2008 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 3-20-2008 

# K ubick i v . Whit e m arsh 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 . 06-4905

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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

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( Fi l ed: M ar ch 20, 2008)

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H A R D IM A N , C i r cui tJudge . J os eph T. K ubi cki ( K ubi cki ) and hi s s on, J os eph J . K ubi cki , appea l the D i s t r i ct C our t ’ s gr antof s um m aryj udgm enti n favorof thr ee W hi t emar s h T ow ns hi p pol i ce offi cer s . W e w i l l aff

i r m i n par t , vaca t e i n par t , and r emand. I. B eca us e w e w r i t e exc l us i vel yforthe part i es , w ho ar e fa m i l i arw i t h t he fa ct s and pr ocee di ngs bel ow , w e w i l l notr evi s i tthem her e. W e w i l l aff

i r m t he D i s t r i ctC our t ’ s gr antof s um m aryj udgm entonl yi f ther e ar e no g e n u in e is s u e s o f

m a te ri a l f

a c t a n d th e o f

f ic e rs a re e n title d to ju d g m e n t a s a m a tte r o f la w . See F ED . R. C IV . P . 5 6 (c ); Fees ers , I nc. v. Mi chael

Foods , I nc. , 4 9 8 F . 3 d 2 0 6 , 2 1 2 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 7 ). In re v iew in g th e re c o rd b e lo w , w e c o n stru e th e f a c ts a n d d ra w a ll rea so n a b le in f e re n c e s in th e K u b ic k is ’ f a v o r. Mi chael

Foods , 498 F. 3d at212. T he s ubs t ant i ve l aw o f e x ig e n t circ u m sta n c e s a n d e x c e ss iv e f o rc e d e ter m in e s w h ich f a c ts a re m a ter ial. A nders on v. Li ber t

y Lobby, I

nc. , 4 7 7 U .S . 2 4 2 , 2 4 7 -4 8 (1 9 8 6 ). K u b ick i an d h is s o n a rg u e th a t th e o f f ice rs v io late d th e ir F o u rth A m e n d m e n t rig h ts b ye n ter in g th e ir h o m e w ith o u t a w a rra n t. A w a rra n tles s h o m e e n tryis p re su m p tiv e ly u n c o n stitu tio n a l, bu t “e x ig e n t circ u m sta n c e s” c a n e x c u se th e w a rra n t re q u ire m e n t. See W e lsh v . W isc o n sin , 4 6 6 U . S . 7 4 0 , 7 4 9 - 5 0 ( 1 9 8 4 ) . W h e r e p o l i c e o f f i c e r s a s s e r te x i g e n c y, t hey“r eas onabl ym us tbel i eve thats om eone i s i n im m in e n t danger . ” P arkhu rst , 77 F. 3d at 71 1 (em p h asis in o ri g inal).3

O urr evi ew of the r ecor d r evea l s di s put ed fa ct s r egar di ng the r eas onabl enes s of the offi cer s ’ bel i ef thats om eone a t402 R ober t s A venue w as i n i m m i nentdanger . T he K ubi cki s t es t i fi ed thati tw as qui eti n t hei rups t ai r s apart m ent , w hi l e the off i cer s r eport ed that theyh ea rd “ an ag it ated m ale’s v o ice c o m ing fro m the s ec o n d flo o r ap artm en t. ” In addi t i on, t he K ubi cki s t es t i fi ed thattheyhear d not hi ng dow ns t ai r s ( w her e theycan us ual l y“hea rr eal good”) , w hi l e the off i cer s as s ert ed thata “l oud di s turbance ” occ urr ed t hatni ghti n t he fi r s tfl oorapart m ent . Fi nal l y , the K ubi cki s ’ t es t i m onythattheydi d not h e a r th e p o lice y e lli n g u n til a f ter th e ye n ter e d th e o th e rw ise q u iet a p a rtm e n t co n tra d icts th e o f f ic e rs ’ t e s tim o n yth a t th e yre p e a te d ly k n o c k e d a n d a n n o u n c e d b e f o re e n te ri n g . B e c a u se th e se d isp u ted f a c ts a re m a ter ial to d e ter m in in g w h e th e r th e o f f ice rs r e a so n a b ly bel i eved thatexi gentci r cumst ance s exi s t ed, w e mustr ever s e the D i s t r i ctC our t ’ s gr antof s u m m a ry ju d g m e n t o n th is c o u n t. S e e C o u d e n v . D u ffy , 4 4 6 F . 3 d 4 8 3 , 4 9 3 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 6 ). B. K ubi cki nextar gues t hatt he off i cer s empl oy ed exc es s i ve for ce. L i ke the exi gent ci r cumst ance s i nqui r y , t he exc es s i ve for ce i nqui r yas ks “w hetherthe off i cer s ’ act i ons [w er e] ‘ obj ect i vel yr eas onabl e’ i n l i ghtof the fa ct s and ci r cumst ance s confr ont i ng them. ” G r aham v. C onnor , 490 U . S. 386, 397 ( 1989) . I n as s es s i ng the r eas onabl enes s of the offi cer s ’ act i ons , w e ac countfort he fa ctthattheym us tm ake “ s pl i t - s econd j udgm ent s — i n ci r cumst ance s t hatar e t ens e, uncert ai n, and r api dl yevol vi ng— aboutt heI n l i ghtof ourdeci s i on t hatm at er i al i s s ues of fa ctar e i n di s put e r egar di ng the 1 rea so n ab lene ss o f th e w arran tl ess e n try , w e d o n o t r ea ch the q u esti o n o f w h ethe r a c o n s t i tu t i o n a l v i o l a t i o n o c c u r r e d f o rp u rp o s e s o f

q u a l i f i e d i m m u n i t y. 4 amount of for ce thati s nece s s ary . ” C ouden , 446 F. 3d at497 ( quot i ng G r aham , 49 0 U. S. at 39 7 ). A cce pt i ng K ubi cki ’ s ver s i on of the fa ct s , w e fi nd the off i cer s ’ bel i ef thatK ubi cki pos ed a thr eatt o t hem w as obj ect i vel yr eas onabl e. K ubi cki and hi s s on t es t i fi ed that w hen the off

i cer s i ns t ruct ed K ubi cki t o puthi s hands behi nd hi s head, he putthem behi nd h is b a c k in ste a d . B a se d u p o n th is d iso b e d ien c e , a re a so n a b le o f f ice r w o u ld b e ju stif

ied in f e a rin g th a t K u b ick i w a s re a c h in g f o r a w e a p o n . W e f

in d th e f o rc e e m p lo y e d to n eu tr ali ze this th rea t r ea so n ab le an d af firm the D istri ct C o u rt ’s gra n t of su m m ary ju d g m e n t o n th is c la im . Scot tv. Henr i ch , 3 9 F . 3 d 9 1 2 , 9 1 5 (9th C ir . 1 9 9 4 ). 1 W e have cons i der ed al l of the cont ent i ons r ai s ed bythe part i es and conc l ude that n o f u rth e r d isc u ss io n is n e c e ss a ry . T h e ju d g m e n t o f th e D istric t C o u rt w ill b e a f f irm e d in par t , vaca t ed i n par t , and r emanded forfur t herpr ocee di ngs cons i s t entw i t h t hi s opi ni on.