Daniel Demissie v. Aaron D. Ford, et al.

CourtDistrict Court, D. Nevada
DecidedMarch 27, 2026
Docket2:25-cv-00504
StatusUnknown

This text of Daniel Demissie v. Aaron D. Ford, et al. (Daniel Demissie v. Aaron D. Ford, et al.) 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
Daniel Demissie v. Aaron D. Ford, et al., (D. Nev. 2026).

Opinion

1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

2 DISTRICT OF NEVADA

3 DANIEL DEMISSIE, 4 Plaintiff, Case No.: 2:25-cv-00504-GMN-EJY 5 vs. ORDER 6 AARON D. FORD, et al., 7 Defendants. 8 9 Pending before the Court is the Motion for Summary Judgment, (ECF No. 128), filed by 10 Defendants Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (“LVMPD”), Officer Brooks West, and 11 Officer Gabriel Lea (collectively “the LVMPD Defendants”). Plaintiff Daniel Demissie filed a 12 Response, (ECF No. 151), to which the LVMPD Defendants replied, (ECF No. 156). Next 13 pending before the Court are the Motions for Summary Judgment, (ECF Nos. 133, 134), filed 14 by Defendants Caesars Entertainment, Inc. and Flamingo Las Vegas Operating Company, LLC 15 (collectively “the Caesars Defendants”).1 Plaintiff filed a Response, (ECF No. 150), to which 16 the Caesars Defendants replied, (ECF No. 158). Defendant Aaron Ford filed joinders to the 17 Motions for Summary Judgment, (ECF Nos. 143, 144), and Replies, (ECF Nos. 155, 157). 18 Further pending before the Court is the Motion for Preliminary Injunction, (ECF No. 47), filed 19 by Plaintiff. Defendant Aaron Ford filed a Response, (ECF No. 67), to which Plaintiff replied, 20 (ECF No. 68). 21 22 23 24

