David Marshall v. City of Farmington Hills

693 F. App'x 417
Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit·Decided June 1, 2017·No. 15-2380·Unpublished·Cited by 11 cases

Opinions

HELENE N. WHITE, Circuit Judge.

Plaintiff David Marshall, a Detroit police sergeant who was stopped for running a red light on his way home from work, appeals the dismissal of his Fourth Amendment false arrest and excessive force claims, First Amendment retaliation claim, and state-law false arrest and assault and battery claims against City of Farmington Hills police officers Michael Meister and James Jarrett. Marshall’s wife Chandra Marshall appeals the dismissal of her state-law loss of consortium clam. We AFFIRM in part and REVERSE in part.

I.

This case arises from an early-morning traffic stop of Marshall’s vehicle near his home in Farmington Hills. A dashboard video camera in Officer Meister’s vehicle recorded much of the incident. Shortly after 1:00 a.m. on the rainy night of December 13, 2006, Marshall was driving to his Farmington Hills home in his personal vehicle after working the afternoon shift. Marshall was still in uniform. Defendant Meister was on patrol. Marshall’s vehicle made a left turn at a traffic signal seconds before the light turned from red to green. Meister followed Marshall through the turn and continued following for about one minute, without activating his overhead flashing light or siren. Marshall’s vehicle turned left onto a residential street, after which Meister activated his flashing light. Marshall continued driving for several seconds and then pulled up to a mailbox on the left side of the street in front of what turned out to be his home (the fourth house in on that residential street).1

[419]*419Officer Meister approached- the driver side of Marshall’s vehicle on foot. Aggressive and antagonistic from the start, Meis-ter said to Marshall, “It’s more important pickin’ up the mail than stoppin’ for me?” DVD 01:07:02. Marshall replied, “Yeah, I’m just pulling in, man.” Meister responded loudly, “Yeah, guess what? I don’t care, you move, you move,” and asked Marshall again, “Is it more important for you to pick up your mail than stop for me? You keep on ... you better put this car in park, mister.” DVD 01:07:21,

Marshall responded quietly, “Let me step out so we can have a conversation.” Meister said loudly, “We’ll have a conversation. Are you somebody special? Are you somebody special?” Marshall got out of his vehicle and said, “No, I’m not somebody special.” Meister stated, “I’m trying to pull you over.” Marshall asked, “For what?” and Meister answered, “The red light up at Inkster and Ten Mile.” Marshall asserted, “The light was green when I turned”; Meister retorted, “No it wasn’t”; Marshall repeated, “The light was green”; Meister responded, loudly “It was not”; and Marshall quietly responded, “okay.”2

Meister then said, “Give me some ID,” to which Marshall responded, “Do you see what I’m wearing?” Meister said, ‘You give me some ID and some license, you’re somebody special, huh? You’re somebody special, huh?” Marshall replied, “I’m Sergeant Marshall, Detroit Police Department,” and Meister said, “I’m Officer Meister, Farmington Hills.” Marshall then said “Nice to meet you. You got a problem with me, man. I just got off work and I’m a little tired, get your supervisor out here.” Meister said, “No.” 1:08:12. Marshall said, ‘Yes.” Meister then yelled at Marshall: “I get a supervisor, guess what?” Marshall handed Meister his police identification and his driver license early on in this exchange. 1:07:46—1:08:16.

A moment later, Meister called for a supervisor, “I’m at a traffic stop ... send a supervisor.” In the meantime, Marshall got back in his car. Meister leaned in and said, “I have a problem?” Marshall replied, ‘Yeah, what’s your problem man?” Meister answered, “I try to pull you over and what do you do, you don’t stop.” Marshall replied, “We’re at my house, you didn’t stop me ... you turned your lights on at the third house in, I’m the fourth house in.”

Meister then directed Marshall to “step out of the car” three times. Marshall told Meister, “Get your supervisor” several times. Marshall got out of the car, Meister placed his hand on Marshall’s shoulder, and Marshall loudly and repeatedly said: “Take your hands off of me, I’ll wait for your supervisor to get here.” Meister then told Marshall, “Put your revolver on your front seat. You’re coming back to my car with me.” Marshall responded, “I’m not going anywhere with you. You have no reason to put your hands on me.” Meister replied, “I don’t?” Marshall countered, “No. What is your reason? What is your justification for putting your hands on me?” Meister answered, “Because I’m going to walk you back to my car.” Marshall queried, “For what?” Meister answered, “I can order anyone out of the car, correct?” Marshall disagreed, saying, “What reason do you ... what probable cause do you have to get me out of the car? You have my driver license, you have my paper [420]*420work. What reason do you have to get me out of the car?”

Meister instructed, “Sir, Pm telling you right now, put your gun on the seat, then have a seat back in your car.” Marshall (standing by his car) said, “I’ll get back in my car. Get your supervisor.” Meister said, “Like I’m afraid of you,” and walked away from Marshall. Marshall, still outside his vehicle, said, “You have no reason to put your hands on me, why are you touching me?” Meister replied, “Because you’re running your mouth.” Marshall then remarked, “I don’t want you to be afraid of me, I want you to know your law.” Meister turned back, walked toward Marshall, and said, “When you are approached by an emergency vehicle you are supposed to pull over to the right. At a red light you do not go through a red light.” At that point, Marshall walked toward Meister’s vehicle as Defendant Officer Jarrett arrived. The dash camera continued to record the conversation, although the officers were off screen. Meister said, “You’re going to see some dockets from me [inaudible].” Marshall then responded, “You’re going to see some paperwork from me for putting your hands on me, you had no reason to put your hands on me.” Meister loudly said, “Put your gun down. THAT DOES IT.”

Marshall again asserted several times, “you have no reason to touch me” while Meister repeated “Put your gun on the car.” 1:11:45. Marshall continued “You have no reason to touch me. I’m not putting my gun on my car. Don’t touch me. Wait for your supervisor to get out here. My man, you’re out of control, you are out of control.”

Apparently radioing the station, Jarrett said, “thirteen, we need your help.” Meis-ter said, “This is a bad day for you,” to which Marshall responded, “No; it’s not, stop touching me, stop touching me.” Not reflected on the video but clear from the record is that while scuffling sounds are heard, Jarrett approached Marshall with a Taser, and Marshall then placed his hand on his holstered service weapon for the first time. A taser is heard on the tape; Marshall cried out, and Meister said, “I got his gun.” Jarrett yelled, “You’re a fool!” Marshall said, “You’re tearing my coat, you tearing my coat?” Jarrett yelled, “I don’t care,” and Meister said, “Turn around.” Heavy breathing followed and inaudible voices. Marshall then stated “we’re going to talk about this ... we will, yes, sir we will. Get my handcuffs on,” and ‘Your supervisor out here?” Meister answered “don’t worry about that.”

At around 01:13:39 on the tápe counter, supervisor Soderlund arrived (off screen). At approximately 01:22:36, Soderlund’s conversations with Meister and Jarrett and, separately, Marshall, concluded.

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David Marshall v. City of Farmington Hills, 693 F. App'x 417 (6th Cir. 2017).

693 F. App'x 417 (David Marshall v. City of Farmington Hills) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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