Alvarado v. Oakland County

809 F. Supp. 2d 680, 86 Fed. R. Serv. 243, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 90607, 2011 WL 3566693
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Michigan
DecidedAugust 15, 2011
DocketCase No. 2:09-cv-14312
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 809 F. Supp. 2d 680 (Alvarado v. Oakland County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alvarado v. Oakland County, 809 F. Supp. 2d 680, 86 Fed. R. Serv. 243, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 90607, 2011 WL 3566693 (E.D. Mich. 2011).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER (1) GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART PLAINTIFF’S MOTION IN LIMINE TO EXCLUDE EVIDENCE AT TRIAL (DKT. NO. 39); (2) GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART DEFENDANTS’ MOTION TO PRECLUDE PLAINTIFF FROM OFFERING THE EXPERT OPINIONS OF MICHAEL D. LYMAN AT TRIAL (DKT. NO. 57); AND (3) DEFERRING, UNTIL THE CONCLUSION OF THE LIABILITY PHASE OF TRIAL, RULING ON DEFENDANTS’ MOTION TO PRECLUDE PLAINTIFF FROM OFFERING THE EXPERT OPINIONS OF JOHN SASE AT TRIAL (DKT. NO. 16)

PAUL D. BORMAN, District Judge.

This matter comes before the Court on Plaintiffs Motion In Limine to Exclude Evidence at Trial (Dkt. No. 39), Defendants’ Motion to Preclude Plaintiff from Offering the Expert Opinions of Michael D. Lyman, Ph.D at Trial (Dkt. No. 57) and Defendants’ Motion to Preclude Plaintiff from Offering the Expert Opinions of John Sase, Ph.D at Trial (Dkt. No. 46). A hearing was held on August 1, 2011.

For the reasons that follow, the Court GRANTS IN PART AND DENIES IN PART Plaintiffs motion in limine, GRANTS IN PART AND DENIES IN PART Defendants’ motion to preclude Plaintiff from offering the expert opinions of Dr. Lyman at trial, and DEFERS RULING, until the conclusion of the liability phase of trial, on Defendants’ motion to [682]*682preclude Plaintiff from offering the expert opinions of Dr. Sase at trial.

I.INTRODUCTION

Plaintiff in this action claims that Defendant Oakland County Deputy Micky Simpkinson used excessive force when he pulled Plaintiff from his vehicle and took him to the ground during a traffic stop on July 28, 2007. The facts in this matter are set forth in detail in this Court’s April 14, 2011 Opinion and Order, 2011 WL 1429204, which granted Defendants’ motion for partial summary judgment, leaving for trial only Plaintiffs excessive force (Count I), assault (Count III) and battery (Count IV) claims against Deputy Simpkinson.1 (Dkt. No. 70.) In summary as relevant here, Plaintiff claims that Deputy Simpkinson used excessive force in removing Plaintiff from his vehicle, causing Plaintiff to suffer a separated shoulder, a labral tear and a torn rotator cuff, all of which required repeated surgeries and ultimately forced Plaintiff to take early retirement from his job at General Motors, resulting in economic and non-economic damages. Deputy Simpkinson responds that Plaintiff ignored his repeated and continuous efforts to stop Plaintiffs vehicle through the use of overhead lights, flashing lights and sirens. Deputy Simpkinson contends that Plaintiff attempted to elude the stop for over one-half mile after Deputy Simpkinson first attempted to pull Plaintiff over, before finally bringing his vehicle to a stop. Thus, when Plaintiff finally stopped his vehicle and Deputy Simpkinson approached the vehicle, he did so cautiously, with his weapon drawn, until he could clearly ascertain that neither Plaintiff nor his passenger posed an immediate threat. Deputy Simpkinson further responds that he used a reasonable amount of force, under the circumstances, in removing Plaintiff from his vehicle and placing him in handcuffs. Both Plaintiff and Defendant have now filed motions in limine to exclude certain evidence at trial.

II. LEGAL STANDARD

“The Federal Rules of Evidence, the Federal Rules of Criminal and Civil Procedure and interpretive rulings of the Supreme Court and this court all encourage, and in some cases require, parties and the court to utilize extensive pretrial procedures — including motions in limine — in order to narrow the issues remaining for trial and to minimize disruptions at trial.” United States v. Brawner, 173 F.3d 966, 970 (6th Cir.1999). District courts have broad discretion over matters involving the admissibility of evidence at trial. United States v. Seago, 930 F.2d 482, 494 (6th Cir.1991).

III. ANALYSIS

A. Plaintiffs Motion In Limine

Plaintiff moves in limine to exclude several different categories of evidence. In his motion, Plaintiff refers the Court to the standard for determining excessive force as the appropriate context in which ■ to assess the admissibility of the challenged evidence. “Claims of excessive force are analyzed under an objective-reasonableness standard, which depends on the facts and circumstances of each case viewed from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene.” Miller v. Sanilac County, 606 F.3d 240, 251 (6th Cir.2010). “ ‘The question [the court] must ask is whether, under the totality of the [683]*683circumstances, the officer’s actions were objectively reasonable.’ ” Id. (quoting Fox v. DeSoto, 489 F.3d 227, 236-37 (6th Cir.2007)).

1. Deputy Simpkinson will be permitted to introduce evidence at trial relating to Plaintiffs arrest and conviction for OUIL Third on the evening of July 23, 2007, including evidence of his blood alcohol level that evening.

Plaintiff seeks to exclude at trial evidence that Plaintiff was operating his vehicle while intoxicated on the night of his arrest by Deputy Simpkinson, that Plaintiff registered a blood alcohol level of .28 immediately following his arrest and was subsequently convicted of Operating Under the Influence of Intoxicating Liquors, Third Offense (“OUIL Third”) and sentenced to 300 days in jail for that crime. (Dkt. No. 42, Def.’s Resp. to Pl.’s Motion In Limine, Ex. E, Plea Agreement, Ex. F, Judgment and Sentence). Plaintiff argues that allowing evidence of Plaintiffs conviction for driving while intoxicated that night will have no tendency to establish or disprove any fact of consequence in this case. Plaintiff claims that “without provocation or other justification, [Deputy Simpkinson] manhandled [Plaintiff] and threw him to the ground during a routine traffic stop.” (Pl.’s Mot. 8.) Plaintiff claims that the only relevant evidence is what actually occurred during the stop and arrest. Deputy Simpkinson, on the other hand, argues that on the evening in question, Plaintiff behaved suspiciously by driving slowly through an empty parking lot of a closed bar at 1 a.m. and then failed to obey Deputy Simpkinson’s repeated and obvious signals to bring his vehicle to a stop. Plaintiffs elusive behavior lead Deputy Simpkinson to conclude that Plaintiff was attempting to flee or elude Deputy Simpkinson, driving erratically for over a half-mile and committing several traffic violations before finally heeding Deputy Simpkinson’s signals and bringing his vehicle to a stop. When Deputy Simpkinson finally approached Plaintiffs vehicle, he did so cautiously and with his weapon drawn based on Plaintiffs suspicious and elusive behavior. While Deputy Simpkinson ultimately holstered his weapon before approaching Plaintiffs vehicle, it is his testimony that Plaintiff also ignored several commands to exit his vehicle. These are the facts, as alleged by Deputy Simpkinson, that comprise the totality of the circumstances which he faced at the time that he removed Plaintiff from his vehicle. As Deputy Simpkinson testified:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
809 F. Supp. 2d 680, 86 Fed. R. Serv. 243, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 90607, 2011 WL 3566693, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alvarado-v-oakland-county-mied-2011.