United States District Court Eastern District of Michigan Southern Division
United States District Court Eastern District of Michigan Southern Division
United States District Court Eastern District of Michigan Southern Division
BERNARD YOUNG,
Defendants.
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attorneys, SOLOMON M. RADNER and EXCOLO LAW, PLLC, and files his
Complaint against the Defendants in this civil action, stating unto this court as
follows:
and 1988, and the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United
capacity, and in her official capacity as a public safety officer, and CITY OF
in this Complaint based upon the laws of the United States pursuant to 28 U.S.C.
4. The unlawful actions alleged in this Complaint took place within the
jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of
Michigan.
28 U.S.C. 1391(b) and based on the situs of the incident, which occurred in the
Michigan.
of the CITY OF DETROIT (DETROIT), and was acting under color of law.
formed under the laws of the State of Michigan, and was the employer of FOY.
GENERAL ALLEGATIONS
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Linda Tadlock, their sister, Lakeisha Clark, and their mothers boyfriend,
William Clark. Early that year, Anthony, who was six (6) years old, and Thomas,
who was five (5), started acting out at home and in school.
10. Later that year, Linda Tadlock made a disturbing discovery: she
found the boys performing oral sex on each other in their bedroom. Concerned
by the boys behavior, Linda Tadlock called the Childrens Center in Detroit and
had the boys attend counseling on an out-patient basis. The counseling proved
ineffective, and Anthony and Thomas were referred to the Aurora Hospital for
residential treatment, Anthony was admitted to the hospital on July 19, 1988, and
hospital was a clinical in-patient therapist named Margareta Olsson. Ms. Olsson
began suspecting the boys had been sexually abused when she saw them
performing sexual acts with dolls. Ms. Olsson immediately asked the boys
whether they had been sexually abused, but they both denied any abuse. Later, on
April 7, 1989, Anthony and Thomas told Margareta Olsson they had been
12. Ms. Olsson contacted the police, and the Detroit Police Department
Police Department was assigned as officer in charge of the investigation into the
alleged abuse by Mr. Young. On April 14, 1989, Defendant FOY interviewed
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Anthony and Thomas at the Aurora Hospital and took written statements from
them. In his statement, Anthony told Defendant FOY that Mr. Young used to
babysit him and Thomas when their mother was at work and their mothers
boyfriend, William Clark, was at the store. He told her that one-day Mr. Young
13. According to Anthony, they were sitting on the couch waiting for
William Clark to come home when Mr. Young came in, pulled his pants down,
and told them to suck his penis. He also told Defendant FOY that Mr. Young
sucked his penis, told him to suck Thomass penis, told Thomas to suck his penis,
and told Thomas to put his penis into his butt. Anthony stated he was six (6) years
his written statement to Defendant FOY. Thomas stated that Mr. Young sucked
his penis, put his penis in his behind, put his penis into Anthonys mouth, and put
his penis into Anthonys behind. He also stated that Mr. Young made him put his
penis into Anthonys mouth and into Anthonys behind. According to Thomas,
he was five (5) years old when Mr. Young allegedly did these things to him.
Detroit Police station. There was a total of 7 people in the line-up, including Mr.
Young and his brother, Baxter Young, who lived next door to the Tadlock boys.
William Clark was not in the line-up. Anthony Tadlock identified Mr. Young out
of the line-up as his abuser. Thomas Tadlock did not identify Mr. Young or
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16. On April 18, 1989, Mr. Young was charged with 10 counts of first
degree criminal sexual conduct and 6 counts of second degree criminal sexual
conduct for the alleged sexual abuse of Anthony and Thomas Tadlock, which,
according to the criminal complaint, occurred between January 1, 1988, and July
1, 1988. Kelly Ramsey of the Wayne County Prosecutors Child Abuse Unit was
assigned as the assistant prosecutor on the case. On April 27, 1989; a preliminary
examination was held in the 36th District Court, and the district court bound Mr.
