Monroe Morris v. Robbin Myers

CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Indiana
DecidedJune 8, 2026
Docket1:24-cv-01136
StatusUnknown

This text of Monroe Morris v. Robbin Myers (Monroe Morris v. Robbin Myers) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Indiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Monroe Morris v. Robbin Myers, (S.D. Ind. 2026).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF INDIANA INDIANAPOLIS DIVISION

MONROE MORRIS, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) Case No. 1:24-cv-01136-TWP-MG ) ROBBIN MYERS, ) ) Defendant. )

ORDER DENYING DEFENDANT'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

This matter is before the Court on a Motion for Summary Judgment (Filing No. 57) filed by Defendant Robbin Myers ("Myers"). Plaintiff Monroe Morris ("Morris") initiated this action after sustaining injuries when Myers, an officer of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department ("IMPD"), attempted to stop him from allegedly speeding on his motorcycle which resulted in him crashing his bike. Morris alleged negligent and intentional injury and violations of his Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights (Filing No. 24). The Court dismissed Morris' claims for a violation of his Fourteenth Amendment rights and his Fourth Amendment and state law claims survived the initial hurdle of motion to dismiss (Filing No. 45). For the following reasons, Myers' request for summary judgment on the remaining claims is denied. I. BACKGROUND The following facts are not necessarily objectively true, but as required by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56, the facts are presented in the light most favorable to Morris as the non-moving party. See Zerante v. DeLuca, 555 F.3d 582, 584 (7th Cir. 2009); Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 255 (1986). A. IMPD Rules and Regulations Concerning On/Off-Duty IMPD Rules and Regulations define when an officer is "On Duty." (Filing No. 57-1 at 2). On Duty begins when a member reports for a scheduled work period as designated by IMPD,

during which the member performs duties as a police officer for the City of Indianapolis. Id. On Duty pertains to periods when a member acts "in an official capacity as a police officer," including "even while technically off duty," if the member is "enforcing a law of the State of Indiana" or is "performing those duties in the protection of life and property." Id. IMPD General Order 3.12 is titled "Off-Duty Responsibilities," and states that an off-duty IMPD officer is expected to take "appropriate action" regarding offenses that occur in the officer's presence. (Filing No. 57-3). General Order 3.12 defines "appropriate action" as "action that is both necessary when considering the totality of the circumstances and within the officer's ability to handle at the time, including considerations such as the availability of a weapon, ability to communicate by radio, physical condition, and whether family members are present." Id. at 1.

General Order 3.12 defines "Off Duty" as the period when a member is not scheduled for normal assigned duties as a police officer. Id. While off-duty, IMPD officers are directed not take official action or actively engage in personal disputes or “incidents involving close relatives, associates, or neighbors, expect in extreme emergencies.” Id. An “extreme emergency” is defined as “a situation where action is required to prevent injury to the off-duty member or another, or to prevent the commission of a felony or other serious offense.” Id. IMPD officers are also directed to make an incident report if they are directly involved in the action while off-duty. Id. at 2. B. The November 8, 2021, Incident Morris and Myers both live on Congress Avenue in Indianapolis, Indiana, and thus were neighbors. On November 8, 2021, sometime around 2:00 p.m., Morris was riding his motorcycle on Congress Avenue (Filing No. 57-5 at 21:2–6). While at the stop sign immediately before the

crash scene, Morris cranked the throttle on his motorcycle to clear the ejectors on his bike. (Filing No. 57-4 at 44). Around that same time, Myers arrived home in her IMPD uniform as her shift with IMPD ended at 2:00 p.m. (Filing No. 57-5 at 21:2-6). She parked her police vehicle outside of her home and walked to her front porch when she heard a motorcycle engine squeal. Id. at 21:7– 15. Based on her experience as a law enforcement officer, Myers believed the sound was from a motorcycle speeding down Congress Avenue. Id. at 22. Myers then left her front porch and walked back toward the street. Id. at 23:18–21. Cars were parked on both sides of the Congress Avenue and the street allowed only a very narrow lane for vehicles to travel. Id. at 23:25–24:3. As Myers approached the street, she walked in front of her police vehicle before stepping out and into the single narrow lane of traffic which

Morris was traveling. Id. Morris did not see Myers until he observed her "jump out" from in front of her police vehicle and into the street. Id. at 52:18–53:3. As Myers stepped or jumped into the street, she put her hands up and told Morris to stop. Id. at 52:2–15. Morris was approximately fifteen feet away when he observed Myers jump out from in front of her police vehicle and into the narrow lane of traffic (Filing No. 57-4 at 52:4–17). When Morris saw Myers, he panicked. Id. at 59:21–60:7. In attempting not to hit Myers, Morris tried to get out of her way and was forced to lay his motorcycle down—in other words, crash—which resulted in him to sustaining a broken arm, broken wrists, a broken leg, and injuries to his head and face. Id. at 55:15–57:4. Myers first words to Morris after the crash were, "that's what you get," and "I'm tired of y'all speeding through this neighborhood." Id. at 61:3–14. Myers immediately called for other officers and paramedics (Filing No. 57-5 at 89:10–21). Other officers arrived and IMPD Officer Randall Buck wrote an incident report. The Incident Report indicates that the crash was first

reported at 2:08 p.m. (Filing No. 62-1). However, no Indiana Officer's Standard Crash Report was prepared as a result of the collision, Myers did not report that she was involved in the collision to her supervisor at IMPD, and she did not issue a citation to Morris for speeding. (Filing No. 57-5 at 37-55). Indianapolis Emergency Management Services were also notified of the collision at 2:08 pm and arrived at the scene of the collision at 2:22 p.m. (Filing No. 62- 2). II. LEGAL STANDARD The purpose of summary judgment is to "pierce the pleadings and to assess the proof in order to see whether there is a genuine need for trial." Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 587 (1986). Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56 provides that summary judgment is appropriate if "the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions

on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law." Hemsworth v. Quotesmith.com, Inc., 476 F.3d 487, 489–90 (7th Cir. 2007). In ruling on a motion for summary judgment, the court reviews "the record in the light most favorable to the non-moving party and draw[s] all reasonable inferences in that party's favor." Zerante, 555 F.3d at 584 (citation omitted). "However, inferences that are supported by only speculation or conjecture will not defeat a summary judgment motion." Dorsey v. Morgan Stanley, 507 F.3d 624, 627 (7th Cir. 2007) (citation and quotation marks omitted).

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Monroe Morris v. Robbin Myers, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/monroe-morris-v-robbin-myers-insd-2026.