Koiro v. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

69 F. Supp. 3d 1061, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 164012, 2014 WL 6634676
CourtDistrict Court, D. Nevada
DecidedNovember 21, 2014
DocketCase No. 2:12-cv-00725-RFB-GWF
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 69 F. Supp. 3d 1061 (Koiro v. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department) 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
Koiro v. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, 69 F. Supp. 3d 1061, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 164012, 2014 WL 6634676 (D. Nev. 2014).

Opinion

ORDER

Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment (EOF No. 52)

RICHARD F. BOULWARE, II, District Judge.

I. SUMMARY

Before the Court is a Motion for Summary Judgment (ECF No. 52) filed jointly by Defendants Christopher Catanese and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (“LVMPD”). For the reasons stated in this opinion and for the reasons discussed at the hearing pertaining to this motion, which are incorporated herein by reference, the motion is granted in part and denied in part.

II. BACKGROUND

The parties in this case disagree on many of the material facts. The following facts are undisputed: On October 30, 2010, Plaintiff Gregory Koiro attended a tailgate party and University of Nevada, Las Vegas (“UNLV”) football game with a friend, Laura Carducci. Defs.’ Mot. Summ. J. Ex. A at 37, 43; Defs.’ Mot. Summ. J. Ex. B at 42. Koiro and Carducci arrived at the tailgate party at approximately 4:00 p.m., watched the first half of the football game in the stadium, and left the stadium around 9:30 or 10:00 p.m. Defs.’ Mot. Summ. J. Ex. A at 43, 49. From the time he arrived at the tailgate party until the time he left the football game, Koiro stated that he drank between six and eight beers. Id. at 46. Both Koiro and Carducci agreed that Carducci should drive Koiro’s truck back to her house, where Koiro had left his dogs. Id. at 4950. Once they arrived at Carducci’s house, Koiro asked Carducci for his car keys so that he could drive home. Id. at 51. Carducci refused because she did not think Koiro should be driving. Id. The two began to argue and Koiro eventually raised his voice. Id. at 52; Defs.’ Mot. Summ. J. Ex. B at 45-46. In tears, Car-ducci then called her friend and next-door neighbor, Kim Costarell, to come over and follow Carducci as she drove Koiro home in his truck. Id. at 46. When she received Carducci’s call, Costarell was at home with her boyfriend, LVMPD Officer Catanese. Defs.’ Mot. Summ. J. Ex. C at 18-20. Catanese, who was off-duty and wearing plain clothes, accompanied Costa-rell over to Carducci’s house. Defs.’ Mot. Summ. J. Ex. D at 34-35. As they approached, Costarell and Catanese could hear yelling from inside the house as Koiro and Carducci continued to argue over the keys. Id. at 36-37. Koiro snatched the keys out of Carducci’s hand, pushing into her as he did so; it is disputed whether Koiro intentionally pushed her with his [1065]*1065hands or whether it was the result of grabbing at the keys. See id. at 74-75; Defs.’ Mot. Summ. J. Ex. A at 54. Costa-rell and Catanese rang or knocked at Car-ducci’s front door, at which point Koiro opened the door and walked past them to go to his truck. Defs.’ Mot. Summ. J. Ex. D at 39411. At this point, the parties have very different accounts of what transpired.

Koiro alleges that as he walked to his truck with his dogs, a man he did not recognize (Officer Catanese) confronted him aggressively, using profanity and threatening to beat Koiro unless he handed over his keys. Defs.’ Mot. Summ. J. Ex. A at 61-66. Koiro did not hear or see anything to indicate that Catanese was a police officer. Id. at 63, 96, 98. Koiro walked past Catanese and put his dogs in the truck, opening the driver’s side door to let them in. Id. at 63. Koiro then started to shut the driver’s side door, but Cata-nese, who was following and standing close to Koiro, shut it for him. Id. at 65. Koiro states that Catanese continued to yell at him and so Koiro started to walk away from him. Id. at 71. Koiro began walking around the truck and Catanese followed, continuing to demand that Koiro hand over his keys and nudging and pushing Koiro in the back. Id. at 72. As Koiro walked around the front of the truck, Catanese pushed him from behind into a row of bushes, then jumped on top of him and began punching him in the sides, stomach and back of the head. Id. at 71-74. At this point, Koiro states that the truck keys went flying out of his hand and Carducci picked them up. Id. at 75. After eight to ten blows from Catanese, Koiro was able to roll out of the bushes. Id. Over the next fifteen to twenty minutes, the two men wrestled and fought in the yard, during which time Catanese twice placed Koiro in a choke hold and once asked Costarell to come over and assist him by choking Koiro. Id. at 76-86. Koiro states that he bit Catanese twice out of desperation to get him to release his chokehold. Id. at 86-88. Eventually, Ca-tanese yelled to Costarell to get his handcuffs. Id. at 89. Before the police arrived, Koiro claims that Catanese took Koiro’s finger and bit it in retaliation for Koiro biting him twice. Id. at 89-90. Officers arrived and arrested Koiro, who alleges that he suffered a swollen and stiff neck, swollen wrists, various cuts and bruises, and an infection from the bite wound. Id. at 94, 104.

In response, Officer Catanese claims that Carducci was hysterical and extremely upset on the phone when she called Costarell. Defs.’ Mot. Summ. J. at 4. Upon approaching Carducci’s house, he alleges that as he looked through the front window, he saw two pairs of feet and saw the smaller pair stumble backward as if pushed. Defs.’ Mot. -Summ. J. Ex. D at 74-75. As Koiro walked past him to go to his truck, Catanese avers that he smelled alcohol emanating from Koiro and that he heard Carducci tearfully state that Koiro was going to drive home drunk. Id. at 39, 41-42. Catanese then approached Koiro, offering him a ride home and saying things like “I can’t let you drive” and “I’m a Metro police officer, you don’t want to do this.” Id. at 44. Koiro ignored Catanese and attempted to open the driver’s door to get in the car. Id. at 45, 47-48. Catanese claims that he then put his hand against the door and said “I can’t let you drive.” Id. at 48. Koiro turned toward Catanese, and Catanese saw something metal in his hands, which he assumed to be the keys. Id. at 49. Catanese reacted by grabbing Koiro’s hand and shoulder, and the two fell into the bushes. Id. Catanese again tried to talk to Koiro, identifying himself as a police officer and telling Koiro that he should let them drive him home. Id. at 51. Koiro then lunged toward Catanese and [1066]*1066bit him in the face, clamping his teeth down on Catanese’s cheek; Catanese grabbed and twisted Koiro’s finger to get him to release the bite. Id. at 51-53. Koiro then stood up, grabbed Catanese’s arm and fell back. Id. at 53-54. Catanese braced himself so as not to fall over, and he states that Koiro’s weight pulling down on his arm caused Catanese to suffer a dislocated shoulder. Id. at 54, 77. In the fight that ensued, Catanese states that Koiro was the aggressor, punching and scratching Catanese as the officer tried to block the attacks. Id. at 55-57. Catanese became desperate and called for Costarell to help him; she came over and pulled Koiro away by the shoulder. Id. at 57-58. In an attempt to subdue Koiro, Catanese states that he then wrapped his arm around Koiro’s neck using a lateral neck restraint technique in which he was trained. Id. at 59-60, 17-21. Koiro clawed at Catanese’s face and bit him in the arms repeatedly, causing Catanese to let go. Id. at 61. Catanese eventually was able to pin Koiro against a wall until police arrived. Id. at 65-66.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
69 F. Supp. 3d 1061, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 164012, 2014 WL 6634676, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/koiro-v-las-vegas-metropolitan-police-department-nvd-2014.