Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment (ECF No. 39)
RICHARD F. BOULWARE, II, District Judge.
This matter is before the Court on a Motion for Summary Judgment filed by Defendants City of North Las Vegas ("North Las Vegas"), Officers Selwyn Talley and Manuel Vital, North Las Vegas Chief of Police Joseph Chronister, and numerous Doe defendants. ECF No. 39. In this case, Plaintiff William Bolz alleges that Defendants violated his Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights by arresting him without probable cause and causing him to be detained for approximately thirty hours until he was released on bail. For the reasons discussed below, the Court finds based upon the undisputed facts that the Defendant officers did not violate Bolz's constitutional rights and that even if they had, they would nonetheless be entitled to qualified immunity. Defendants' motion is therefore granted.
Based upon the evidence presented by both parties and the Court's preliminary findings of undisputed fact stated on the record at the hearing held on May 11, 2015, the Court finds the following facts to be undisputed.
On August 5, 2010 at approximately 1:38 PM, Patricia Bolz (William Bolz's wife) placed a 911 call regarding her husband. Patricia told the 911 dispatcher that her husband was "suicidal right now" and that she "need[ed] someone to come." Tr. of 911 Call at 2:10-13, Mot. Summ. J. Ex. C. She then stated to the dispatcher that "earlier [William] had basically got in an argument with me, and then he choked me, and I told him I was leaving to go to my son's."
Defendants Selwyn Talley and Manuel Vital, officers employed by the North Las Vegas Police Department ("NLVPD"), were dispatched to respond to the call. Talley and Vital were informed by the NLVPD dispatcher that there was a possibly suicidal subject and that the subject's wife said that he choked her. Talley and Vital were also informed that William Bolz had left his home and was possibly on his way to the Veteran's Administration (VA) hospital to seek psychiatric treatment. At this point, Talley instructed NLVPD dispatch to ask Patricia Bolz to return to the house. He also instructed dispatch to call William and ask him to turn around and return to the house.
Patricia returned to the house first, at which point Officer Talley questioned her. During this questioning, Talley observed a scratch on the back of Patricia's hand or wrist. Patricia told Talley that she did not know where the scratch came from, but that it may have occurred during the altercation with her husband as she was moving her arms while telling him to get away from her. Talley did not observe any injuries to Patricia's neck or any signs of strangulation.
Patricia then wrote a witness statement in which she described the incident with her husband, William. In her written statement, Patricia stated that she and William were both in the computer room and that she told him she was going to San Diego to visit her niece. Patricia told her husband she was leaving because she needed to get away from him and their son Jeff, as the latter two individuals had been arguing and did not get along. According to Patricia:
Witness Statement of Patricia Bolz, Mot. Summ. J. Ex. F.
Talley also spoke to Nicholas Bolz, the couple's other son, who told Talley the following: Earlier that afternoon, Patricia called Nicholas. Patricia was crying and said that William had "lost it" and that he "grabbed her with rage in his eyes." Police Rep. at 4, Mot. Summ. J. Ex. A. William called Nicholas about twenty minutes later. William was also upset and told Nicholas that William had "lost his mind."
Talley then spoke to William, who by that time had arrived on the scene and was in front of the house with Vital. William admitted that he confronted his wife about their son and placed his hands on her chest. William also completed a written statement at the request of Officer Vital. William was not read his Miranda rights prior to completing the statement or at any time thereafter. Paramedics arrived on the scene and checked William's vital signs, which were normal. Talley asked William if he wanted to harm himself, to which he responded no. William stated that he only wanted a psychiatric evaluation.
Officers Talley and Vital then placed William under arrest for domestic battery. Talley stated that he "determined that William was the primary physical aggressor in the domestic battery of Patricia" based on the physical injury to Patricia, her statements and her husband's statements corroborating that he had placed his hands on her chest. Police Rep. at 5. William was taken into custody and transported to North Las Vegas Detention Center, where he was detained for approximately thirty hours before being released on bail. While in jail, William was confined in a separate cell. The domestic battery charge was eventually dismissed with prejudice.
William Bolz filed his Complaint on February 22, 2012. ECF No. 1. On April 13, 2012, the parties stipulated to the filing of an Amended Complaint. ECF No. 11. It does not appear that this stipulation was ever approved by the Court; nonetheless, because the Amended Complaint makes only minor corrections, the Court grants this stipulation and deems the First Amended Complaint to be the operative Complaint in this matter.
William Bolz's First Amended Complaint lists five causes of action: (1) Violation of constitutional rights under 42 U.S.C. § 1983; (2) Supervisory liability for violation of constitutional rights; (3) a
Summary judgment is appropriate when the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show "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);
"In order to carry its [initial] burden of production, the moving party must either produce evidence negating an essential element of the nonmoving party's claim or defense or show that the nonmoving party does not have enough evidence of an essential element to carry its ultimate burden of persuasion at trial."
After reviewing the arguments and evidence in this case, the Court concludes that Defendants are entitled to summary judgment on all of Bolz's claims. Based upon the undisputed facts, Officers Talley and Vital did not use excessive force in arresting Bolz.
In his first claim Bolz alleges that Officers Talley and Vital violated his constitutional rights when they arrested him for domestic battery. This claim was brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. "To state a claim under Section 1983, [a plaintiff] must plead two essential elements: 1) that the Defendants acted under color of state law; and 2) that the Defendants caused them to be deprived of a right secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States."
It is beyond question—and indeed neither party disputes—that Talley and Vital, as police officers exercising the power given them by the state, were acting under color of state law when they investigated Patricia Bolz's emergency call and arrested William Bolz.
Bolz's Amended Complaint appears to allege three separate constitutional violations: first, that Talley and Vital used excessive force by handcuffing him after they had placed him under arrest; second, that Talley and Vital arrested him without probable cause; and third, that Talley and Vital placed him in danger in deliberate indifference to his safety by calling him back to his house and preventing him from seeking medical treatment at the VA hospital. Any of these allegations, if proven, would violate Bolz's Fourth or Fourteenth Amendment rights. However, the undisputed evidence shows that the officers did not violate Bolz's constitutional rights through their use of handcuffs, their decision to arrest Bolz, or their decision to interrupt his attempt to seek medical treatment.
Claims of excessive force arising in the context of an arrest or investigatory stop are analyzed under the Fourth Amendment's "objective reasonableness" standard.
It is well established that tight handcuffing can constitute excessive force.
Bolz's deposition testimony belies any claim that the force used by the officers was excessive. Bolz testified that when he was told he was under arrest, Vital also told him that Vital "would wait until [transport officers] arrived to put the cuffs on to take me to jail." Dep. of William Bolz 97:15-16, Mot. Summ. J. Ex. H. When asked whether the officers used force that he considered excessive, Bolz answered: "No. They showed professional courtesy and waited for the van to come up. And Officer Vital walked me over, and the guy cuffed me, put me in the van and took me away."
Turning to the government's interests, the Court finds that Defendants have a small yet significant interest at stake. "Factors [courts] consider in assessing the government interests at stake include (1) the severity of the crime at issue, (2) whether the suspect poses an immediate threat to the safety of the officers or others, and (3) whether [the suspect] is actively resisting arrest or attempting to evade arrest by flight."
Balancing these competing interests, the Court finds based on the undisputed evidence that Officers Talley and Vital's use of handcuffs during the arrest of Bolz was not objectively unreasonable. This is finding is based particularly on Bolz's admission in his deposition that the officers did not use excessive force and that they showed professional courtesy during the investigation. It is also based on the complete lack of evidence in the record of any injuries to Bolz as a result of the handcuffs or of any complaints by Bolz (either at the time or in his deposition) about the tightness of, or any pain inflicted by, the handcuffs.
Even assuming that the officers' decision to use handcuffs was a violation of Bolz's Fourth Amendment rights, Talley and Vital would still be entitled to qualified immunity. "The doctrine of qualified immunity protects government officials from liability for civil damages insofar as their conduct does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known."
Here, Talley and Vital determined they had probable cause to arrest Bolz for domestic battery. They did not place him in handcuffs immediately, but rather waited until the transport van showed up. There is no evidence in the record that Bolz ever complained of the use of handcuffs or asked that they be removed. Based upon these facts, it was not clearly established at the time of Bolz's arrest that a police officer could not place an individual in handcuffs for transport to a detention center after lawfully arresting the individual. Talley and Vital are therefore entitled to qualified immunity on the excessive force claim.
"[A]n arrest without probable cause violates the fourth amendment and gives rise to a claim for damages under [Section] 1983."
Here, Bolz was arrested for the crime of domestic battery. In Nevada, domestic battery includes any battery committed against the person's spouse. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 33.018(1)(a). A battery is defined as "any willful and unlawful use of force or violence upon the person of another."
The Court finds that Talley and Vital had probable cause to arrest Bolz. Even when construing the undisputed facts in the light most favorable to Bolz and resolving all factual disputes in his favor, there was a fair probability that Bolz committed the crime of domestic battery based upon the totality of the evidence and information known to the officers at the time. The officers responded to a 911 call in which Patricia Bolz stated that William Bolz had "choked" her. Officer Talley interviewed Patricia, who stated that Bolz placed his hands on her upper chest and pushed hard and that when she tried to get up, he grabbed her wrists and held her in the chair. Officer Talley observed a scratch on Patricia's hand or wrist, although Patricia told Talley that she did not know how she got the scratch and that it may have occurred inadvertently. Officer Talley also interviewed Nicholas Bolz, who stated that his mother called him and said that Bolz had "grabbed her with rage in his eyes." These pieces of information, which were known to the officers at the time, were sufficient to create probable cause to arrest.
Bolz argues that there is a genuine issue of material fact as to whether probable cause existed because Patricia Bolz called 911 to request a health and wellness check on her husband, not to report domestic battery. Talley did state at his deposition that he called Bolz back to the house to investigate the report that Patricia had been choked as well as the report that Bolz was potentially suicidal. Dep. of Selwyn Talley 42:22-25, 43:1-15, Mot. Summ. J. Ex. E ("Talley Dep."). But Bolz has not identified, and the Court has not found, any authority stating that an officer's determination of probable cause turns on the purpose of an emergency call, particularly where (as here) it is undisputed that the caller also made statements during the call that would warrant further investigation into whether a domestic battery occurred.
Bolz also contends that the statute directing peace officers to arrest a person when the officer determines that probable cause for domestic battery exists specifically provides exceptions for cases where mitigating circumstances exist, and that therefore a genuine issue of material fact exists as to whether Talley and Vital should have arrested him.
The Court does not agree. Section 171.137 of the Nevada Revised Statutes states, in relevant part: "Except [in cases involving mutual battery], whether or not a warrant has been issued, a peace officer shall, unless mitigating circumstances exist, arrest a person when the peace officer has probable cause to believe that the person to be arrested has, within the preceding 24 hours, committed a battery upon his or her spouse. . . ." Nev. Rev. Stat. § 171.137(1). The Court will assume for the moment that "mitigating circumstances" existed here given that Bolz was seeking psychiatric treatment and that his wife told the 911 dispatcher that he was suicidal. This statute does not, as Bolz argues, mandate that officers refrain from making an arrest based upon probable cause for domestic battery when mitigating circumstances exist. Instead, by its plain language, the statute merely removes the requirement that officers make such an arrest if mitigating circumstances are present. The fact that Talley and Vital nonetheless chose to make such an arrest does not mean that they violated Section 171.137. It simply means that they either determined that mitigating circumstances did not exist based upon their examination and questioning of Bolz about whether he wanted to harm himself, or determined that it was necessary to make an arrest regardless of the mitigating circumstances.
While it may have been preferable from a policy standpoint to allow Bolz to receive psychiatric treatment instead of having him return to the house and placing him under arrest, the Court is aware of no authority that makes Talley and Vital's decision unlawful. It is not the Court's role to determine whether as a policy matter the actions of the officers was appropriate; rather, the Court must and does confine itself to the application of the established precedent as it applies to the facts of this case. The officers therefore possessed probable cause to arrest Bolz based on the facts known to them at the time. Their decision to do so did not violate Bolz's Fourth Amendment rights.
Further, even if Talley and Vital had lacked probable cause, they are entitled to qualified immunity because their decision to arrest Bolz did not violate a clearly established right. While it is certainly "clearly established that an arrest without probable cause violates a person's Fourth Amendment rights,"
"Although the 14th Amendment does not generally require police officers to provide medical assistance to private citizens, when a state officer's conduct places a person in peril in deliberate indifference to their safety, that conduct creates a constitutional claim."
The Amended Complaint alleges that Talley and Vital violated Bolz's Fourteenth Amendment rights by ordering him to return to his house when he was on his way to the VA hospital, thereby depriving him of the medical care he was seeking. Based on the undisputed facts, the Court finds that the officers did not violate Bolz's Fourteenth Amendment rights because, regardless of whether their decision to tell Bolz to return home affirmatively exposed him to danger, the officers did not act with deliberate indifference to Bolz's safety.
In his deposition, Talley testified that, while he was aware that Bolz was reportedly seeking psychiatric treatment, he was concerned that Bolz may not actually follow through. Talley Dep. at 38:12-18. When asked why he would call a potentially suicidal individual back to their home when the individual was seeking medical treatment, Talley stated: "I didn't know for a fact that he was actually going to get medical help. You can say one thing and not follow through and continue on. . . . If I can get him back to where I am, I can orchestrate getting him before medical attention, which I did. Had medical respond to my location."
Talley and Vital are also entitled to qualified immunity on Bolz's deliberate indifference claim. As discussed above, the officers reasonably determined that any danger they may have created for Bolz was less than the danger of allowing him to continue driving. This was supported by Talley's testimony that even though he had been informed that Bolz was on his way to seek treatment, he was not certain that Bolz would actually do so. The officers also took reasonable steps by arranging for paramedics to address any risk they may have created for Bolz by asking him to return home. Based upon these facts, it was not clearly established at the time of this incident that the officers' conduct violated Bolz's constitutional right to be free from state-created danger. The closest case to which Bolz could point as establishing this right,
In sum, based on the undisputed evidence, summary judgment is granted in favor of Defendants on Count One of the Amended Complaint, and Officers Talley and Vital are entitled to qualified immunity on Bolz's excessive force, arrest without probable cause, and deliberate indifference claims.
In his second claim, Bolz alleges that Joseph Chronister, the North Las Vegas Chief of Police, is liable for the unconstitutional acts of Talley and Vital. This claim fails as a matter of law because the Court has found that Talley's and Vital's acts were not unconstitutional.
"Although there is no pure respondeat superior liability under section 1983, a supervisor is liable for the acts of his subordinates if the supervisor participated in or directed the violation, or knew of the violations of subordinates and failed to correct them."
Here, the Court has found based on the undisputed facts that Defendants Talley and Vital did not violate Bolz's Fourth or Fourteenth Amendment rights. Therefore, as no constitutional violation occurred, there is no basis upon which to find Chronister liable for the alleged use of excessive force, arrest without probable cause, or deliberate indifference to Bolz's safety. Summary judgment is granted in favor of Defendants on this claim.
Bolz also alleges that North Las Vegas is subject to municipal liability for the constitutional violations committed by Talley and Vital. Bolz argues that the alleged violations were committed pursuant to a policy or custom of North Las Vegas or that the violations were ratified by one with final policymaking authority.
Here, there is no basis for municipal liability because the Court has found that there was no violation of Bolz's constitutional rights.
Bolz's fourth claim for relief, for false arrest and false imprisonment, also must be rejected because Talley and Vital's arrest of Bolz was lawful and done with probable cause. In order to establish false arrest under Nevada law, "a claimant must show that the actor instigated or effected an unlawful arrest."
Based on the Court's findings above, Bolz cannot establish that Talley or Vital instigated an unlawful arrest or that Bolz was restrained of his liberty without legal justification. Therefore, summary judgment is granted in favor of Defendants on this claim.
Finally, Bolz claims that Talley and Vital's actions of handcuffing and arresting him constitute intentional infliction of emotional distress (IIED).
Under Nevada law, a claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress requires: "(1) extreme and outrageous conduct with either the intention of, or reckless disregard for, causing emotional distress; (2) severe or extreme emotional distress suffered by the plaintiff; and (3) actual or proximate causation."
The Court's determinations that Talley and Vital did not use excessive force in handcuffing Bolz, that they had probable cause to arrest Bolz, and that they were not deliberately indifferent to Bolz's safety, along with its subsequent findings of qualified immunity on those claims, lead the Court to find that the officers' conduct was not "extreme and outrageous" under the circumstances. In addition, Bolz has presented no evidence that Talley and Vital's decision to arrest Bolz, their decision to place him in handcuffs, or their decision to have him return to the house constituted extreme and outrageous conduct or that they did so with the intent to inflict severe emotional distress on Bolz. Summary judgment is therefore granted in favor of Defendants on this claim.
For the reasons stated above,