Warheit v. City of New York

271 F. App'x 123
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedApril 3, 2008
DocketNo. 06-4463-pr
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 271 F. App'x 123 (Warheit v. City of New York) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Warheit v. City of New York, 271 F. App'x 123 (2d Cir. 2008).

Opinion

[124]*124 SUMMARY ORDER

Plaintiff-Appellant Ira Warheit appeals from a grant of summary judgment dismissing all of his claims by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (Paul A. Crotty, Judge) in favor of Defendants-Appellees City of New York (“City”), New York City Health and Hospital Corp., Bellevue Hospital Center, and New York City Fire Department/ Department of Emergency Services (collectively, “Appellees”). On appeal, Warheit argues that the District Court erred in granting summary judgment because genuine issues of material fact exist pertaining to his treatment at a temporary trauma center to treat victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Specifically, Warheit raises three issues: (1) whether there is a genuine issue of material fact as to the existence of probable cause to arrest him on September 13, 2001; (2) whether there is a genuine issue of material fact as to whether Dr. Antonio Abad ordered Lt. David Siev of the New York City Police Department to arrest him; and (3) if the second question is answered affirmatively, whether there is also a genuine issue of material fact as to whether Abad acted under the color of law.1 Only War-heit’s false arrest and false imprisonment claims — both asserted as actionable Fourth Amendment violations under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 — are relevant to the issues raised in this appeal. We assume the parties’ familiarity with the underlying facts and procedural history in this case.

We review de novo a district court’s grant of summary judgment. See Guilbert v. Gardner, 480 F.3d 140, 145 (2d Cir. 2007). A district court properly grants summary judgment where “there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and ... the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c). “A ‘genuine issue’ exists for summary judgment purposes where the evidence, viewed in the light most favorable to the nonmov-ing party, is such that a reasonable jury could decide in that party’s favor.” Guil-bert, 480 F.3d at 145. However, the non-moving party cannot defeat summary judgment by “a factual argument based on conjecture or surmise.” McClellan v. Smith, 439 F.3d 137, 144 (2d Cir.2006) (internal quotation marks omitted).

Warheit first argues that the evidence in the record creates a genuine issue of material fact with respect to whether Siev had probable cause to arrest him.2 Specifically, Warheit contends that the District Court erred in finding that Siev had probable cause to take him into custody because Warheit was permitted to enter the trauma center. Warheit further argues that Siev’s probable cause rationale rested on Abad’s account of Warheit’s conduct, which is now contested because Abad later testified that he has no recollection of the incident and witness Frank Fasano contradicted Siev’s account.

A § 1983 claim based on an alleged false arrest will not lie if the arrest was supported by probable cause. Jenkins v. City of New York, 478 F.3d 76, 84 (2d Cir.2007). “[Pjrobable cause to arrest exists when the officers have knowledge or reasonably [125]*125trustworthy information of facts and circumstances that are sufficient to warrant a person of reasonable caution in the belief that the person to be arrested has committed or is committing a crime.” Id. (alteration in original, internal quotation marks and citation omitted). In deciding whether probable cause exists, we “must look to the ‘totality of the circumstances.’ ” Caldarola v. Calabrese, 298 F.3d 156, 162 (2d Cir. 2002) (quoting Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213, 233, 103 S.Ct. 2317, 76 L.Ed.2d 527 (1983)). The Supreme Court has noted that “probable cause is a fluid concept— turning on the assessment of probabilities in particular factual contexts — not readily, or even usefully, reduced to a neat set of legal rules.” Gates, 462 U.S. at 232, 103 S.Ct. 2317. Moreover, probable cause turns on an objective analysis of information available to the arresting officer. See Whren v. United States, 517 U.S. 806, 813, 116 S.Ct. 1769, 135 L.Ed.2d 89 (1996) (“Subjective intentions play no role in ordinary, probable-cause Fourth Amendment analysis.”). We have not yet addressed the question of whether the § 1983 plaintiff has the burden of proving the absence of probable cause or whether the defendant has the burden of proving its existence. See Davis v. Rodriguez, 364 F.3d 424, 434 n. 8 (2d Cir.2004). We need not address that question at this time because Warheit’s claim fails regardless of which pai'ty has the burden of proof.

It is undisputed that Wax’heit received permission to enter the trauma center area, albeit for the limited purpose of seeking an identification card that would pex’mit him to remain there. It is also undisputed that Warheit had a conversation with Abad about the matter, and Warheit testified that Abad asked him several questions about his “histox’y.” At some point, Abad left Warheit in order to seek the assistance of Siev. Specifically, Siev testified that a doctor at the trauma center asked him to help with an individual— whom he later learned to be Warheit — who falsely claimed to be a doctor and who was causing a distui'bance. According to his deposition testimony, Siev testified that he observed Warheit “rambling” incohex*ently and that he was in a “very excited” state. Siev testified that he personally asked Warheit to leave several times. When Warheit refused to do so, Siev decided to x’emove Warheit and escox’t him out of the trauma center.

In opposing summary judgment, War-heit did not come foxward with admissible evidence which, taken as true, would support the conclusion that Siev lacked px’oba-ble cause to place Warheit under arrest. Viewed in the light most favorable to him, Warheit’s deposition testimony disputes Siev’s account that Warheit was rambling incoherently and was asked to leave. But Wax-heit was not present when Siev was told that Warheit was causing a disturbance and falsely claiming to be a doctor. His deposition testimony therefore does nothing to contradict or undermine the relevant, undisputed facts then known to Siev — that Warheit was not authorized to be in the trauma center and had been identified by authorized personnel as causing a disturbance. In light of the totality of the circumstances — Siev’s assignment two days after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 was to go to the Stuyvesant High School trauma center and secure the px’emises — no reasonable jury could conclude that Siev lacked probable cause to arrest Warheit for trespassing. The District Court therefore correctly granted summary judgment to Appellees on War-heit’s false arrest claim.

Warheit also argues that the District Court improperly granted summary judgment to Appellees on his false imprisonment claim because genuine issues of material fact existed with respect to whether Abad “ordered” Siev to arrest Warheit.

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271 F. App'x 123, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/warheit-v-city-of-new-york-ca2-2008.