JOHNSON v. AMERICAN TOWERS, LLC

No. 13-1872.

781 F.3d 693 (2015)

Robert JOHNSON; Mary Johnson, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. AMERICAN TOWERS, LLC; Farmers Telephone Cooperative, Inc.; Cellco Partnership, d/b/a Verizon Wireless; Sprint Cellular Company of South Carolina; Sprint Communications Company L.P.; Alltel Communications, LLC; T-Mobile USA Tower LLC; T-Mobile USA Inc.; AT & T Inc.; AT & T Mobility LLC; AT & T Mobility Services, LLC; Verizon Wireless, LLC; Verizon Wireless Service LLC; Verizon Wireless of the East LP; Tracfone Wireless, Inc., Defendants-Appellees, and Cellco Telephone Company of the Southeast, LLC; Alltel Communications, Incorporated; Alltel Mobile Communications of South Carolina, Inc., Defendants.

United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.

Decided: March 25, 2015.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

ARGUED: John E. Parker , Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrick, PA, Hampton, South Carolina, for Appellants. Scott H. Angstreich , Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel, P.L.L.C., Washington, D.C.; Jeremy Cook Hodges , Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, Columbia, South Carolina, for Appellees. ON BRIEF: William F. Barnes, III , Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrick, PA, Hampton, South Carolina, for Appellants. John M.S. Hoefer , Willoughby & Hoefer, P.A., Columbia, South Carolina; Andrew E. Goldsmith , Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel, P.L.L.C., Washington, D.C., for Appellees Cellco Partnership, Sprint Cellular Company of South Carolina, Alltel Communications, LLC, Verizon Wireless, Verizon Wireless Service LLC, and Verizon Wireless of the East LP. Robert W. Foster, Jr. , Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, Columbia, South Carolina, for Appellee Farmers Telephone Cooperative, Inc. Daniel R. Settana, Jr. , Janet Brooks Holmes , McKay, Cauthen, Settana & Stubley, P.A., Columbia, South Carolina, for Appellees AT & T Inc., AT & T Mobility LLC, and AT & T Mobility Services, LLC. Eric G. Fosmire , The Fosmire Law Firm, LLC, Columbia, South Carolina, for Appellees T-Mobile USA Tower LLC and T-Mobile USA, Incorporated. Elbert S. Dorn , Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Burl F. Williams , Nexsen Pruet, LLC, Greenville, South Carolina, for Appellee American Towers, LLC. David S. Cox , Matthew E. Tillman , Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, LLP, Charleston, South Carolina, for Appellee Sprint Communications Company L.P. Daniel B. White , Gallivan, White & Boyd, P.A., Greenville, South Carolina, for Appellee TracFone Wireless, Inc.

Affirmed by published opinion. Judge FLOYD wrote the opinion, in which Judge SHEDD and Senior Judge DAVIS joined.


This suit presents a novel but flawed legal theory applied to admittedly tragic facts. Robert Johnson, a prison guard in Bishopville, South Carolina, was shot multiple times in his home. The ensuing investigation revealed that the attack was ordered by an inmate at the prison where Mr. Johnson worked using a contraband cell...

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