25 1 The Caesars Defendants filed one Motion for Summary Judgment, (ECF No. 134), under seal, and the other, (ECF No. 133), publicly on the docket. 1 Also pending before the Court is the Motion to Dismiss, (ECF No. 20), filed by the 2 Caesars Defendants.2 Plaintiff filed a Response, (ECF No. 28),3 to which the Caesars 3 Defendants replied, (ECF No. 32). Further pending before the Court is the Motion to Strike 4 Answer, (ECF No. 30). The LVMPD Defendants filed a Response, (ECF No. 40), to which 5 Plaintiff replied, (ECF No. 42).4 Further pending before the Court is the Motion for Leave to 6 File an Amended Complaint, (ECF No. 49), filed by Plaintiff. The Caesars Defendants filed a 7 Response, (ECF No. 59), to which Plaintiff replied, (ECF No. 62).5 Also pending before the 8 Court is another Motion to Strike, (ECF No. 90), filed by Plaintiff. The Caesars Defendants 9 filed a Response, (ECF No. 103), to which Plaintiff replied, (ECF No. 106).6 10 Further pending before the Court is an Objection, (ECF No. 109), to one of Magistrate 11 Judge Youchah’s Orders, (ECF No. 105). The LVMPD Defendants filed a Response, (ECF 12 13 14 15 2 Because the Court finds that the Caesars Defendants are entitled to summary judgment, the Court DENIES as moot their Federal Rule of Civil Procedure (“FRCP”) 12(b)(6) Motion to Dismiss, (ECF No. 20). Moreover, the 16 Court DENIES as moot Plaintiff’s Motion for Leave, (ECF No. 37), to file a surreply to the Motion to Dismiss. 3 Plaintiff’s Notice of Corrected Image at ECF No. 41 is an improper supplement to his Response and the Court 17 does not consider it. 4 Plaintiff moves to strike many of the LVMPD Defendants’ affirmative defenses raised in their Answer. “The 18 court may strike from a pleading an insufficient defense or any redundant, immaterial, impertinent, or scandalous matter.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(f). Striking affirmative defenses is disfavored and is identified as “a drastic remedy” 19 that “should be denied if substantial questions of fact appear at the pleading stage.” Aristocrat Techs., Inc. et al. v. AGS, LLC, et al., Case No. 2:18-cv-00396-GMN-GWF, 2018 WL 11266535, at *1 (D. Nev. June 26, 2018). 20 Because substantial questions of fact appeared at the pleading stage, the Court DENIES Plaintiff’s Motion to Strike, (ECF No. 30). 21 5 Plaintiff requests leave to amend his First Amended Complaint to replace the John Doe Caesars Defendant with the individual’s proper name, Peter Mikhail, and argues that doing so would not add any additional claims. But 22 Plaintiff does not allege direct claims against the John Doe Defendant. He merely mentions the John Doe Defendant to support his claims against the Caesars Defendants under a theory of respondeat superior. Plaintiff 23 has not demonstrated good cause to add new claims to his Complaint and replacing the John Doe Defendant’s name with the identified individual is futile to his claims against the Caesars Defendants. Thus, the Motion for 24 Leave to Amend, (ECF No. 49), is DENIED. 6 Plaintiff moves to strike an exhibit attached to the Caesars Defendants’ Response to Plaintiff’s Motion for 25 Sanctions. Magistrate Judge Youchah already addressed Plaintiff’s objections to the disputed exhibit in her Order Denying Plaintiff’s Motion for Case Terminating Sanctions, (ECF No. 168). Accordingly, the Motion to Strike, (ECF No. 90), is DENIED as moot. 1 No. 113).7 Also pending before the Court is another Objection, (ECF No. 145), to one of 2 Magistrate Judge Youchah’s Orders, (ECF No. 138).8 Further pending before the Court is 3 Plaintiff’s Objection, (ECF No. 153), to the Magistrate’s Order, (ECF No. 148). The Caesars 4 Defendants and the LVMPD Defendants filed Responses, (ECF No. 159, 160), to which 5 Plaintiff replied, (ECF No. 162).9 Further pending before the Court are several Motions for 6 Leave, (ECF Nos. 149, 164–166, 170), filed by Plaintiff. Defendants filed Responses, (ECF 7 Nos. 154, 167), to which Plaintiff replied, (ECF Nos. 161, 173).10 8 9 7 Any party wishing to object to a magistrate judge’s order on a pretrial matter must file and serve “specific written objections.” LR IB 3-1. A district judge “must consider timely objections and modify or set aside any 10 part of the order that is clearly erroneous or is contrary to law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 72(a). Plaintiff objects to Magistrate Judge Youchah’s Order granting the LVMPD Defendants’ Motion to Seal. Plaintiff first argues that 11 Judge Youchah applied the incorrect legal standard to the Motion to Seal. She did not. (See Order Granting Motion to Seal 4:17–18, ECF No. 105 (correctly applying the “compelling reasons” standard)). Plaintiff next 12 argues that Judge Youchah incorrectly applied the burden to Plaintiff to prove why the body-worn camera footage should not be sealed. She did not. (Id. 3:28 (“Plaintiff need not disprove the request to seal is 13 appropriate.”)). Plaintiff further argues that Judge Youchah incorrectly relied on Nevada Revised Statute 289.025 (“NRS”) to make her determination. For the reasons discussed in the LVMPD Defendants’ Response, 14 she did not. Plaintiff also argues that Judge Youchah erred when she applied the doctrine of judicial estoppel in granting the Motion to Seal. But Judge Youchah did not apply this doctrine, so this objection is moot. Plaintiff 15 forwards other objections concerning the LVMPD Defendants’ counsel’s integrity and ethics, but these allegations do not establish that any part of Judge Youchah’s Order was clearly erroneous or contrary to law. 16 Thus, Plaintiff’s Objection, (ECF No. 109), is OVERRULED. 8 Plaintiff objects to Magistrate Judge Youchah’s Ordering Denying Plaintiff’s Motion to Seal, arguing that 17 (1) Judge Youchah failed to apply the proper sealing framework, and (2) relied on erroneous factual assessments. First, Judge Youchah applied the correct legal framework. (See Order Denying Mot. Seal 1:17–2:8, ECF No. 18 138). Second, Judge Youchah’s factual assessments are not erroneous. It is true that Plaintiff submitted 45 pages worth of screenshots and did not identify what parts of those screenshots should be sealed. Thus, Judge 19 Youchah’s factual assessment was not erroneous. Plaintiff’s Objection, (ECF No. 145), is therefore OVERRULED.

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Daniel Demissie v. Aaron D. Ford, et al., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/daniel-demissie-v-aaron-d-ford-et-al-nvd-2026.