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 and 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. 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 O H N K I T A , as i ngl e m a n, P l ai nt i ff

- A pp el l ee , v. C IT Y O F S E A T T L E , a m un i ci pal c orpor a t i on, D e f

e n d a n t, a nd K . V . O S H IK A W A -C L A Y , a pol i ce offi ce r D e f

e n d a n t - A p p e lla n t. N o. 11- 35392 D . C. N o . 2 : 1 0 - c v - 0 0 1 6 0 - J CC 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 orthe W e s t e rn D i s tr i c tof W a s hi ngt on J ohn C . C oughe nour , 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 A pr i l 12, 2012 S e a tt l e , W a s hi ngt on B efo re: D . W . N E L S O N , T A S H IM A , an d C A L L A H A N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. 

# FI LED JU N 07 2012 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS- 2-

K ev in O sh ik aw a- C lay ( “C lay” ) in terlo cu to rily ap p ea ls th e d istrict co u rt’s or de rde ny i ng hi s m ot i on f ors um m a ryj udgm e ntba s e d on qua l i f i e d i m m uni tyf

r om J ohn K i t a ’ s c l a i m of

e xc e s s i ve f

or c e pur s ua ntt o 42 U . S . C . § 1983. W e ha ve j u r i s d i c t i o n p u r s u a n tt o 2 8 U . S. C. § 1 2 9 1 , a n d w e a f f i rm. 1. A re as on abl e f

ac t -f i nd ercoul d con cl ud e, t aki ng the fa ct s and i nfer ence s there fr om i n the l i gh tm ostfa vo rabl e t o K i t a, thatC l ay ’ s use of forc e w as o b je c tiv e lyu n r e a s o n ab le a n d th e r e f o r e c o n s titu tio n a llye x c e s s iv e . See G raha m v. C onnor , 490 U . S . 386, 396–97 ( 1989) . P r e l i m i na r i l y , s uc h af a c t - f i nde rc oul d f

i nd thatC l ay ’ s del i veryof a bl ow t o the back of K i t a’ s hea d, fol l ow ed by addi t i on al stri kes and m aneuvers, t og ether c on st i tut ed a m ore s i gn i fi cantuse of f orce than p a in c o m p lia n c e te c h n iq u e s . Se e Forr e s te rv . C i t yof San D i ego , 25 F . 3d 804, 8 0 7

– 8 0 8 ( 9 th C ir . 1 9 9 4 ) ; c f . D av is v . C i t

yof L as V egas , 4 7 8 F .3 d 1 0 4 8 , 1 0 5 5 ( 9 th C i r. 20 07 ). M ea n w h il e, a r atio n al fa ct-f in d erco u ldco n clu d e th at th e g o v ern m en t’ s c o u n te rv a ilin g in te r e s ts p r o v id e little b a s is , if a n y , f o rth is q u a n tu m o f

f o r c e . F ir s t, af a c t- f in d e rr e a s o n ab lyc o u ld f in d th a t K ita ’s a lle g e d o f f e n s e –p u llin g h is g ir lf r ie n d a n d f

a llin g to g e th e rto th e g r o u n d –w a s m o d e s t. C f. Sm ith v . C i t

yof H em et , 3 9 4 F .3 d6 8 9 , 7 0 2 (9 th C ir. 2 0 0 5 ). S ec o n d , v iew in g th e f ac ts in K it a’s fa vo r, “ [t ] here i s no i nd i ca t i on i n the re cord thataf t er[K i t a] re m ov ed hi s hand[]- 3-

f r om hi s poc ke t [ ] the r e w a s a ny r e a s on t o be l i e ve tha the pos s e s s e d a nyw e apon or po se d any i m m edi at e threa tt o the sa fe ty of the offi ce rs or others . ” I d. a t 7 0 2 . T hi r d, de s pi t e C l a y ’ s a s s e rt i on tha tK i t aw a s r e s i s t i ng, a tthi s s t a ge w e m us ta c c e pt K i t a ’ s o p p o s i t e c l a i m. F i nal l y, a r ea sonabl e f

