Housley v. Holquist

879 F. Supp. 2d 472, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 97297, 2011 WL 8404625
CourtDistrict Court, D. Maryland
DecidedAugust 30, 2011
DocketCivil No. L-10-1881
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 879 F. Supp. 2d 472 (Housley v. Holquist) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Maryland primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Housley v. Holquist, 879 F. Supp. 2d 472, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 97297, 2011 WL 8404625 (D. Md. 2011).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

BENSON EVERETT LEGG, District Judge.

The Plaintiffs, Michael and Leah Housley, contend that three officers of the Anne Arundel County Police Department (the “AAPD”) unlawfully entered their home and used excessive force when attempting to extract Mrs. Housley, who had been identified as a potential suicide risk, from her house and return her to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. Mr. Housley, who refused to allow the officers into the house and claimed to have a gun, sues for injuries he sustained when he was placed in a chokehold, pepper sprayed, “tased,” and shot in the left shoulder. Mrs. Housley claims that she was subjected to an unlawful seizure, and she also seeks damages for loss of consortium.

In a twelve count complaint, the Housleys have sued the three officers present during the incident and the lieutenant who authorized the entry. The Housleys have also sued the Chief of Police, the Anne Arundel County Executive, and the County itself under Monell v. Department of Social Services, 436 U.S. 658, 98 S.Ct. 2018, 56 L.Ed.2d 611 (1978). Finally, the Housleys advance several common law tort claims. This Court has jurisdiction under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and 28 U.S.C. § 1367 (supplemental jurisdiction).

The Court bifurcated the case by staying the Monell claims until the underlying claims were resolved. The claims arising from the incident proceeded to discovery, which is now complete. Pending is the Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment. Docket No. 64. The Court heard argument on the Motion on August 1, 2011.1

Concluding that the officers are entitled to qualified immunity on the unlawful entry claim but not on the excessive force claim, the Court will GRANT IN PART and DENY IN PART the Motion for Summary Judgment. The excessive force and analogous tort claims must go to trial because several material facts are in dispute.

A brief summary of the Court’s analysis is as follows. For the civil rights claims to survive the Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment, the Housleys must (i) “make out a violation of a constitutional right” that was (ii) “ ‘clearly established’ at the time of the alleged misconduct.” Pearson v. Callahan, 555 U.S. 223, 232, 129 S.Ct. 808, 172 L.Ed.2d 565 (2009). The Housleys bear the burden of proving the violation of a constitutional right, but the Defendants are entitled to qualified immunity if they prove that the right was not clearly established. See Wilson v. Kittoe, 337 F.3d 392, 397 (4th Cir.2003). The Court may address either prong first. Pearson, 555 U.S. at 232, 129 S.Ct. 808.

With respect to the first prong, the case centers on the right to be free from unlawful searches and seizures. In the Fourth Amendment context, whether a violation occurred generally depends on “whether the circumstances, viewed objectively, justify the action.” Kentucky v. King, — U.S. -, 131 S.Ct. 1849, 1859, 179 L.Ed.2d 865 (2011). With respect to the second prong, a right is “clearly established” if its contours are “sufficiently clear that a reasonable official would understand that what he is doing violates that right.” Anderson v. Creighton, 483 [477]*477U.S. 635, 640, 107 S.Ct. 3034, 97 L.Ed.2d 523 (1987). This standard “ ‘gives ample room for mistaken judgments’ by protecting ‘all but the plainly incompetent or those who knowingly violate the law.’ ” Hunter v. Bryant, 502 U.S. 224, 229, 112 S.Ct. 534, 116 L.Ed.2d 589 (1991) (quoting Malley v. Briggs, 475 U.S. 335, 341, 106 S.Ct. 1092, 89 L.Ed.2d 271 (1986)).

The Court concludes that the Defendants are entitled to qualified immunity on the warrantless entry claim. Even if the Defendants’ entry was technically unlawful, a reasonable officer with knowledge of the emergency evaluation petition could have believed that he had probable cause to enter the home forcibly and seize Mrs. Housley.

The Defendants are not entitled to summary judgment on the excessive force claims, however. These claims require the jury to choose between two conflicting narratives. Under the Housleys’ version of the facts, Mr. Housley was peaceful and not a threat, and the officers used an unreasonable amount of force to subdue him. Under the Defendants’ version of the facts, Mr. Housley was hostile and threatening, and the force they used was reasonable under the circumstances. Finally, the Court denies qualified immunity on the excessive force claims and concludes that it will not revisit the issue at trial. Assuming that the facts adduced at trial do not deviate significantly from the facts presented in the papers, there can be no dispute of material fact concerning the scope of the right or whether the law in this area was clearly established.

1. Background

The facts are fully set forth in the parties’ briefs and will be briefly summarized here. The facts preceding the officers’ arrival at the Housley residence on July 12, 2009 are largely agreed. The facts leading up to the officers’ entry into the residence and the shooting of Mr. Housley are vigorously disputed, however.

A. Emergency Evaluation of Mrs. Housley

On July 12, 2009, Michael Housley had difficulty waking his spouse, Leah Housley. Mr. Housley eventually determined that Mrs. Housley, who was being treated for depression; had overdosed on her anxiety medication. Mr. Housley’s mother called 911, and a paramedic unit as well as a police officer, Officer Paul Smith, responded to the home. Officer Smith spoke to Mr. and Mrs. Housley. They explained that Mrs. Housley was being treated for depression and had taken an unknown amount of Xanax and another prescription medication. Officer Smith concluded that Mrs. Housley was a danger to herself, and he completed a petition for emergency evaluation under § 10-622 of the Maryland Code, Health General Article.2

The paramedics transported Mrs. Housley to the Anne Arundel Medical Center (the “AAMC”) for treatment. The emergency petition required that Mrs. Housley be seen by a physician within six hours of her arrival at the hospital. Initially, a nurse practitioner evaluated Mrs. Housley and concluded that the overdose was not a threat to her health. Before hospital employees would release Mrs. Housley, however, they ordered her to undergo a mental health examination by a psychiatrist.

Mrs. Housley, who was accompanied by her husband and parents, agreed to undergo the examination but refused to be transferred to the psychiatric ward. When hospital personnel informed Mrs. [478]*478Housley that she could not stay on the regular ward, she simply walked out. Mrs. Housley was never formally discharged, and she never completed any paperwork related to her release.

When hospital personnel realized that Mrs. Housley was missing, they contacted the AAPD.

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Bluebook (online)
879 F. Supp. 2d 472, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 97297, 2011 WL 8404625, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/housley-v-holquist-mdd-2011.