2009 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 2-11-2009 

# H alpin v . C ity of C amde n P r e c e de nt i al or N on-P r e c e de nt i al : N on-P r e c e de nt i al D ocke t N o . 07-2711

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Thi s de c i sion i s br ou ght t o you for f r e e and ope n a c c e s s b y the O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit at V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. It h as be e n a c c ept e d for inclusion in 2009 D e c i sion s b y an author i z e d a dmini s tr at or of V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. F or mor e inform at ion, p le as e c ont a ct Be n j amin . C arl s on@l a

w . vi ll anova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " H alp in v . C ity of C amde n" (2009). 2009 D e cisio n s . P ape r 1883. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2009/1883NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT

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v. CI TY O F CAM DEN ; CA M DEN CI TY PO LI CE D EPARTM ENT; M A U R I C E G I B SO N , D et ect i ve; J O H N D O E , #1 and #2; R O G E L I O PE R E Z , D et ect i ve; E D W A R D SPILL A N E , D et ect i ve;

J U L I O R I O S, D et ect i ve M aur i ce G i bs on, A ppel l ant A p p ea l from the U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt fort he D i s t r i ctof N ew J er s ey ( D . C . C i vi l N o. 05- cv- 02088) Di s t r i c tJ u d g e : Ho n o r a b l e Re n e e M . Bu mb Subm i t t ed U nderT hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

February5, 2009 B e f o re : R E N D E L L a n d R O T H , C ir c u it J u d g e s , a n d P A D O V A , D is tr ic t J u d g e .* ( Fi l ed: February11, 2009)

*H onor abl e J ohn R . Padova, Seni orD i s t r i ctJ udge forthe East ern D i s t r i ctof Penns y l vani a, s i t t i ng bydes i gnat i on.2 OPI NI ON O F THE COURT R E N D E L L , C i r cui tJudge . D et ect i ve M aur i ce G i bs on appea l s the D i s t r i ctC our t ’ s deni al of qual i fi ed i m m uni t yi n t hi s cas e ar i s i ng outof hi s arr es tof the pl ai nt i ff, K i m ber l yH al pi n. O n J une 18, 2004, aft era conc er tatt he Tw eet erC ent eri n C amden, N ew J er s ey , H al pi n w as as s aul t ed and r obbed of he rm oney , key s , and phone. D i s t r es s ed and bl eedi ng, s he w ent t o t he C amden Pol i ce A dm i ni s t r at i on B ui l di ng t o s eek a s s i s t ance . She pus hed the buzz er att he w i ndow t o getan off i cer ’ s at t ent i on. D et ect i ve G i bs on appr oache d t he w i ndow and Ha l p i n , c r y i n g , t o l d h i m th a ts h e h a d j u s tb e e n mu g g e d . Gi b s o n t o l d h e rt o c a l m d o wn and cl ai m s t hatH al pi n s t ar t ed us i ng foul l anguage and r aci al s l ur s t o des cr i be her a t t a c k e r s . Gi b s o n t h e n a r r e s t e d Ha l p i n , h a n d c u f f e d h e r , a n d p u th e ri n t o a c e l l . He c h a rg e d h e r w ith d is o rd e rl yc o n d u c t f o r h e r o f f e n s iv e la n g u a g e u n d e r N .J . S ta t. A n n . § 2C : 33- 2b, w hi ch pr ohi bi t s “unr eas onabl yl oud and off ens i vel ycoar s e orabus i ve l anguage ” w i t h “purpos e t o offe nd the s ens i bi l i t i es of a he ar er . ” She w as r el eas ed l at er t hatni ghtw i t h a s um m ons . H al pi n acknow l edged thats he w as cry i ng and ups et , but den i ed u si ng anyfou l l ang uag e or r aci al sl urs. H al pi n fi l ed an unl aw ful arr es tcompl ai nt , and G i bs on as s ert ed a qua l i fi ed im m u n ityd e f

e n se . In a q u a lifie d im m u n itya n a ly sis , the c o u rt m u st d e ter m in e if th e f a c tsT h e D istric t C o u rt a n a ly z e d th e situ a tio n a s th o u g h H a lp in h a d u se d f o u l lan g u a g e : 1 “[ A ]cc ep ti n g , as th e C o u rtm u st, that P lai n ti ff u sed fo u l l an g u ag e o n lyan d n o t r ac ial slurs

. . . . ” (A pp . 16 . ) Th e D i stri ctC ou rtshou l d h ave co nsi dered t he ev i den ce i n the l i gh tm ost favor abl e t o t he pl ai nt i ff. H al pi n deni es us i ng foul l anguage , and herver s i on of the event s s houl d have be en cr edi t ed i n the qual i fi ed i m m uni t yanal y s i s . H ow ever , the err or does notaff

ectt he out come of t he ca s e. 3 al l eged, t aken i n t he l i ghtm os tfavor abl e t o t he i nj ur ed part y , s how a cons t i tut i onal v io la tio n . Sa u c ierv . Ka tz , 533 U . S. 194, 201 ( 2001) . I f ther e w as s uch a vi ol at i on, the cour tt hen det erm i nes w hethert her e w as a r eas onabl e mi s t ake of l aw orfac t . I f the cons t i tut i onal r i ghti n ques t i on w as cl ear l yes t abl i s hed atthe t i m e of the vi ol at i on, s uch t hatan obj ect i vel yr eas onabl e off i cercoul d notbe mi s t aken thathi s conductvi ol at ed that ri g h t, th e n th e re is n o m is ta k e o f la w . B ut

zv. E conom ou , 4 3 8 U .S . 4 7 8 , 5 0 7 (1 9 7 8 ). T he D i s t r i ctC our tfound thatG i bs on w as notent i t l ed t o qual i fi ed i m m uni t y . T he st atute unde r w hich H al pin w as charged is un con st i tuti on al w hen app l i ed to any t hing l ess th a n lan g u a g e th a t w o u ld in c ite th e h e a re r to im m e d iate v io len c e o r c a u se a n im m e d iate b re a c h o f

th e p e a c e . T h a t h a s b e e n th e s ta te o f th e la w f

o r m o re th a n 2 0 y e a rs . In re H. D. , 501 A . 2d 1016, 1018 ( N . J . Super . C t . A pp. D i v. 1985) . T he D i s t r i ctC our tfound th a t itw a s u n re a so n a b le to b e liev e th a t H a lp in ’s w o rd s in th e p o lice sta tio n w o u ld in c ite s om eone t o vi ol ence . T her efor e, G i bs on l acke d pr obabl e ca us e t o arr es tH al pi n. T he 1 D i s t r i ctC our tt hen found thatno offi cercoul d have a n obj ect i vel yr eas onabl e bel i ef that he coul d arr es ts om eone s i m pl yforus i ng foul l anguage w hen the s t atut e had be en found u n c o n stitu tio n a l m o re th a n 2 0 y e a rs b e f o re . T h e c o u rt c o n c lu d e d th a t, vie w in g th e f a c ts4

in th e lig h t m o st f

a v o ra b le to H a lp in , the re w a s n o p ro b a b le c a u se a n d n o re a so n a b le m i s t a k e o f

l a w o rf a c t . A c c o r d i n g l y, G i b s o n w a s n o te n t i t l e d t o q u a l i f i e d i m m u n i t y. W e a g re e w ith th e re a so n in g o f th e D istric t C o u rt. C oncl usi on F o r th e re a so n s s e t f

o rth a b o v e , w e w ill A F F IR M th e O rd e r o f th e D istric t C o u rt.