Young over to the Detroit Recorders Court on 7 counts of first degree criminal
Anthony and Thomas told Margareta Olsson that they had been sexually abused
by their mothers boyfriend, William Clark. Ms. Olsson once again contacted the
Detroit Police, and the Detroit Police initiated an investigation into the alleged
sexual abuse by William Clark. Defendant FOY was also assigned as officer in
Anthony and Thomas and took statements from them about the alleged abuse by
William Clark. These statements and the fact that the boys had accused William
Clark of sexual abuse were never disclosed by Defendant FOY to Mr. Young
18. Mr. Youngs case proceeded to a bench trial before Judge Michael
Talbot of the Detroit Recorders Court on August 4, 1989. The prosecution called
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a total of four (4) witnesses at trial, Anthony Tadlock, Thomas Tadlock, Linda
Tadlock, and Margareta Olsson. Anthony testified that when he used to live on
Hendricks Street, Mr. Young, who lived nearby, would babysit him and his
brother while his mom was at work and William Clark was not home. He stated
bad things would happen when Mr. Young babysat them. According to Anthony,
Mr. Young touched his penis, sucked his penis, and made him put his penis where
Mr. Young sat. He also stated Mr. Young put his penis where he sat and told him
19. Anthony further stated that Mr. Young forced him to suck his
brothers penis and forced him to put his penis where his brother sat. According
to Anthony, Mr. Young did these things to him the previous summer, before he
Clark had hit him but stated he was not afraid to go home to William Clark.
Neither the prosecution nor Mr. Youngs criminal trial counsel asked Anthony if
it was William Clark who had sexually abused him or whether he had also
20. Thomas also testified that Mr. Young used to babysit him and his
brother when they lived on Hendricks and that bad things would happen when
Mr. Young babysat them. He stated that Mr. Young put his penis where Thomas
sat and made Thomas suck his and Anthonys private parts. He stated that Mr.
Young did these things to him before he went to the hospital, when he was five
(5) years old. Thomas identified Mr. Young at trial, but had difficulty doing so.
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On re-cross, Mr. Youngs criminal trial counsel impeached Thomas with his
21. Again, neither the prosecution nor Mr. Youngs criminal trial
counsel asked Thomas whether it was William Clark who had sexually abused
him or whether he had also accused William Clark or anyone else of the sexual
abuse.
22. Linda Tadlock testified that in 1988 she lived on Hendricks Street
in Detroit with her boyfriend, William Clark, her daughter, Lakeisha Clark, and
her sons, Anthony and Thomas. She stated that when she went to work she would
leave her children with William Clark and that to her knowledge, no one but
William Clark babysat Anthony and Thomas. She did, however, state that the
boys had told her that either Baxter or Bernard Young had been babysitting them.
Linda Tadlock also stated that William Clark had physically abused Anthony and
23. After the prosecution rested, Mr. Youngs trial counsel moved for
a directed verdict on all counts. Judge Talbot granted the motion for count 7, first
degree criminal sexual conduct against Anthony Tadlock, but denied the motion
for the remaining counts. Mr. Youngs criminal trial counsel called two
24. Braxter Young testified that he lived next door to William Clark
and Linda Tadlock, that he was close friends with William Clark, and that he
would go to their house practically every day. He also stated that to his knowledge
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his brother Bernard never babysat Anthony and Thomas, but that he himself had
babysat the boys between January 1988 and July 1988. He further testified that
Berndard Young did not have any interaction with Linda Tadlock or William
Clark after an incident that occurred in 1986 in which Clark alleged to Braxter
that Bernard Young had stolen something from him. Braxter Young additionally
testified that Bernard Young moved away at some point prior to January of 1988
and lived with his wife on the west side of Detroit during the entire time the
25. Bernard Young testified that he used to live in a red and white house
on Hendricks Street, across the street from William Clark and Linda Tadlock. He
stated that he and his wife moved away from that house during the fall of 1987
and that he did not visit the home of William and Linda Tadlock between January
1, 1988, and July of 1988 because William Clark had accused him of breaking
