Gotshall, et al. v. City of Titusville, and Adkins et al. v. City of Titusville

(M.D. Fla., J. Presnell, 2013)

In June 2011, in preparation for the final shuttle launch, the City of Titusville cleared 11 homeless encampments, destroying the personal property of a number of individuals who lived at these camps. The City used industrial equipment, employed temporary workers, and used pick-up trucks to sweep the property of homeless individuals. The City’s unlawful actions deprived people of personal belongings that are critical to their survival, such as clothing, medication, tents and blankets, as well as irreplaceable personal possessions, such as family photographs, a WWII flag, personal records, identification documents, and even the ashes of a deceased parent contained in an urn. We sued under the Fourth Amendment and constitutional due process and achieved a mediated monetary settlement for compensation for the destruction of their personal property. We co-counseled with Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida.