Martin v. City of Oklahoma City

180 F. Supp. 3d 978, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 50073, 2016 WL 1529927
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Oklahoma
DecidedApril 14, 2016
DocketCase No. CIV-134064-D
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 180 F. Supp. 3d 978 (Martin v. City of Oklahoma City) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Martin v. City of Oklahoma City, 180 F. Supp. 3d 978, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 50073, 2016 WL 1529927 (W.D. Okla. 2016).

Opinion

ORDER

TIMOTHY D. DeGIUSTI, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Before the Court are motions for summary judgment filed by Defendant City of Oklahoma City [Doc. No. 56], Defendants Bill Vetter, Ryan Sorrels, Russell Mock, and Jacob McClain [Doc. No. 59]; and Plaintiff Antjuan Martin [Doc. No. 61], pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 56.1 Defendants seek a judgment as a matter of law in this action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 regarding Plaintiffs allegedly unlawful arrest.2 Plaintiff seeks a declaratory judgment that an ordinance he was charged with violating, Section 30-68(a) of the Oklahoma City Municipal Code, is unconstitutional. The motions are fully briefed and at issue.

Factual Background

Plaintiff claims his constitutional rights were violated when he was arrested for obstructing Oklahoma City police officers who were attempting to arrest an intoxicated man outside of a nightclub where Plaintiff was working as a private security guard. Plaintiff brings § 1983 claims against the individual police officers involved in the incident and the City of Oklahoma City (“City"). Specifically, Plaintiff claims Defendants Ryan Sorrels, Russell Mock, Jacob McClain, and Bill Vetter arrested and imprisoned him without probable cause and by a use of excessive force in violation of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments, arrested him in retaliation for protected speech in violation of the First Amendment, and conspired to violate his right to due process after he lodged a formal citizen’s complaint against them “by rewriting their official reports in order to manufacture probable cause for his arrest, imprisonment, and prosecution.” See Compl. [Doc. No. 1], ¶ 48. He also claims the defendants who testified in his criminal trial caused his retaliatory prosecution in violation of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments by giving false testimony “to increase the likelihood of a conviction.” Id. ¶ 45.

Plaintiff alleges the City is liable for these violations of his constitutional rights [983]*983because it adopted “invalid and unconstitutional policies, specifically Ordinances 30-58 and 30-68.” Id. ¶35. Plaintiff also asserts a declaratory judgment claim that “Ordinance • 30-68 is unconstitutionally broad and vague on its face, and as applied to Plaintiff, because it criminalizes a substantial amount of constitutionally protected speech” and “accords police officers unconstitutional and unfettered discretion in their enforcement” and because “persons of ordinary intelligence cannot reasonably understand what types of conduct [are] prohibited.” Id. ¶¶ 50-52. Plaintiff also seeks a declaration that “Ordinances 30-58 and 30-68 conflict with the Obstruction Statute,” Okla, Stat. tit. 21, § 540, and are “invalid by preemption.” Id, ¶ 55 & Prayer, ¶ H.

The Parties’ Motions

Defendants seek summary judgment on all claims. The individual defendants (collectively, the “Officers”) contend, for reasons discussed infra, that they are entitled to qualified immunity on Plaintiffs claims of false arrest or imprisonment, retaliatory arrest, retaliatory prosecution, and conspiracy, and that his excessive force claim lacks merit. The City contends Section 30-68 of the Oklahoma City Municipal Code is constitutional, Sections 30-58 and 30-68 are not preempted by state law, and no municipal policy caused any constitutional violation that occurred. Plaintiff opposes Defendants’ motions and, by his motion, contends he is entitled to a declaratory judgment that Section 30-68 is unconstitutionally overbroad and vague on its face, and is unconstitutional as applied to him because the • only possible basis for his arrest under the statute was his speech and the Officers were permitted to.determine that his speech justified an arrest.

Standard of Decision

Summary judgment is proper “if the movant shows there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). A material fact is one that, “might affect the outcome of the suit under the governing law.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). An issue is genuine if the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for either party. Id. at 255, 106 S.Ct. 2505. All facts and reasonable inferences must be viewed in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. Id. If a party who would bear the burden of proof at trial lacks sufficient evidence on an essential element of a claim, then all other factual issues concerning the claim become immaterial. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986).

The- movant bears the initial burden of demonstrating the absence of a dispute of material fact warranting summary judgment. Celotex, 477 U.S. at 322-23, 106 S.Ct. 2548. If a movant carries this burden, the nonmovant must then go beyond the pleadings and “set forth specific facts” that would be admissible in evidence and that show a genuine issue for trial. See Anderson, 477 U.S. at 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505; Celotex, 477 U.S. at 324, 106 S.Ct. 2548; Adler v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 144 F.3d 664, 671 (10th Cir.1998). “To accomplish this, the facts must be identified by reference to affidavits, deposition transcripts, or specific exhibits incorporated therein.” Adler, 144 F.3d at 671; see Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c)(1)(A). “The court need consider only the cited materials, but may consider other materials in the record.” See Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c)(3); see also Adler, 144 F.3d at 672. The inquiry is whether the facts and evidence identified by the parties present “a sufficient disagreement to require submission to a jury or whether it is so one-sided that one party must prevail as a matter of [984]*984law.” Anderson, 477 U.S. at 251-52, 106 S.Ct. 2505.

Undisputed Facts3

In the early morning hours of October 8, 2011, Sergeants Sorrels, Mock and McClain and Lieutenant Vetter were working as part of an undercover unit of Oklahoma City police officers investigating car burglaries in the area of Memorial Road between Pennsylvania Avenue and Portland Avenue. Sgt. Sorrels’ truck was parked in the parking lot of the' Casablanca ■ nightclub, and other members of the unit, including both defendant and non-defendant officers, were nearby.. Plaintiff was working as a security guard at the Casablanca club for his own security company; he had contracted with other security guards to assist him, including Renaldo Lemons, Chris Ross, Lejon Hines, and Tanner Jacobs. All security guards other than Plaintiff wore shirts that identified them as security personnel.

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180 F. Supp. 3d 978, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 50073, 2016 WL 1529927, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/martin-v-city-of-oklahoma-city-okwd-2016.