ac t -f i nd ercoul d fi nd thatthe m er e pre se nce of a dom e s t i c di s put e doe s notm i l i t a t e i n C l a y ’ s f a vor , be c aus e C l a ya rr i ve d a tthe s c e ne a f t e rthe dom e s t i c di s put e w a s ove r , the c oupl e w a s a l r e a dys e pa r a t e d, a nd K itaw a s n o t, w e m u s t a s s u m e , a c tin g in ath r e a te n in g m a n n e r . See M at tos v. A gar ano , 66 1 F . 3d 43 3, 45 0 (9th C i r. 20 11 ) ( en banc). In sum , w ei gh i ng the force used agai nstthe go vernm ent al i nt er es t s a tst ake, a r at i on al j ury c ou l d con cl ud e that C l ay ’ s use of forc e w as un re as on abl e. 2. K i t a ’ s r i ghtt o be f r e e f r om s uc h f

or c e w a s c l e a r l ye s t abl i s he d a tthe t i m e of C la y ’s c o n d u c t. B la n ken h o rn , 48 5 F . 3d at48 1. B ec ause a r at i on al fa ct -f i nd er co u l d co n cl u d e th atC l ay v i o l at ed K i t a’ s cl earl y est ab l i sh ed co n st i tu t i o n al ri g h t s, th e d i stri ctco u rtd i d n o terr i n d en yi n g q u al i fi ed i m m u n i ty. 3. I n l i ghtof

ourhol di ng, w e ne e d nota ddr e s s K i t a ’ s s t a t e l a w c l a i m s a nd m u n ic ip a l liab ilityc la im s . F o rth e ab o v e r e a s o n s , th e o r d e ro f th e d is tr ic t c o u rt is A FFI R M ED .1

K i t av. C i ty of

S e a tt l e , N o. 11- 35392 C A L L A H A N , C i r c ui tJ udge , c onc urr i ng: I c on cur. I a gree thata r at i on al fa ct -f i nd ercoul d con cl ud e thatO ff i ce r C l ay ’ s use of forc e w as un re as on abl e. H ow ever , I thi nk the m aj ori ty’ s di ct a, w hi ch c ha r a c t e r i z e s O f

f i c e rC l a y ’ s a c t i ons , i s i nappr opr i a t e . I n m yvi e w , the di s pos i t i on u n n e c e s s a r i l y s u g g e s t s th e r e s o l u t i o n o f s e v e r a l c o n t e s t e d i s s u e s o f f a c t . M e m. D i s po. a t2–3. A s the m a j or i ty not e s , w e vi e w the f a c t s a nd i nf

e r e nc e s i n the l i ght m o s t f a v o r ab le to K itaa t th is s ta g e o f th e litig a tio n . Se e G r aham v . C onnor , 490 U . S . 386, 396 ( 1989) . H e r e , vi e w i ng the vi de o f oot a ge a nd the t ot a l i tyof the ci rc um st ance s bef

ore the di stri ctcourtw hen i tdeni ed qu al i fi ed i m m un i ty, O ff i ce r C l a y ha s notde m ons tr a t e d tha the i s e nt i t l e d t o qua l i f i e d i m m uni tya s am a tt e rof l a w . W e s houl d notgo be y ond thi s de t e rm i na t i on be c aus e thi s pa ne l i s notthe ul t i m at e f

ac t -f i nd erand canno tkn ow w hatfurther e vi dence m aybe pres ent ed at tr i a l . A ny thi ng be y ond thi s de t e rm i na t i on s houl d notbe tr e a t e d a s bi ndi ng on the pa rt i e s orl a w of

the c a s e . A c c or di ngl y , w hi l e I vot e t o a f f i rm the j udgm e nt , I t a ke e xc e pt i on t o the di c t ai n the m e m or a ndum di s pos i t i on tha tgoe s be y ond thi s s c ope t o sug gestthatO ff

i ce r C l ayi n fac tused exces si ve force agai nstK i t a. 

# FI LED JU N 07 2012 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS