Opinion ID: 739142
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Objective Reasonableness and Extraordinary Circumstances

Text: 26 Once the plaintiff has established the inference that the defendant's conduct violated a clearly established constitutional right, a qualified immunity defense ordinarily fails. Cannon v. City and County of Denver, 998 F.2d 867, 870-71 (10th Cir.1993). A defendant may nevertheless be entitled to immunity from suit if he can demonstrate that extraordinary circumstances intervened and so 'prevented [him] from knowing that his actions were unconstitutional that he should not be imputed with knowledge of an admittedly clearly established right.'  Cannon, 998 F.2d at 871 (quoting V-1 Oil Co. v. Wyoming Dep't of Envtl. Quality, 902 F.2d 1482, 1488 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, 498 U.S. 920, 111 S.Ct. 295, 112 L.Ed.2d 249 (1990)); see Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800, 818-19, 102 S.Ct. 2727, 2738-39, 73 L.Ed.2d 396 (1982). 27 The extraordinary circumstances exception is most frequently applicable in cases that involve reliance upon counsel. V-1 Oil Co., 902 F.2d at 1488. Although reliance upon counsel is not itself an extraordinary circumstance, it is a vital ingredient in cases where we have found extraordinary circumstances to exist. See id. (listing cases). We have identified four factors that, when applied on a case-by-case basis, help us discern when such extraordinary circumstances exist in the context of reliance on counsel. We consider  how unequivocal and specifically tailored to the particular facts giving rise to the controversy, the advice was, whether complete information had been provided to the advising attorney(s), the prominence and competence of the attorney(s), and how soon after the advice was received the disputed action was taken. V-1 Oil Co., 902 F.2d at 1489 (citations omitted). 28 The factors relevant to extraordinary circumstances uniformly favor Deputy Hill's claim of qualified immunity. First, Assistant District Attorney Driesel's advice was specifically tailored to the facts giving rise to this controversy because his advice concerned only the proper response to the Order. Second, when he formulated his advice, Driesel possessed all of the information at Deputy Hill's disposal, namely the Order. Third, as an Assistant District Attorney, Driesel had the prominence of a county officer who was charged by statute to advise the Sheriff's Department. Other than the advice in question, the record contains no evidence implying that Driesel was incompetent. Fourth, Deputy Hill served the Order and transferred Ms. Hollingsworth's children to their father immediately after he received the advice. 29 After our application of these factors, we conclude that it was objectively reasonable for an officer in Deputy Hill's position to believe that his actions did not violate Ms. Hollingsworth's constitutional right. The test for qualified immunity requires that we look to a reasonable law enforcement officer in Deputy Hill's position to determine whether his actions were objectively reasonable. Thus, we are bound to evaluate the reasonableness of Deputy Hill's actions from his perspective at the time. In light of the circumstances facing an officer in Hill's position, we conclude that Hill's actions were objectively reasonable. 30 At the time of the events in question, Deputy Hill was a sixteen-year law enforcement veteran. He had received training in child abuse investigation including instruction concerning hearings after the [abused] child is removed from the home. He had also been trained in the service and execution of victim protective orders. When asked what he was taught about such orders he replied, You know, you follow the instructions of the judge ... on what the protective order explains to do. 31 Deputy Hill had never before served a victim's protective order which listed the defendant's children as plaintiffs. Hill read the Order, and its facial ambiguity struck him immediately. The Order, which was clearly designated ex parte (informing Hill that no adversarial hearing had occurred), was entitled a protective order. Although we know now that there was no evidence of abuse or neglect, the Order's use of the word protective to describe its function no doubt connoted its common sense meaning--a judge had signed a valid court order that the children, named plaintiffs on the document, were in need of some kind of protection. Deputy Hill's knowledge of the case was limited to the information contained in the Order. He knew from the face of the Order that both parents had some rights in the children's care, custody, and maintenance, but apparently that their father was entitled to more than mere visitation. Mr. Hollingsworth was arguably entitled to residential custody, with only reasonable visitation rights residing with Ms. Hollingsworth. Deputy Hill thought that he was to deliver the children immediately back to their father, who clearly also had rights under the Order. Based upon these observations Hill believed that the judge knew what he was doing when he signed [the Order], and that the children were probably to be transferred from Ms. Hollingsworth to Mr. Hollingsworth. 32 Before acting, Deputy Hill sought legal advice from Assistant District Attorney Driesel. Hill was entitled to seek such advice under Okla.Stat. tit. 22, § 215.5 and was expected to do so under Sheriff's Department custom. Hill delivered the Order to Driesel for his review. Driesel agreed with Deputy Hill's instinct; he concluded that the Order required Hill to remove the children from Ms. Hollingsworth's custody when he served the Order. 3 After speaking with Driesel, Deputy Hill served the order upon Ms. Hollingsworth and transferred the children directly to their father's custody. 33 Hill did not take the children for any purpose other than to comply with the terms of the Order. The Oklahoma domestic and child abuse statutes are premised upon the assumption that the state itself is taking temporary custody of the children. Deputy Hill knew that the state itself was not taking such custody. Upon advice of counsel, Deputy Hill believed he was required to transfer custody between two private parties pursuant to a court order. He was acting under the advice of counsel. His clear intent, evidenced by his immediate transfer of the children to their father, was to give effect to the Order. 34 The benefit of our constitutional hindsight clearly reveals that Ms. Hollingsworth was entitled to notice and an opportunity to be heard before she was deprived of custody of her children. Yet, we recognize that Deputy Hill was positioned between two private parties in the midst of a domestic dispute with a valid court order called a protective order. In that position at the time, Deputy Hill simply did not have the benefit of the constitutional hindsight that we rely on today. The circumstances prevented Hill from knowing that his actions were unconstitutional. Even if the right to procedural due process was clearly established, Deputy Hill's actions were reasonable in light of the circumstances he faced at the time he acted. Therefore, we hold that he is entitled to qualified immunity. 35 Because we find that Deputy Hill is entitled to qualified immunity, we need not consider whether he is entitled to absolute quasi-judicial immunity. We affirm the district court's decision granting Deputy Hill summary judgment.