Ramirez-Lluveras v. Pagan-Cruz

862 F. Supp. 2d 82, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70656, 2012 WL 1853873
District Court, D. Puerto Rico·Decided May 21, 2012·No. Civil No. 08-1486 (FAB)·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

BESOSA, District Judge.

This is a civil rights action brought pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (“section 1983”) and Article 1802 of Puerto Rico Civil Code, P.R. Laws Ann. Tit. 31, § 5141 (“article 1802”). Before the Court is plaintiffs’ motion in compliance with the Court’s Order to Show Cause why summary judgment should not be granted in defendants’ Carlos Sustache-Sustache (“Sustache”) and Zulma Diaz’s (“Diaz”) favor with respect to plaintiffs’ claims brought pursuant to the Fifth, Eighth,- and Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution. (Docket Nos. 382, 394.) For the reasons discussed below, summary judgment is GRANTED as to plaintiffs’ claims brought against Sustache and Diaz pursuant to the Fifth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. See Fed.R.CivJP. 56(f).

BACKGROUND

On March 3, 2009, plaintiffs Evelyn Ramirez-Lluveras, Jenitza Caceres, MC and MAC (collectively, the “plaintiffs”) filed an [84]*84amended complaint on behalf of themselves and Miguel Caceres-Cruz (“Caceres”), against Puerto Rico Police Department (“PRPD”) field officers Sustache, Diaz and Javier Pagan-Cruz (“Pagan”).1 (Docket No. 64.) Plaintiffs allege that the field officers and supervisory defendants violated their rights under the Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution when Caceres was shot and killed during an arrest.

On September 30, 2011, the Court granted in part and denied in part the supervisory defendants’ motion to dismiss the plaintiffs’ complaint and for judgment on the pleadings. (Docket Nos. 329, 332.) The Court held that: (a) plaintiffs did not have standing to bring suit on their own behalf, but had standing to sue as Caceres’ representative; (b) plaintiffs’ adequately pled supervisory liability; and (c) plaintiffs’ stated a cause of action pursuant to the Fourth Amendment but failed to do so pursuant to the Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments. (Docket No. 332, 6-28.) Subsequently, in an opinion and order dated December 22, 2011, 833 F.Supp.2d 165 (D.P.R.2011), the Court granted the supervisory defendants’ motion for summary judgment because plaintiffs’ did not establish a question of material fact that the supervisory defendants may be held liable under a supervisory liability theory. (Docket No. 338 at 13-31.)

Plaintiffs then moved for summary judgment against Pagan, arguing that Pagan’s civil liability was conclusively established because Pagan was previously convicted of First Degree Murder. (Docket No. 365 at ¶ 24.) In an opinion and order dated April 23, 2012, the Court dismissed plaintiffs’ section 1983 claim brought in their personal capacities against Pagan, granted summary judgment in plaintiffs’ favor as to Pagan’s liability pursuant to section 1983 for a Fourth amendment violation and article 1802, and granted summary judgement in Pagan’s favor with respect to plaintiffs’ claims under the Fifth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. (Docket No. 382 at 10-17.) The Court also ordered plaintiffs to show cause why summary judgment should not be granted in Diaz’s and Sustache’s favor with respect to plaintiffs’ claims brought against them pursuant to the Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments. (Id. at 18.) Plaintiffs complied with the Court’s order on May 3, 2012. (Docket No. 394.)

SUMMARY JUDGMENT STANDARD

The Court’s discretion to grant summary judgment is governed by Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Rule 56 states, in pertinent part, that the court may grant summary judgment only 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 judgment as a matter of law.” See also Santiago-Ramos v. Centennial P.R. Wireless Corp., 217 F.3d 46, 52 (1st Cir. 2000).

Summary judgment is appropriate if “there is no genuine issue as to any material fact ... the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” See Rule 56(c). The party moving for summary judgment bears the burden of showing the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. [85]*85See Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986).

Once a properly supported motion has been presented, the opposing party has the burden of demonstrating that a trial-worthy issue exists that would warrant the court’s denial of the motion for summary judgment. For issues where the opposing party bears the ultimate burden of proof, that party cannot merely rely on the absence of competent evidence, but must affirmatively point to specific facts that demonstrate the existence of an authentic dispute. See Suarez v. Pueblo Int’l, Inc., 229 F.3d 49 (1st Cir.2000).

In order for a factual controversy to prevent summary judgment, the contested facts must be “material” and the dispute must be “genuine.” “Material” means that a contested fact has the potential to change the outcome of the suit under governing law. The issue is “genuine” when a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party based on the evidence. See Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). It is well settled that “ ‘[t]he mere existence of a scintilla of evidence is insufficient to defeat a properly supported motion for summary judgment.’ ” Id. at 252, 106 S.Ct. 2505. It is therefore necessary that “a party opposing summary judgment must present definite, competent evidence to rebut the motion.” Maldonado-Denis v. Castillo-Rodriguez, 23 F.3d 576, 581 (1st Cir.1994).

In making this assessment, the Court “must view the entire record in the light most hospitable to the party opposing summary judgment, indulging in all reasonable inference in that party’s favor.” Griggs-Ryan v. Smith, 904 F.2d 112, 115 (1st Cir.1990). The Court may safely ignore, however, “conclusory allegations, improbable inferences, and unsupported speculation.” Medina-Muñoz v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 896 F.2d 5, 8 (1st Cir.1990).

DISCUSSION

The Court proceeds in two steps. The Court first analyzes whether plaintiffs have standing to bring suit under section 1983 against Sustache and Diaz. After concluding that plaintiffs have standing to sue as Caceres’ representatives, the Court addresses whether there is no issue of material fact concerning whether Sustache and Diaz violated the Fifth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments.

I.

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

Ramirez-Lluveras v. Pagan-Cruz, 862 F. Supp. 2d 82, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70656, 2012 WL 1853873 (prd 2012).

862 F. Supp. 2d 82 (Ramirez-Lluveras v. Pagan-Cruz) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Ramirez-Lluveras v. Pagan-Cruz
65 F. Supp. 3d 308 (D. Puerto Rico, 2014)