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Joan REYES Janet Coon Kathleen Jones and Ivetta Bentson on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated Plaintiffs
vs.
James EDMUNDS Individually and in his official capacity as Director of the Ramsey County Welfare Department William Zuber Individually and in his official capacity as Manager of the Legal Resources Service of the Ramsey County Welfare Department Kay Dunkelberger Individually and in her official capacity as Supervisor of the Ramsey County Welfare Department Fraud Unit Harry Gregg Individually and in his official capacity as Assistant Ramsey County Counsel Thomas Keena Individually and in his official capacity as an Investigator for the Ramsey County Welfare Department Fraud Unit Linda Browning Individually and in her official capacity as an Investigator for the Ramsey County Welfare Department Fraud Unit Vera Likens Individually and in her official capacity as Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Welfare Eugene F. Macaulay Individually and in his official capacity as Ramsey County Administrator Defendants
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Issues:
Search, due process, policy and procedure, reasonable suspicion, refusal, Fourth Amendment.
Case Summary:
The parties to a suit involving Ramsey County's policy of searching the homes of public aid recipients accepted a magistrate's recommendation and submitted the dispute to the U.S. District Court. Officials with the county's public assistance department initiated a policy of dispatching an inspection team to the homes of aid recipients. The team responded to complaints involving public aid fraud. The policy called for the inspectors to notify the aid recipient that a complaint had been reported to the department. The team would then request permission to search the residence to confirm the complaint. The team was required to notify the recipient they could deny the inspectors access to the residence, but refusal to cooperate could result in a loss of benefits. Several recipients refused to permit the searches and subsequently lost their public assistance benefits. They filed suit, claiming the county's policy constituted an unreasonable search. The plaintiffs requested an end to the policy, a reinstatement of their benefits and special compensation.
Decision of lower jurisdiction:
A magistrate determined the county's policy violated the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The magistrate ordered the county to cease its inspections and further ordered the county to reinstate aid benefits in the cases in which benefits had been terminated. The magistrate rejected the plaintiffs petition for additional compensation. The magistrate suggested the issue should be submitted to the U.S. District Court. Both parties accepted the magistrate's suggestion.
Outcome:
A split decision. The U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota, Third Division, adopted the magistrate's findings. The court affirmed the magistrate's ruling concerning the county's searches. The court also affirmed the magistrate's denial of special compensation to the plaintiffs.