Hernandez v. Skinner

383 F. Supp. 3d 1077
CourtDistrict Court, D. Montana
DecidedMay 29, 2019
DocketCV 18-40-BLG-SPW
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 383 F. Supp. 3d 1077 (Hernandez v. Skinner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Montana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hernandez v. Skinner, 383 F. Supp. 3d 1077 (D. Mont. 2019).

Opinion

SUSAN P. WATTERS, United States District Judge

Plaintiff Miguel Angel Reynaga Hernandez seeks compensatory and punitive damages under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 from Defendants Derrek Skinner and Pedro Hernandez. Miguel also seeks a declaratory judgment that the Defendants' actions were illegal. Before the Court are cross-motions for summary judgment on Miguel's claims.

I. Undisputed facts

On October 2, 2017, Miguel accompanied his wife to Yellowstone County Justice Court in Billings, Montana. (Doc. 64 at 2). His wife had a hearing on her request for an order of protection against a third party and Miguel planned to testify on her behalf. (Doc. 64 at 3). Pedro Hernandez, a Justice of the Peace at the time, presided over the hearing. (Doc. 64 at 1-3). Before the hearing began, Justice Hernandez excluded Miguel and other witnesses from the court room so they wouldn't hear the testimony. (Doc. 64 at 3).

During the hearing, the third party against whom the order of protection was sought testified that Miguel was "not a legal citizen." (Doc. 64 at 3-4). The third party made a similar accusation against another witness. When the third party's testimony concluded, Justice Hernandez stated "What I'm hearing here are allegations about illegal immigrant [sic]." (Doc. 64 at 5). Justice Hernandez halted the hearing and told his staff to "call me a deputy. I have two illegals sitting outside. I want them picked up." (Doc. 64 at 7). On the phone a few seconds later, Justice Hernandez told the Sheriff's Office to "send me a couple of deputies. I have two illegal immigrants out in the hallway ... they are in the hall. Get them here as quickly as possible." (Doc. 64 at 8). Justice Hernandez ordered Miguel's wife to remain in the courtroom to prevent her from telling Miguel a deputy was coming to investigate his immigration status. (Doc. 64 at 9-10).

Meanwhile, the Sheriff's Office dispatch told Derrek Skinner, a deputy sheriff at the time, that Justice Hernandez called about "two illegal immigrants outside his courtroom that he wants picked up." (Doc. 64 at 10-11). When Deputy Skinner entered Justice Hernandez's courtroom, Justice Hernandez said "the information I have from them two under oath, they are illegal aliens," to which Deputy Skinner responded "I'll take care of it." (Doc. 64 at 11-13). Justice Hernandez responded "see what happens. If you guys take them, let me know please," and suggested "you may *1082have to call immigration ... their testimony from the witness stand is they are illegal." (Doc. 64 at 11-13).

Deputy Skinner stepped into the hallway, detained Miguel, and asked him for identification and about his immigration status. (Doc. 64 at 14-15). Miguel gave Deputy Skinner an expired Mexican consulate ID but could not answer Deputy Skinner's questions about immigration because Miguel was not fluent in English. (Doc. 64 at 16-17). When Miguel attempted to enter the courtroom to see his wife, Deputy Skinner blocked and handcuffed him. (Doc. 64 at 18). Deputy Skinner searched Miguel's person and, finding nothing suspicious, walked Miguel outside the courthouse and placed him into a patrol car. (Doc. 64 at 18). While Miguel sat handcuffed in the patrol car, Deputy Skinner ran a warrants check. (Doc. 64 at 19). When the warrants check came back clean, Deputy Skinner asked dispatch to see if Immigration and Customs Enforcement "wanted him." (Doc. 64 at 19). An ICE agent contacted Deputy Skinner on the phone and asked Deputy Skinner to transport Miguel to the Yellowstone County Detention Facility. (Doc. 64 at 18).

Miguel remained in ICE custody, being transported amongst various detention facilities, while a deportation proceeding was initiated. After three months, the Department of Homeland Security dismissed its deportation proceeding against Miguel. (Doc. 59). Miguel filed this § 1983 action against Justice Hernandez and Deputy Skinner, claiming they deprived him of his constitutional rights under color of state law and requesting compensatory and punitive damages and a declaratory judgment that Justice Hernandez and Deputy Skinner acted illegally.

II. Summary judgment standard

"The court shall grant summary judgment if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). A party seeking summary judgment always bears the initial responsibility of informing the court of the basis for its motion, and identifying those portions of the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, which it believes demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett , 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986).

Material facts are those which may affect the outcome of the case. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc. , 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). A dispute as to a material fact is genuine if there is sufficient evidence for a reasonable fact-finder to return a verdict for the nonmoving party. Anderson , 477 U.S. at 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505. If the moving party meets its initial responsibility, the burden then shifts to the opposing party to establish that a genuine issue of fact exists. Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp. , 475 U.S. 574, 586, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986).

III. Discussion

The parties moved for summary judgment on the § 1983 claims, punitive damages, and the request for declaratory judgment.

A. § 1983 claims

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Related

Miguel Reynaga Hernandez v. Derrek Skinner
969 F.3d 930 (Ninth Circuit, 2020)
(PC) Branch v. Grannis
E.D. California, 2020

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
383 F. Supp. 3d 1077, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hernandez-v-skinner-mtd-2019.