(PC) Anglin v. Pratti

District Court, E.D. California·Decided December 2, 2022·No. 1:19-cv-01334·Unknown

Opinion

RAYMOND ANGLIN, Case No. 1:19-cv-01334-JLT-SAB (PC) Plaintiff, ORDER ON MOTIONS IN LIMINE v. (Doc. 74 and 78) M. PRATTI, et al.,

Defendants. The parties submitted several motions in limine regarding evidence expected to be presented at trial (Doc. 74; Doc. 78.) The Court finds the matters suitable for decision without oral argument pursuant to Local Rule 230(g) and General Order 618. This case involves Mr. Anglin’s Eighth Amendment claims against Defendants Resendez, Cavazos, Amaya, Villalobos, Guerrero, and Gomez for excessive force and against Defendants Wilburn and Duran for failure to intervene. (Doc. 81 at 1.) Mr. Anglin is a state prisoner at the California Correctional Institution (CCI) in Tehachapi, California, and proceeding pro se. (Id. at 1, 3.) His claims arise from an incident that occurred on January 9, 2019, the circumstances of which are largely disputed. (Id. at 7.) According to Mr. Anglin, on January 9, 2019, Defendants Resendez, Cavazos, Amaya, Villalobos, Guerrero, and Gomez kicked, stomped, elbowed, and kneed Mr. Anglin while he was in his cell, and then beat him again outside the cell. (Id.) Mr. Anglin claims that Defendant Wilburn was present but failed to intervene, and that Defendant Duran, as the control booth operator, opened Mr. Anglin’s cell door to allow the other Defendants to harm him. (Id.) According to Defendants, they had no physical altercation at Mr. Anglin’s cell. (Doc. 81 at 7.) Rather, they observed Mr. Anglin being disruptive in his cell, and refusing to follow orders to stop being disruptive. (Id.) Defendants Gomez and Resendez went to Mr. Anglin’s cell to escort him to the program office to speak with the sergeant. (Id.) According to Mr. Anglin, Defendants pushed Mr. Anglin to the ground while escorting him to speak with the sergeant and caused him to land on his face, sustaining injuries. (Id.) Defendants contend, during the escort, Mr. Anglin became aggressive, appeared to be intoxicated, and shouted obscenities. (Id.) When Mr. Anglin lunged and broke away from their grasp of him, Gomez and Resendez tackled Mr. Anglin to the floor and activated an alarm. (Id.) Defendants Amaya, Duran and Cavazos responded. (Id.) Mr. Anglin eventually became compliant with orders to stop resisting, and he was placed in leg restraints (he was handcuffed at the start of the escort). (Id.) The escort then continued, and Mr. Anglin again became verbally abusive and attempted to break away from Defendant Cavazos’ grasp. (Id.) Gomez used physical strength to force Mr. Anglin to the ground. Mr. Anglin was ordered to stop resisting, and he complied without further incident. (Id.) Soon afterwards Mr. Anglin’s property was inventoried in his cell, and contraband pruno (inmate manufactured alcohol) was found there. (Id.) Mr. Anglin asserts that he sustained abrasions, swelling and bruising to his face around the eyes and abrasions at his right elbow and both knees. (Doc. 81 at 7.) Mr. Anglin also contends that the injuries impacted his vision; caused facial and jaw pain; and sustained injuries to his hands and arms that caused partial disability for eight months following the incident. (Id. at 7-8.) A nurse at CCI examined Mr. Anglin shortly after the incident. (Id. at 8.) He was also seen by a nurse the next day, and by a physician the following day. (Id.) “Although the Federal Rules of Evidence do not explicitly authorize in limine rulings, the practice has developed pursuant to the district court’s inherent authority to manage the course of trials.” Luce v. United States, 469 U.S. 38, 40 n.2 (1984). The Ninth Circuit explained motions in limine allow parties to resolve evidentiary disputes ahead of trial “before attempted use of the evidence before the jury.” United States v. Heller, 551 F.3d 1108, 1111-12 (9th Cir. 2009). Importantly, motions in limine seeking the exclusion of broad categories of evidence are disfavored. See Sperberg v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., 519 F.2d 708, 712 (6th Cir. 1975). The Court “is almost always better situated during the actual trial to assess the value and utility of evidence.” Wilkins v. Kmart Corp., 487 F. Supp. 2d 1216, 1218 (D. Kan. 2007). The Sixth Circuit explained, “a better practice is to deal with questions of admissibility of evidence as they arise [in trial]” as opposed to ruling on a motion in limine. Sperberg, 519 F.2d at 712. Nevertheless, motions in limine are “an important tool available to the trial judge to ensure the expeditious and evenhanded management of the trial proceedings.” Jonasson v. Lutheran Child & Family Services, 115 F.3d 436, 440 (7th Cir. 1997). “[A] motion in limine should not be used to resolve factual disputes or weigh evidence,” C & E Services, Inc. v. Ashland Inc., 539 F. Supp. 2d 316, 323 (D. D.C. 2008), because that is the province of the jury. See Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products, 530 U.S. 133, 150 (2000). The Court will bar use of the evidence in question only if the moving party establishes that the evidence clearly is not admissible for any valid purpose. Jonasson, 115 F. 3d at 440. For example, under the Federal Rules of Evidence, any evidence that is not relevant is not admissible. Fed. R. Evid. 402. To determine that evidence is relevant, the Court must find “(a) it has a tendency to make a fact more or less probable than it would be without the evidence; and (b) the fact is of consequence in determining the action.” Fed. R. Evid. 401. Nevertheless, relevant evidence may be excluded “if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of one or more of the following: unfair prejudice, confusing the issues, misleading the jury, undue delay, wasting time, or needlessly presenting cumulative evidence.” Fed. R. Evid. 403. The rulings on the motions in limine made below do not preclude either party from raising the admissibility of the evidence discussed herein, if the evidence adduced at trial demonstrates a change of circumstances that would make the evidence admissible, such as for impeachment or if the opponent opens the door to allow for its admissibility. However, if this occurs, the proponent of the evidence SHALL raise the issue with the Court outside the presence of the jury. Finally, the rulings made here are binding on all parties and their witnesses and not merely on the moving party. A. Mr. Anglin’s Motion in Limine Mr. Anglin’s motion in limine requests that the Court preclude Defendants from introducing certain character evidence he believes Defendants will use to impeach him and his witness, Mr. Jason St. Pierre. (Doc. 78.) Mr. Anglin seeks to preclude Mr. St. Pierre’s criminal history; Mr. St. Pierre’s prior bad acts unrelated to truthfulness; and any speculative character evidence of prior misconduct by Mr. St. Pierre or Mr. Anglin for which Defendants lack a good faith basis that those acts occurred. (

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