into his house. He further testified that he never babysat Anthony and Thomas,
trial, Mr. Youngs criminal trial counsel argued Anthony and Thomas had falsely
accused Mr. Young because they were afraid of leaving the hospital and returning
to William Clark, who had physically abused them. Judge Talbot ultimately
rejected trial counsels theory and found Mr. Young guilty of 6 counts of first
consecutive terms of 60 to 100 years imprisonment for each count of first degree
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27. On November 11, 1989, about two (2) months after Bernard Young
was sentenced, William Clark was charged with eight (8) counts of first degree
criminal sexual conduct for the sexual abuse of Anthony and Thomas Tadlock
which, according to the complaint, occurred between January 1988 and July
1988. Charges were brought against William Clark based on the evidence that
Defendant FOY had obtained and failed to disclose to Mr. Young. Kelley
Ramsey, who prosecuted Mr. Young, was also assigned as the prosecutor on the
in the 36th District Court. At the conclusion of the examination, William Clark
was bound over to the Detroit Recorders Court, where his case was assigned to
28. On August 16, 1990, William Clark pled guilty to two counts of
second degree child abuse against Anthony and Thomas Tadlock. On September
26, 1990, Judge Shamo sentenced William Clark to three years probation, with
the last six months to be served in the Wayne County Jail. All of the criminal
convictions but remanded for resentencing because Judge Talbot had not
articulated the reasons why he departed from the sentencing guidelines and had
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resentencing on April 29, 1992, Judge Talbot imposed the same sentence of 60 to
100 years imprisonment for each count of first degree criminal sexual conduct.
30. Mr. Young once again appealed his sentences, and on October 17,
1995, the Court of Appeals affirmed. Mr. Young filed a delayed application for
leave to appeal in the Michigan Supreme Court, and the Michigan Supreme Court
denied the application on October 29, 1996. Mr. Youngs case was eventually
assigned to Judge Deborah Thomas. On August 22, 2003, Mr. Young filed a
motion for relief from judgment. On September 21, 2004, Judge Thomas denied
that motion. On December 8, 2009, Mr. Young filed a second motion for relief
from judgment. On April 2, 2010, Judge Thomas denied that motion. On April
11, 2011, Mr. Youngs case was reassigned from Judge Thomas to Judge Edward
Ewell, Jr. On January 2, 2014, Mr. Youngs case was reassigned from Judge
31. On May 11, 2016, Mr. Young filed a third motion for relief from
judgment, claiming (1) there was newly discovered evidence that exonerates him;
(2) the prosecution and Defendant FOY suppressed evidence in violation of his
right to due process; (3) he was denied effective assistance of counsel; and (4)
Parker (formerly Linda Tadlock), an affidavit from Anthony Tadlock dated May
4, 2015, and an affidavit from Thomas Tadlock dated April 4, 2013. In their
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affidavits, Anthony and Thomas state they falsely accused Mr. Young because
they were afraid of their real abuser, William Clark who had threatened to kill
33. The trial court held evidentiary hearings on three days, September
22, 2016, October 28, 2016, and November 21, 2016, during which the Court
heard testimony from eight (8) witnesses, Linda Parker, Thomas Tadlock, H.J.
Corvin, Mary Novrocki, Claudia Whitman, Joyce Holman, Kelly Ramsey, and
Defendant FOY.
he stated in his affidavit, that he falsely accused the Defendant because he was
afraid of William Clark, who was now deceased. At the time of the hearings,
35. At the October 28, 2016, hearing, non-redacted copies of the police
jackets from Bernard Young and William Clarks criminal cases were admitted
as exhibits. The police jacket for the William Clark case includes an illegible
Clark dated November 10, 1989, two polygraph examination reports for William
Clark, a written statement taken from Lakeisha Clark on November 9, 1989, and
the written statements Defendant FOY took from Anthony Tadlock, Thomas
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Tadlock, and Margareta Olsson on May 17, 1989. Of particular relevance here
and the written statements Defendant FOY took from Anthony Tadlock, Thomas
states the following: DESC: William Clark B/M/45 D.O.B 03-31-43 3648
Hendricks Not In Custody Complts Stated that the Def-While Babysitting them
would force them to perform fellatio and would insert his penis into their anus.
