Estate of Casillas v. City of Fresno

342 F. Supp. 3d 990
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedOctober 23, 2018
DocketCase No. 1:16-CV-1042 AWI-SAB
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 342 F. Supp. 3d 990 (Estate of Casillas v. City of Fresno) 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
Estate of Casillas v. City of Fresno, 342 F. Supp. 3d 990 (E.D. Cal. 2018).

Opinion

Anthony W. Ishii, SENIOR DISTRICT JUDGE

In the fall of 2015, Casimero Casillas was shot and killed by Officer Trevor Shipman of the Fresno Police Department as Casillas attempted to evade arrest. Plaintiffs, Casillas's wife and five minor children, allege claims of excessive force under the Fourth Amendment and the Bane Act, Wrongful Death Negligence, and Battery against Officer Shipman and the City of Fresno.

At the close of non-expert discovery, Defendants moved for summary judgment, contending: (I) Officer Shipman's use of force was objectively reasonable, and he is entitled to qualified immunity on the excessive force claim; (II) Plaintiffs' have failed to meet the "purpose to harm" standard required for a substantive due process claim; and (III) Plaintiffs' pendent state law claims fail in the absence of a constitutional violation.

For the reasons that follow, the Court will:

(I) Deny Defendants' motion for summary judgment on the Fourth Amendment excessive force claim, and deny qualified immunity for Officer Shipman;
(II) Grant Defendants' motion for summary judgment on the Fourteenth Amendment deprivation of familial relationship claim; and
(III) Deny Defendants' motion for summary judgment on Plaintiffs' pendent state law claims of battery, wrongful death negligence, and interference with federal or state rights under the Bane Act.

Background 1

On September 7, 2015, officers with the Fresno Police Department attempted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Casimero Casillas ("Casillas") for failure to wear a seatbelt. Doc. No. 21-1 at ¶¶ 1, 9 (Statement of Facts); 23-4 at 100-135 (Ex. C, Interview with Officer Castillo). Casillas failed to yield, continuing to drive while obeying "all traffic laws." See id.

After a short vehicle pursuit, Casillas arrived at his friends' home (the "Saginaw *994Residence"), parked his car and ran inside. Doc. No. 21-1 at ¶ 10. Officers set up a perimeter and dispatched K-9 units to search for him. Id. at ¶¶ 16-17. Officer Shipman was posted in an area between the main residence and garage (the "Breezeway"). Id. at ¶ 3. At some point, Casillas attempted to hide in the detached Apartment behind the main residence. Id. at ¶ 17; see also Doc. 23-3 (Ex. B, the "Scene Diagram") (below).

Officers radioed that Casillas had been spotted somewhere in the back yard. Doc. No. 21-1 at ¶ 17. Multiple officers, including K-9 units, moved to that area in search of Casillas, and warned him that the K-9 units would bite. Id. at ¶¶ 18-19. Casillas exited the Apartment carrying a pipe, which he held pointed at the ground. Doc. No. 22-5 at 205-206 (Ex. E, Interview of Officer Long); 22-6 at 202-213 (Ex. F, Interview of Officer Wright). Casillas saw Officer Long, walked slowly north, saw Officer Wright, and walked slowly into the Breezeway where Officer Shipman was stationed. See id. Casillas continued moving slowly toward the opposite door of the Breezeway, and did not raise the pipe in an assaultive manner as he moved through. See id.; see also Doc. No. 23-2 at ¶ 11 (Ex. A, Decl. of William Harmening). Officer Shipman fired three shots at Casillas, felling and ultimately killing him. Doc. No. 21-1 at ¶ 8. Officer Shipman gave no verbal warning to Casillas, and declined to use his Taser or other less-deadly force to prevent Casillas's escape. Doc. No. 23-2 at ¶¶ 11-12; Doc 22-10 at 335-337; see also Doc. Nos. 22-5 and 22-6.

Plaintiffs brought suit on behalf of themselves and Casillas's estate, claiming excessive force and loss of familial relations under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, excessive force under Cal. Civ. Code § 52.1, battery, and wrongful death negligence. See Doc. No. 5 (the "1AC"). At the close of non-expert discovery, Defendants moved for summary judgment on these claims. See Doc. No. 21.

*995Legal Standard for Summary Judgment

Summary judgment is proper when no genuine issue as to any material fact exists, entitling the moving party to judgment as a matter of law. Rule 56.2 A dispute is "genuine" if there is sufficient evidence for a reasonable jury to return a verdict for the non-moving party. FreecycleSunnyvale v. Freecycle Network, 626 F.3d 509, 514 (9th Cir. 2010) (citing Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986) ). A fact is "material" if it might affect the outcome of the suit under the governing law. United States v. Kapp, 564 F.3d 1103, 1114 (9th Cir. 2009).

The party seeking summary judgment bears the initial burden of informing the court of the legal basis for its motion and of identifying the portions of the declarations, pleadings, and discovery that demonstrate an absence of a genuine issue of material fact. Soremekun v. Thrifty Payless, Inc., 509 F.3d 978, 984 (9th Cir. 2007) (citing Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986) ). Where the moving party will bear the burden of proof on an issue at trial, the movant must affirmatively demonstrate that no reasonable trier of fact could find other than for the movant. Id.

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Bluebook (online)
342 F. Supp. 3d 990, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/estate-of-casillas-v-city-of-fresno-caed-2018.