Ballentine v. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

CourtDistrict Court, D. Nevada
DecidedAugust 8, 2022
Docket2:14-cv-01584
StatusUnknown

This text of Ballentine v. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (Ballentine v. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Nevada primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ballentine v. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, (D. Nev. 2022).

Opinion

1 Marquis Aurbach Craig R. Anderson, Esq. 2 Nevada Bar No. 6882 10001 Park Run Drive 3 Las Vegas, Nevada 89145 Telephone: (702) 382-0711 4 Facsimile: (702) 382-5816 canderson@maclaw.com 5 Attorneys for Defendants

6 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

7 DISTRICT OF NEVADA 8 BRIAN BALLENTINE, an individual; Case Number: CATALINO DAZO, an individual; KELLY 2:14-cv-01584-APG-EJY 9 PATTERSON, an individual; and GAIL SACCO, an individual, 10 JOINT PRE-TRIAL ORDER Plaintiffs, 11 vs. 12 LAS VEGAS METROPOLITAN POLICE 13 DEPARTMENT, in its official capacity; DETECTIVE CHRISTOPHER T. TUCKER, 14 as an individual and in his official capacity as a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department 15 Detective; SERGEANT MIKE WALLACE, as an individual and in his official capacity as 16 a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sergeant; and LIEUTENANT JOHN 17 LIBERTY, as an individual and in his official capacity as a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police 18 Department Lieutenant,