The preliminary complaint record indicated the complainants were Anthony and
Thomas Tadlock, the offenses occurred between July 1, 1987 and July 19, 1988,
37. The trial court ultimately entered an Opinion and Order granting
Mr. Youngs Motion for Relief from Judgment on February 3, 2017 based on two
until several years after Mr. Young was wrongfully convicted. Namely: (1)
Affidavits signed by the victims indicating that Mr. Young did not sexually abuse
them but that ONLY their step-father, William Clark did; and (2) written police
statements taken from the victims prior to the 1989 trial but never made available
to Mr. Young or his attorneys until August 2016 these victim statements
implicate William Clark, thereby supporting the affidavits recently signed by the
victims.
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Court of Appeals Affirmed the circuit courts decision to grant Mr. Youngs third
39. As a direct and proximate result of the wrongful acts and omissions
40. Defendant FOY, as a sworn police officer, had taken an oath, the
Law Enforcement Code of Ethics, that stated, in pertinent part: As a sworn police
property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression
or intimidation and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the
existed before Mr. Youngs criminal trial, conspired with CITY OF DETROIT
evidence and ensure that Mr. Young, an innocent man, was sentenced to 60 to
deprive Mr. Young of his constitutional rights under the 4th Amendment, which
guarantees [t]he right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers,
and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and
no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation
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suppress exculpatory evidence from Mr. Young ran afoul to the United States
society that it is far worse to convict an innocent man than to let a guilty man go
free. In re Winship, 397 U.S. 358, 372; 90 S. Ct. 1068, 1077; 25 L.Ed.2d 368
(1970) (Harlan, J., concurring). See also T. Starkie, Evidence 956 (1824) (The
maxim of the law is that it is better that ninety-nine offenders should escape,
44. FOY also made a conscious, knowing, and intentional choice not to
to provide Mr. Young with the exculpatory evidence Defendant FOY obtained.
46. Defendant FOY either did not bring the exculpatory evidence to
47. Since Defendant FOY knew that the written statements she took
from Anthony Tadlock, Thomas Tadlock, and Margareta Olsson on May 17, 1989
definitively proved that Mr. Young was an innocent man, FOY made a conscious,
knowing, and intentional and/or reckless choice to ensure the statements were not
48. But for Defendants conduct, there would have been no probable
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10 counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct and 6 counts of second degree
criminal sexual conduct, the City of Detroit, by and through its policymakers, had
a custom and policy to authorize, condone, tolerate and approve illegal and
staff.
51. The illegal and unconstitutional actions and practices included but
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analysis, and disclosure, including their duty not to suppress evidence and to
Bernard Young, and were the moving force behind Defendant FOYs
constitutional violations.
54. Due to the conduct of Defendants FOY and DETROIT, as set forth
damages:
55. Due to the conduct of Defendants, FOY and DETROIT, as set forth
below, the true child abuser, William Clark, was never adequately convicted and
retained his freedom while Mr. Young spent over 27 years in prison.
COUNT I
CONSTITUTIONAL VIOLATIONS BY ALL DEFENDANTS
57. Defendant FOY was under an unwavering legal duty (Brady duty)
to disclose to the prosecutors all material evidence where its exculpatory and
impeachment value was apparent, including, but not limited to, the evidence that
she willingly suppressed, revealing that William Clark not Bernard Young
committed the criminal sexual conduct. Defendant FOYs failure to disclose the
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58. Defendant FOY was under a further duty to make truthful statements
to the prosecutor and magistrate judge to establish probable cause for an arrest
warrant.
59. Defendant FOY was under a further duty to make truthful statements
protected rights, including his right to liberty protected by the Due Process clause
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, his right to a fair trial, guaranteed by the
Brady Violations
Malicious Prosecution
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without probable cause, based upon a police officers deliberate and knowing
cause, charged with crimes he did not commit, wrongfully convicted and
imprisoned for over 27 years, and deprived of his liberty, causing him to suffer
prays for the following relief, jointly and severally, against all Defendants:
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Respectfully submitted,
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