seclusion of another." Lovgren, 126 Ill.2d at 416-17, 534 N.E.2d at 989.

Our supreme court went on to note that its discussion of the tort of unreasonable intrusion on seclusion should not be interpreted to imply its recognition of such a cause of action, and the court noted that a conflict existed between the districts of the appellate court. Lovgren, 126 Ill.2d at 417-18, 534 N.E.2d at 989. Our supreme court declined to resolve the conflict in Lovgren, and a split remains between the districts.

In Bank of Indiana v. Tremunde, 50 Ill. App.3d 480, 365 N.E.2d 295 (1977), this district stated that although it found no reported cases from Illinois recognizing a cause of action for unreasonable intrusion upon seclusion, it assumed, based on Leopold v. Levin, 45 Ill.2d 434, 259 N.E.2d 250 (1970), that the supreme court would recognize that such an action was appropriate. In Leopold, our supreme court stated:

"Privacy is one of the sensitive and necessary human values and undeniably there are circumstances under which it should enjoy the protection of law." Leopold, 45 Ill.2d at 440-41, 259 N.E.2d at 254.

The Leopold court referred to the right of privacy as one recognized many years ago and "described in a limited fashion by Judge Cooley with utter simplicity as the right 'to be let alone.' " Leopold, 45 Ill.2d at 440, 259 N.E.2d at 254. The Bank of Indiana court, relying on Leopold, however, held only that a cause of action in that case was not proved, and the court did not go so far as to expressly hold that a cause of action for intrusion upon seclusion exists.

The Third District Appellate Court recognized the intrusion on seclusion tort in Melvin v. Burling, 141 Ill. App.3d 786, 490 N.E.2d 1011 (1986). The Melvin court set forth four elements that must be alleged in order to state the cause of action: (1) an unauthorized intrusion or prying into the plaintiff's seclusion; (2) an intrusion that is offensive or objectionable to a reasonable man; (3) the matter upon which the intrusion occurs is private; and (4) the intrusion causes anguish and suffering. Melvin, 141 Ill. App.3d at 789, 490 N.E.2d at 1013-14. In Kelly v. Franco, 72 Ill. App.3d 642, 391 N.E.2d 54 (1979), the First District Appellate Court declined to entertain a cause of action for intrusion into the seclusion of another. However, since the Melvin decision, the first district has applied the four elements set forth in Melvin but has never specifically held that the cause of action exists in this state. In Mucklow v. John Marshall Law School, 176 Ill. App.3d 886, 531 N.E.2d 941 (1988), and Miller v. Motorola, Inc., 202 Ill. App.3d 976, 560 N.E.2d 900 (1990), as well as Dwyer v. American Express Co., 273 Ill. App.3d 742, 652 N.E.2d 1351 (1995), the first district held that the plaintiff's allegations did not satisfy the first element of Melvin, but the court did not go so far as to say that the cause of action for intrusion on seclusion actually exists in Illinois. The Fourth District Appellate Court, in Bureau of Credit Control v. Scott, 36 Ill. App.3d 1006, 345 N.E.2d 37 (1976), refused to recognize intrusion on seclusion, finding that because the plaintiff already stated a cause of action for intentional infliction of severe emotional distress, there was no need to grant her a remedy of invasion of privacy based upon intrusion upon seclusion.

A review of this area of law leads us to adopt the four-pronged test set forth in Melvin for determining whether a cause of action has been properly alleged for intrusion upon seclusion. Nothing written by our supreme court on this area of the law leads us to believe that such a cause of action should not be recognized in Illinois. Therefore, after careful consideration, we expressly recognize a cause of action for unreasonable intrusion into the seclusion of another. After review of plaintiffs' first amended complaint, however, we conclude that Officer Temple's actions in the instant case do not constitute unreasonable intrusion into the seclusion of another. Our decision is based upon the fact that the alleged offensive conduct occurred during the course of a criminal investigation concerning William. A criminal investigation is a public matter, not a private matter, and, thus, does not meet the third required element, namely, that the matter upon which the intrusion occurs is private.

Pamela's complaint alleges that due to Officer Temple's investigation, she suffered injury to her right to privacy. However, from what we can garner from the record before us, Officer Temple was investigating a reported crime, namely, criminal damage to property, which allegedly occurred at both plaintiffs' place of employment, Bud's Warehouse. Pamela alleges that on February 2, 1994, Officer Temple called her and demanded that she appear at the police station in conjunction with this investigation. Likewise, on February 8, 1994, Officer Temple appeared at Bud's Warehouse in the course of the public investigation. Officer Temple's investigative techniques are indeed questionable if what plaintiffs have alleged in their complaint is true. They do not, however, constitute an unreasonable intrusion into the seclusion of another, due to the public nature of the investigation of a crime allegedly committed at both plaintiffs' place of employment.

COUNT V

Finally, with regard to count V, negligent retention of an employee, we agree with the trial court that this count cannot stand since it is based on the pending cause of action against Officer Temple.

For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the circuit court of Jackson County is affirmed, except that we expressly recognize a cause of action for unreasonable intrusion upon the seclusion of another. However, as previously discussed, the facts of the instant case do not give rise to such a cause of action.

Affirmed.

RARICK and KUEHN, JJ., concur.

Use AI to get other relevant cases.

Comments

DAVIS v. TEMPLE
(Nov 26, 1996)