19 Defendants.

20 I. NATURE OF THE ACTION 21 A. BACKGROUND 22 This is a 42 U.S.C. §1983 First Amendment retaliatory arrest lawsuit. The only 23 remaining claim for trial is whether LVMPD Detective Christopher Tucker (“Detective 24 Tucker”) violated the Plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights when he obtained arrest warrants for 25 the Plaintiffs’ arrests for chalking anti-police messages on the sidewalk. An issue of fact 26 remains as to whether Detective Tucker obtained the arrest warrants in retaliation for the 27 1 Plaintiffs involvement in anti-police groups and for chalking anti-police messages. See 2 Ballentine v. Tucker, 28 F. 4th 54 (9th Cir. 2022). 3 B. PROCEDURAL HISTORY 4 Plaintiffs filed their original complaint on September 26, 2014. (ECF No. 1) On 5 November 4, 2014, Defendants moved for dismissal of a number of plaintiffs’ claims and for 6 qualified immunity. In its order on defendants’ motion to dismiss, this court found probable 7 cause existed for the plaintiffs’ citations and arrests and/or qualified immunity protected the 8 officers because a reasonable officer could believe using chalk on a public sidewalk 9 constituted defacement under NRS 206.330. (ECF No. 36 at 9-11.) The first order dismissed 10 a number of causes of action including plaintiffs’ Fourth Amendment claim (fifth cause of 11 action), false imprisonment claim (eleventh cause of action), unlawful detention claim 12 (seventh cause of action), substantive and procedural due process claims (sixth and eighth 13 causes of action) and negligence claims (tenth cause of action). (Id. at 16-17) Further, the 14 court dismissed the official capacity claims against the defendants. (Id.) 15 On December 9, 2016, after the close of discovery, the defendants moved for summary 16 judgment on all remaining claims and again raised the affirmative defense of qualified 17 immunity. On August 21, 2017, this court granted in part and denied in part defendants’ 18 motion for summary judgment. (ECF No. 207) Specifically, this court entered summary 19 judgment in favor of defendants Wallace, Liberty and LVMPD finding there was no evidence 20 to support any of the alleged claims against those defendants. (Id. at 8-10.) However, this 21 court denied summary judgment to defendant Detective Tucker on plaintiffs’ First 22 Amendment retaliation/chilling claim finding that the case of Ford v. City of Yakima, 706 F.3d 23 1188 (9th Cir. 2013), clearly established that it is unconstitutional to arrest an individual for 24 retaliatory motive, even if probable cause exists. 25 Detective Tucker appealed to the Ninth Circuit. After the appeal was fully briefed, the 26 Supreme Court issued its decision in Nieves v. Bartlett, 587 U.S. ___, 139 S.Ct. 1715 (2019). 27 The Ninth Circuit vacated and remanded the appeal back to this Court in light of Nieves. After 1 entitled to qualified immunity because the law governing First Amendment retaliation claims 2 was not clearly established. (ECF No. 237.) 3 Plaintiffs then appealed the Court’s second summary judgment order (ECF No. 237) 4 to the Ninth Circuit. After briefing and oral argument, the Ninth Circuit, in a published 5 opinion, affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded. See Ballentine v. Tucker, 28 F. 4th 6 54 (9th Cir. 2022). The Ninth Circuit held that a reasonable factfinder could conclude that 7 Detective Tucker violated the Plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights and that it was “clearly 8 established” that an arrest supported by probable cause, but made in retaliation for protected 9 10 speech violates the First Amendment. 11 C. REMAINING ISSUES FOR TRIAL 12 1. Remaining claims/issues for trial 13 The only remaining claim/issue for trial is whether the Plaintiffs’ First Amendment 14 rights were violated when Detective Tucker arrested the Plaintiffs in retaliation for their 15 chalked messages and/or their involvement in anti-police organizations. 16 2. Dismissed claims and parties 17 1. Plaintiffs’ Fourth Amendment claim has been dismissed. (ECF No. 36.) 18 2. Plaintiffs’ false imprisonment claim has been dismissed. (Id.) 19 3. Plaintiffs’ unlawful detention claim has been dismissed. (Id.) 20 4. Plaintiffs’ substantive and procedural due process claim has been dismissed. 21 (Id.) 22 5. Defendant Wallace has been dismissed from the lawsuit. (ECF No. 207.) 23 6. Defendant Liberty has been dismissed from the lawsuit. (Id.) 24 7. Plaintiff’s Monell claim against LVMPD has been dismissed. (Id.) 25 8. Defendant LVMPD has been dismissed from the lawsuit. (Id.) 26 9. Plaintiffs’ negligent hiring, training and supervision claim has been dismissed 27 (Id.) 1 10. Plaintiffs’ Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress and Negligent Infliction 2 of Emotional Distress claims have been dismissed. (Id.) 3 11. Plaintiff Gail Sacco is no longer a Plaintiff due to death. (ECF No. 228.) 4 II. STATEMENT OF JURISDICTION 5 This Court has jurisdiction over this lawsuit because Plaintiffs’ remaining claim 6 brought pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §1983. 7 III. STATEMENT OF ADMITTED/UNCONTESTED FACTS 8 1. Detective Tucker was acting in the course and scope of his employment as an 9 LVMPD detective at all times relevant to this lawsuit. 10 2. Plaintiffs were members of the Sunset Activist Collective, a local activist 11 group, and are associated with CopBlock, an activist group critical of law enforcement. 12 3. Since 2011, Plaintiffs have conducted protests by using chalk to write anti- 13 police messages on the sidewalks in Las Vegas, Nevada. 14 4. On June 8, 2013, Plaintiffs chalked anti-police messages in front of LVMPD 15 headquarters. Sgt. Wallace issued citations to each Plaintiff for violation of Nevada’s graffiti 16 statute - NRS § 206.330. Plaintiff Patterson asked to speak with Sgt. Wallace’s supervisor, 17 Lieutenant Liberty. After arrival, Lt. Liberty told the Plaintiffs that chalking was illegal but 18 they would not be cited if they cleaned the sidewalk. Plaintiffs disagreed that chalking was 19 illegal, refused to clean the sidewalk, and were issued citations. 20 5. Detective Tucker was assigned to investigate the citations. 21 6. Detective Tucker researched Plaintiffs’ messages and monitored their social 22 media. In doing so, he learned that Plaintiffs were affiliated with anti-police organizations. 23 7. On July 13, 2013, Plaintiffs Ballentine and Patterson chalked anti-police 24 messages outside LVMPD’s headquarters. Although LVMPD officers witnessed the chalking, 25 the Plaintiffs were not cited or talked to. 26 8.

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Related

United States v. Flores-Machicote
706 F.3d 16 (First Circuit, 2013)
Brian Ballentine v. Christopher Tucker
28 F.4th 54 (Ninth Circuit, 2022)
Nieves v. Bartlett
587 U.S. 391 (Supreme Court, 2019)

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Ballentine v. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ballentine-v-las-vegas-metropolitan-police-department-nvd-2022.