Oniasse v. Hernandez

352 F. Supp. 3d 1186
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedDecember 3, 2018
DocketCase No. 6:17-cv-1247-Orl-37KRS
StatusPublished

This text of 352 F. Supp. 3d 1186 (Oniasse v. Hernandez) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Oniasse v. Hernandez, 352 F. Supp. 3d 1186 (M.D. Fla. 2018).

Opinion

ROY B. DALTON JR., United States District Judge

This 42 U.S.C. § 1983 action arises from a 2014 encounter between Plaintiff Chantale *1190Oniasse and Defendant Keith Hernandez, a then-Orange County Deputy Sheriff. Plaintiff brings two constitutional claims for false arrest/detention and excessive force against Deputy Hernandez (Doc. 29, ¶¶ 42-50), and two state-law claims for false arrest/detention and battery against the Orange County Sheriff in his official capacity (id. ¶¶ 51-60). Defendants moved for summary judgment, asserting qualified immunity for the claims against Deputy Hernandez and other defenses for the state-law claims. (Doc. 37 ("Motion ").) Plaintiff, now proceeding pro se (see Doc. 36), did not respond. (See Doc. 38.) This Order follows.

I. BACKGROUND 1

A. Plaintiff's "Best Case"

The evening of Thursday, August 21, 2014 started off like any other for Plaintiff Chantale Oniasse, Pastor at Source of Life Church in the Pine Hills area of Orlando. (Doc. 40-1, pp. 110:24-111:25.) The church was holding its weekly evening service, where congregants gathered anytime after 8:30 p.m. to worship. (Id. at 104:23-105:12.) Service could include midnight prayer or dancing, with musicians performing and parishioners singing along. (Id. at 105:4-12, 154:4-10:18-20.) This often lasted well into the night and "got loud." (Id. ) On a given night, between eighty or ninety people could filter through, and on August 21, 2014, in the ten o'clock hour, around 15-20 congregants were present. (Doc. 40-2, p. 230:4-232:16.)

Sometime in that hour, a woman entered the church in an "aggravated" state. (Doc. 37-2, pp. 8:7, 9:12-10:19.) Pastor Oniasse believed she was "drunk and violent." (Doc. 40-2, p. 152:11.) In tow was her five-year-old daughter. (Doc. 37-2, pp. 6:18-20, 9:18.) The woman lived across the street from the church and sought to complain about the noise at behest of her octogenarian grandmother. (Id. at 6:6-8, 7:11-8:17.) So she walked in, through the lobby to the sanctuary where service was taking place and started asking those present to turn the music down and stop being loud. (Doc. 40-2, pp. 152:13-21, 153:10-11; Doc. 37-2, pp. 8:12-17, 9:21-10:3.) Screaming, the woman told the parishioners she was going to unplug the music and microphones because of the noise. (Doc. 40-2, p. 157:14-23.) The woman was later identified as Sandra Ray Burnham ("Ms. Ray "). (Id. at 179.)

When Ms. Ray first came in, Pastor Oniasse was in the church office with her son. (Id. at 152:13-21, 153:10-11.) The usher posted in the lobby knocked on the office door and alerted Pastor Oniasse that a woman came into the sanctuary distracting the service. (Id. ) Pastor Oniasse then left the office and went into the sanctuary, where she saw Ms. Ray in the front with her daughter "screaming" about the noise. (Id. ) On seeing Ms. Ray "acting up," Pastor Oniasse instructed another churchgoer, Witlan Saint Hilaire ("Witlan ") to dial 9-1-1. (Id. at 154:21-155:3.) Pastor Oniasse sought police intervention because the church couldn't "handle" Ms. Ray and a police officer was "the only person who can stop [Ms. Ray] from coming inside" and intruding on the service. (Id. ) She told Witlan to report to the police that someone came into their church "in the front trying to make chaos," and have the police "pick her up or remove her." (Id. at 155:14-21.)

*1191According to Pastor Oniasse, Ms. Ray then left the church because her daughter was crying. (Id. at 155:24, 161.) She came back about ten minutes later because the music hadn't stopped. (Id. at 161:19-25.) The second time, Ms. Ray was restricted to the lobby, as the doors to the sanctuary were closed. (Id. at 162:2-4.) When she came back, Ms. Oniasse reports that she told Ms. Ray the police had been called, and Ms. Ray responded by taking out her cell phone to snap a picture of Ms. Oniasse. (Id. at 164:18-165:7, 166.) The two exchanged words, and Ms. Ray threw her phone at Ms. Oniasse before running away. (Id. at 166.) Pastor Oniasse instructed Witlan to call the police again; when she did, the dispatcher told Witlan that there was an officer in the area who was supposed to come after the first call but was taking longer than expected. (Id. at 174:3-10.) Pastor Oniasse and Witlan moved outside to wait for the police. (Id. at 167:24-168:10.)

Ms. Ray returned a third time, asking for her phone back while Pastor Oniasse and Witlan were standing outside the church. (Id. at 166-68.) Pastor Oniasse responded that she wasn't going to return the phone until the police came; she kept it so the police would know Ms. Ray was the person who came into the church. (Id. ) Ms. Ray left again, and they stayed outside, waiting. (Id. at 170:16-17.) Some minutes passed until a police officer-Deputy Hernandez-approached the two women standing outside. (Id. at 178:16-179:23.) Pastor Oniasse recalled other people there as well: her son and two other parishioners, Carline and Evonett. (Id. at 185:22-187:12.) Without saying anything, Deputy Hernandez went up to Witlan and grabbed her arm to handcuff her. (Id. at 178:16-179:23.) Witlan immediately reacted by saying it wasn't her. (Id. ) Deputy Hernandez asked, "who have altercation with Sandra? [sic], who has the problem with Sandra?" (Id. ) Pastor Oniasse responded that she did, so Deputy Hernandez took his handcuffs and grabbed her arms to place them behind her back. (Id. )

At once, Pastor Oniasse started talking to Deputy Hernandez, asking him how he was arresting her when she was the one who called the police based on a woman coming into the church. (Id. at 180:13-21.) Specifically, she recounted saying, "sir, I was the one who called you. I'm in my church. Why would I be the one who get arrested and Sandra is the one to come in out church to do - to make the scene and you are arresting me?" (Id. at 181:6-13.) Deputy Hernandez then started getting aggressive with her after handcuffing her, pushing her "violently." (Id. at 180:19-21, 181: 6-13.) At no point did he answer her questions, tell her she was under arrest, or recite her Miranda rights. (Id. at 181:14-23.)

At the same time, the others outside started protesting Deputy Hernandez's actions. (Id. at 182-89.) Witlan told him that his actions weren't "right"-they called the cops and now he was arresting her pastor. (Id. at 182:15-183:19.) As did Evonett, who immediately said to Deputy Hernandez, that's not right, you can't do that, don't arrest my pastor, she didn't do anything. (Id. at 185:22-187:12.) Carline started screaming and crying, saying it's not fair and that Deputy Hernandez couldn't do this. (Id. at 183:20-184:14.) Similarly, Pastor Oniasse's son started crying while trying to talk to Deputy Hernandez, pleading, don't arrest my mom, don't kill my mom. (Id.

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Bluebook (online)
352 F. Supp. 3d 1186, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/oniasse-v-hernandez-flmd-2018.