Dagdagan v. City of Vallejo

682 F. Supp. 2d 1100, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 939, 2010 WL 121309
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedJanuary 7, 2010
DocketNo. 2:08-CV-00922-GEB-GGH
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 682 F. Supp. 2d 1100 (Dagdagan v. City of Vallejo) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dagdagan v. City of Vallejo, 682 F. Supp. 2d 1100, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 939, 2010 WL 121309 (E.D. Cal. 2010).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING AND DENYING IN PART PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT AND DENYING DEFENDANTS’MOTIONS

GARLAND E. BURRELL, JR., District Judge.

On September 2, 2009, Plaintiff Macario Dagdagan filed a motion for partial summary judgment on certain of his Fourth Amendment claims alleged under 42 U.S.C. section 1983 and his state claims alleged under California Civil Code section 52.1. Specifically, Plaintiff seeks partial summary judgment on his claims that Vallejo Police Officers Wentz and Boyd (collectively, “Defendants”) violated his Fourth Amendment rights by “entering [his] home without a warrant” and “arresting [him] without probable cause.” (Not. of Mot. for Partial Summ. J. 1.) Plaintiff contends that liability under the Fourth Amendment gives rise to liability under California Civil Code section 52.1. (Id) Plaintiff argues summary judgment is warranted because the undisputed facts demonstrate Defendants violated his Fourth Amendment rights when, without a warrant, they entered his apartment, questioned him, and then arrested him.1 Defendants oppose Plaintiffs motion, and seek to continue or dismiss it under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(f). Further, each Defendant filed a cross motion for summary judgment, arguing the defense of qualified immunity precludes liability for Plaintiffs claims under the Fourth Amendment. The motions were heard on October 13, 2009. For the reasons stated below, Plaintiffs motion for partial summary judgment is GRANTED and DENIED in part and Defendants’ motions are DENIED.

I. LEGAL STANDARDS

Under Rule Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(c), the party moving for summary judgment bears the initial burden of demonstrating the absence of a genuine issue of material fact for trial. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S., 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). If the moving party satisfies this burden, “the non-moving party must set forth, by affidavit or as otherwise provided in Rule 56, specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.” T.W. Elec. Serv., Inc. v. Pacific Elec. Contractors Ass’n, 809 F.2d 626, 630 (9th Cir.1987) (quotations and citation omitted) (emphasis omitted). When decid[1105]*1105ing a summary judgment motion, all reasonable inferences that can be drawn from the evidence “must be drawn in favor of the non-moving party.” Bryan v. McPherson, 590 F.3d 767, 772 (9th Cir.2009).

Further, the defense of qualified immunity requires a two-step analysis:

First, the court determines whether the facts show the officer’s conduct violated a constitutional right. If the alleged conduct did not violate a constitutional right, then the defendants are entitled to immunity and the claim must be dismissed. However, if the alleged conduct did violate such a right, then the court must determine whether the right was clearly established at the time of the alleged unlawful action. A right is clearly established if a reasonable official would understand that what he is doing violates that right. If the right is not clearly established, then the officer is entitled to qualified immunity. While the order in which these questions are addressed is left to the court’s sound discretion, it is often beneficial to perform the analysis in the sequence outlined above. Of course, where a claim of qualified immunity is to be denied, both questions must be answered.

Hopkins v. Bonvicino, 573 F.3d 752, 762 (9th Cir.2009) (quotations and citation omitted).

II. DEFENDANTS’ MOTION UNDER FEDERAL RULE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE 56(f)

Defendants seek a continuance or dismissal of Plaintiffs motion under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(f) (“Rule 56(f)”) premised on their inability to depose two individuals, Gina Kearney and Paul Turner. (Opp’n. 7:4-17.) Defendants have not successfully served Kearney for a deposition; and they subpoenaed Turner but he failed to appear. (Lairamore Deck ¶¶ 2-4; Whitefleet Deck ¶¶ 8-9.) Defendants expect Kearney to testify about her 911 emergency telephone call in which she reported that Plaintiff assaulted her, the injuries she suffered as a result of this reported assault, and the nature of her relationship with Plaintiff. Defendants spoke with Kearney when they responded to her 911 call, after which Defendants attempted to speak with Plaintiff, and ultimately entered Plaintiffs apartment without a warrant. Defendants expect Turner to provide evidence of what Defendants observed before they entered Plaintiffs apartment. (Whitefleet Deck ¶¶ 10, 11.) Plaintiff opposes the motion, arguing Defendants have not demonstrated the testimony of either Kearney or Turner is material to the issues in Plaintiffs motion. (Reply 19:10-15.)

To prevail on their Rule 56(f) motion, Defendants must show: “(1) that they have set forth in affidavit form the specific facts that they hope to elicit from further discovery, (2) that the facts sought exist, and (3) that these sought-after facts are ‘essential’ to resist the summary judgment motion.” State of Cal. on Behalf of California Dept. Of Toxic Substances Control v. Campbell, 138 F.3d 772, 779 (9th Cir.1998). Defendants, however, have not demonstrated that the additional discovery they seek is “essential to resist” Plaintiffs motion. See id. Plaintiffs motion addresses whether Defendants were authorized under law to enter his apartment without a warrant. The summary judgment evidentiary record indicates that the testimony Defendants seek is either cumulative of evidence already in the record or irrelevant to the motion. Therefore, Defendants’ Rule 56(f) motion is denied.

III. STATEMENT OF FACTS

The parties dispute the facts concerning Defendants’ entry into Plaintiffs apart[1106]*1106ment and what transpired therein. However, Plaintiff adopts Defendants’ version of the facts for the purposes of his motion for partial summary judgment, only disputing Defendants’ characterization of the weapon Plaintiff allegedly used in the reported assault as well as several inferences Defendants seek to have drawn from that evidence. Defendants move to have certain declarations and exhibits attached to Plaintiffs motion stricken from the record. However, this portion of Defendants’ motion is denied as moot because Plaintiff agrees that Defendants’ version of the facts in the summary judgment record are to be used when deciding Plaintiffs motion.

The summary judgment evidentiary record reveals that on June 2, 2007, at approximately 10:51 p.m., Gina Kearney placed a 911 emergency telephone call to the police, reporting that twenty-five minutes earlier, Plaintiff threatened to kill her with a knife at Plaintiffs apartment. (Pl.’s Opp’n. to Defs.’ Statement of Additional Undisputed Material Facts (“SAUF”) ¶ 3; Defs.’ Opp’n. to Pl.’s Separate Statement of Undisputed Material Facts (“SUF”) ¶ 1; Powell Decl.

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Bluebook (online)
682 F. Supp. 2d 1100, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 939, 2010 WL 121309, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dagdagan-v-city-of-vallejo-caed-2010.