Rivera-García v. Román-Carrero

938 F. Supp. 2d 189, 2013 WL 54034
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedJanuary 3, 2013
DocketCivil No. 11-1400 (BJM)
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 938 F. Supp. 2d 189 (Rivera-García v. Román-Carrero) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rivera-García v. Román-Carrero, 938 F. Supp. 2d 189, 2013 WL 54034 (prd 2013).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

BRUCE J. MeGIVERIN, United States Magistrate Judge.

Xavier Rivera-García sued several officers of the Puerto Rico Police Department in their personal and official capacities, together with their spouses and conjugal partnerships: Franklyn Román-Carrero, Eduardo Román-Rosado, Modesto Alameda-Cordero, Samuel Sosa-Vega, and other unnamed officers. Rivera-García alleges that the officers used excessive force against him during a 2010 raid on the La Meseta housing project, and wrongfully pressed charges against him in Commonwealth court. He argues that this deprived him of federally-protected rights, entitling him to recover damages under 42 U.S.C. § 1988. He also seeks relief under Puerto Rico tort and constitutional law. (Docket No. 1, hereinafter “Compl.”).

Before the court are motions for summary judgment by Sosa-Vega (Docket No. 65) and by Román-Carrero and Alameda-Cordero (Docket No. 73).1 Rivera-García opposed the motions. (Docket No. 87). Sosa-Vega replied. (Docket No. 98). This case is before me by the parties’ consent. (Docket No. 17). For the reasons that follow, the motions are granted in part.

SUMMARY JUDGMENT STANDARD

Summary judgment is appropriate when “the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(a). A fact is material only if it “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), and “[a] ‘genuine’ issue is one that could be resolved in favor of either party.” Calero-Cerezo v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice, 355 F.3d 6, 19 (1st Cir.2004). The court does not weigh the facts, but instead ascertains whether the “evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party.” Leary v. Dalton, 58 F.3d 748, 751 (1st Cir.1995).

“[A] party seeking summary judgment always bears the initial responsibility of informing the district court of the basis for its motion, and identifying those portions of the [evidence] ... which it believes demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact.” Crawford-El v. Britton, 523 U.S. 574, 600 n. 22, 118 S.Ct. 1584, 140 L.Ed.2d 759 (1998) (quoting Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986)); Fed. R.Civ.P. 56(c)(1). Once this threshold is met, the burden shifts to the nonmoving party, who “must do more than simply show that there is some metaphysical doubt as to the material facts.” Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986). However, the court draws inferences and evaluates facts “in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party,” Leary, 58 F.3d at 751, and an evaluating court may not “superimpose [its] own ideas of probability and likelihood (no matter how reasonable those ideas may be) upon the facts of the record.” [193]*193Greenburg v. P.R. Maritime Shipping Auth., 835 F.2d 932, 936 (1st Cir.1987). Nonetheless, summary judgment is appropriate where the nonmoving party rests entirely upon “conclusory allegations, improbable inferences, and unsupported speculation” on any essential element. Medina-Muñoz v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 896 F.2d 5, 8 (1st Cir.1990).

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

The facts of the case are summarized here after applying Local Rule 56, which structures the presentation of proof at summary judgment.2 Importantly, no movant rebutted Rivera-Garcia’s separate statement of additional facts under Local Rule 56(c). (See Docket No. 90, hereinafter “PI. St.”). Sosa-Vega filed a “Reply Statement of Material Facts Pursuant to Local Civil Rule 56(d),” but devoted the entire missive to refuting Rivera-Garcia’s response to Sosa-Vega’s original statement of facts, without addressing Rivera-Garcia’s own statement. (See Docket No. 98-1). To the extent Rivera-Garcia’s statement is supported by citations to record evidence, it is deemed admitted under Local Rule 56(e). See Mariani-Colon, 511 F.3d at 219.

The La Meseta Raid

On April 30, 2010, at around 6:30 p.m., Puerto Rico police raided the La Meseta housing project in Arecibo. (Docket No. 66, hereinafter “Sosa-Vega St.,” ¶ 4; Docket No. 75, hereinafter “Román/Alameda St.,” ¶ 2). The operation fell under a work plan targeting drug crimes in the area, and targeted a drug point in the project. (Sosa-Vega St., ¶¶ 6-7; Román/Alameda St., ¶3). Defendant Román-Carrero was the supervisor who issued the work plan. (Sosa-Vega St., ¶ 7). Sosa-Vega witnessed the seizure of crack cocaine and marijuana there.3 (Sosa-Vega St., ¶ 4; Román/Alameda St., ¶ 4).

Rivera-García was then a resident of La Meseta. (Román/Alameda St., ¶¶ 2, 5; PL St., ¶ 1). About half an hour before the raid, Rivera-García went to visit his moth[194]*194er, who lived in another apartment at La Meseta. (PI. St., ¶ 1; Sosa-Vega St., ¶ 9). While there, Rivera-García noticed a commotion outside, and saw his nephew being detained.4 (PI. St., ¶¶ 2-3; Román/ Alameda St., ¶ 6; see Sosa-Vega St., ¶ 8). Rivera-Garcia’s nephew was not restrained, handcuffed, taken away, or harmed. (Sosa-Vega St., ¶ 15; Román/Alameda St., ¶ 11). From Rivera-Garcia’s vantage point on the building’s second story landing, he could not hear what the officers were saying. (Román/Alameda St., ¶ 7). He did not recognize them as police officers because they were dressed in civilian clothes, and at some point thought they could have been other residents of La Meseta. (Román/Alameda St., ¶¶ 9,12).

Rivera-García went to where his nephew was. (PL St., ¶ 6; Román/Alameda St., ¶ 10). No officers prevented him from approaching the area. (Román/Alameda St., ¶ 14). However, the officers were moving around searching the area, and were questioning his nephew and other young people. (Román/Alameda St., ¶¶ 18-19). When he approached and asked whether he could take his nephew away, officers told him no. (Román/Alameda St., ¶ 15). The defendants characterize this approach as “violating] the perimeter srcs. th&f the police officers had established around the youth.” (Sosa-Vega St., ¶ 11; see Ron^/Alameda St., ¶¶ 15, 18). However, Rivera-García did not personally believe he had crossed any “perimeter.” (Román/Alameda St., ¶¶ 13-14).

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Bluebook (online)
938 F. Supp. 2d 189, 2013 WL 54034, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rivera-garcia-v-roman-carrero-prd-2013.