T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on a nd i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by 9th C i r . R . 36- 3. 1 NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T J EF FR EY J . M CC ABE, P la in tif

f - A p p e lla n t, v. PATR I CK J . HA RT ; RONA LD L. C AL HO UN ; T HE C OU NT Y O F KI NG S C A ., D efen d an t s - A p p el l ees. N o. 08- 17264 D . C . N o . 1 : 0 3 - c v - 0 5 2 9 8 - O WW S MS ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e E a s te rn D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia O l i ve rW . W a nge r , D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d D e c e m be r3, 2009 S a n F r a n c is c o , C a lif

o rn ia B efo re: B . F L E T C H E R , T H O M A S an d N . R . S M IT H , C i rcu i tJu d g es. J e f f r e y J . M c C ab e ap p e a ls th e d is tr ic t c o u r t’s g r a n t o f s u m m a ry ju d g m e n t in hi s 42 U . S . C . § 1983 a c t i on. W e a f f i rm . B e c aus e the pa r t i e s a r e f a m i l i a rw i th the f a c tu a l a n d p r o c e d u r a l h is to ry o f th is c a s e , w e n e e d n o t r e c o u n t it h e r e . 

# FI LED DE C 10 2009 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2 I T he di s tr i c tc our tc orr e c t l y he l d tha tthe c l a i m s f ounde d on the f

i l i ng of the co m p l ai n tb y p ro secu t o r H artw ere b arred b y th e d o ctri n e o f ab so l u t e i m m u n i ty. A b s o lu te p r o s e c u to r ia l im m u n ity c o v e r s “a c ts u n d e r ta k e n b y ap r o s e c u to rin prepari ng . . . for tri al , ” B uc kle y v . F i t zs i m m ons , 50 9 U . S . 25 9, 27 3 (19 93 ), i ncl ud i ng “ [f

] i l i ng char ges a nd i ni t i at i ng prosec ut i on . ” Mis h le rv . C lift , 191 F . 3d 998, 1008 ( 9th C i r . 1999) . M c C abe a r gue s tha tH a r ta c t e d out s i de the s c ope of ab s o lu te im m u n ity w h e n h e ( a ) d r a f te d ac o m p la in t c h a r g in g M c C ab e w ith vo l un t ary m ansl augh t er ; (b) ver i fi ed the com pl ai ntup on i nform at i on and b el i ef ; a nd ( c ) s i gne d the c om pl a i ntunde rpe na l ty of pe r j ury , e ve n though he w a s not r e q u ir e d to d o s o u n d e rC a lif o rn iala w . H ow e ve r , ourc a s e l a w di c t a t e s othe rw i s e . I n Mishler , w e h e ld th a t ab s o lu te i m m un i ty c ov er ed a m edi ca l bo ar d sec re t ary’ s a ctof si gn i ng a di sc i pl i nary c o m p la in t u p o n in f

o rm a tio n a n d b e lie f

a n d u n d e rp e n a lty o f

p e r ju ry to in d ic a te h is b e lie f th a t th e c h a r g e d p h y s ic ia n h a d c o m m itte d th e a c ts a lle g e d . I d. a t1008- 09. W e c onc l ude d tha t“ [ t ] he m e r e us e of the t e rm s ‘ unde rpe na l ty of pe r j ury ’ i n the d is c ip lin a ry c o m p la in t d o e s n o t tu rn [ th e s e c r e ta ry ] in to ac o m p la in in g w itn e s s .” I d. at1 0 0 9 . A cco rd i n g l y, H art ’ s act i o n s fal l w i th i n th e sco p e o f ab so l u t e i m m u n i ty.3

T he S upr e m e C our t ’ s hol di ng i n Kal i na v. Fletcher , 52 2 U . S . 11 8 (19 97 ), doe s notc om pe l adi f

f e r e ntr e s ul t . I n Kal i na , th e S u p r e m e C o u r t h e ld th a t ab s o lu te i m m un i ty di d n otshi el d a prosec ut or w ho al l egedl y m ade “ fa l se st at em ent s of f ac t i n a n a f f i da vi ts uppor t i ng a n appl i c a t i on f ora n a rr e s tw a rr a nt . ” 522 U . S . a t120, 1 2 9 - 3 1 ; s e e a ls o Cr u zv . Ka u a i C o u n ty , 279 F . 3d 1064, 1067 ( 9th C i r . 2002) ( de ny i ng abs ol ut e i m m uni ty t o apr os e c ut orw ho “ s t e ppe d . . . i nt o the r ol e of w i tness , w hen h e per sonal l y a tt es t ed t o the truth o f the fa ct s i n [an] af fi davi t ”) . H ow e ve r , the c om pl a i nti n thi s c a s e di d nots e tf or th a ny f

a c tua l c i r c um s t a nc e s or t e s t i m ony . I n s i gni ng the c om pl a i ntupon i nf orm a t i on a nd be l i e f

, H a r tthus di d not “p e r s o n a lly a tte s t[ ]” to a n y f a c ts . Se e Kal i na , 5 2 2 U .S . a t 1 2 9 - 3 0 .

I I T he di s tr i c tc our ta l s o pr ope r l y di s m i s s e d M c C abe ’ s F our th A m e ndm e nt c l a i m s . W he n r e vi e w i ng s um m a ry j udgm e ntrul i ngs , “ [ w ] e m a y a f f i rm on a ny grou nd supp ort ed by the re cord. ” B le is n e rv . C o mm c ’ n Wo rke rs o f A m. , 464 F . 3d 9 1 0 , 9 1 3 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 6 ) . A s s u m in g , w ith o u t d e c id in g , th a t as e iz u r e o c c u rr e d in th is c a s e , H a r t w a s e n title d to q u a lif ie d im m u n ity o n th e c la im . E v e n if w e w e r e to c ons true l a ngua ge i n Kar am v . C i t y of B ur bank , 35 2 F . 3d 11 88 , 11 93 (9th C i r. 2003) a nd J us t i c e G i ns bur g’ s c onc urr e nc e i n A lbri gh t v. O l i ve r , 510 U . S . 266, 276- 81 ( 1994) t o hol d tha tas e i z ur e oc c urr e d by vi r tue of the f i l i ng of af e l ony4

co m p l ai n t

– an i ssu e w e d o n o treach

– H arti s st i l l p ro t ect ed b y q u al i fi ed i m m u n i ty. T he c ont our s of

the hol di ng i n Kar am a r e note nt i r e l y de f i ne d a s t o the s ig n if ic a n c e , b y its e lf

, o f th e f e lo n y c h a r g e . F u r th e r , o u rs is te rc ir c u its a r e n o t in a c c o r d . C om

par e G al lo v . C i t

y of P hi la. , 16 1 F . 3d 21 7, 22 2-24 & n. 7 (3d C i r. 19 98 ) and Mur

phy v . L y nn , 11 8 F . 3d 93 8, 94 5 (2d C i r. 19 97 ) w i th B i elan skiv. C ount y of Kane , 55 0 F . 3d 63 2, 63 8-40 (7th C i r. 20 08 ) and R i le y v . D or ton , 115 F . 3d 1159, 1162 ( 4th C i r . 1997) . A s ta te a c to ris e n title d to q u a lif ie d im m u n ity w h e n th e ap p lic ab le c ons t i tut i ona l l a w ha s notbe e n c l e a r l y e s t abl i s he d. P e ars on v . C al lahan , 5 5 5 U . S.

- - - - , - - - - , 129 S . C t . 808, 822 ( 2009) . H e r e , the s t a tus of l a w both i n thi s C i r c ui ta nd in o th e r s w a s n o t s u f

f ic ie n tly c le a r ly e s tab lis h e d a t th e tim e o f th e in c id e n t s o a s to pu tH arton no t i ce thatthe fi l i ng of a f el on y c om pl ai ntal on e m i gh tbe construed as c ons t i tut i ng as e i z ur e . T he r e f or e , a l though w e de c l i ne t o r e a c h the que s t i on of w hether ase i zure occurre d i n thi s i nst ance , qu al i fi ed i m m un i ty a ff ords H art pr ot e c t i on be c a us e the l a w w a s notc l e a r l y e s t abl i s he d.

AF F I RME D.