Opinion ID: 668237
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The City's Sec. 1983 Liability

Text: 27 Municipalities are liable for violations of civil rights under Sec. 1983 if such violations result from the execution of a government's policy or custom. Monell v. New York City Dep't of Social Servs., 436 U.S. 658, 694, 98 S.Ct. 2018, 2037, 56 L.Ed.2d 611 (1978). We review the verdict against the City of Simi Valley for sufficiency of the evidence. 28 Sloman's only evidence of the existence of a police department policy of interfering with his political expression was a statement made by the Chief of Police to members of Sloman's political group. Concerned about previous encounters with the police, these persons came to the Chief to ask what activities members of their group were or were not permitted to engage in while picketing. After some discussion, he told them that in the future they would be subject to warnings if they were found to be violating any part of the City's vehicle code, but that Sloman would be subject to immediate citation, as he had already been warned in the past. The Chief made no other material statements concerning Sloman. No other direct evidence of City policy was adduced. 29 Standing alone, the Chief's statement is no evidence at all of an unconstitutional policy. There is no evidence to support Sloman's contention that the Chief singled out Sloman because of his political activities rather than his record of previous traffic violations. There is no evidence that the Chief meant that Sloman would be cited for political expression rather than for future violations of the vehicle code. The statement about Sloman should be read in context: first offenders would be warned rather than arrested for vehicle code violations, whereas Sloman, a prior offender, would be arrested for any such violation. 30 Sloman also contends that even if no express police policy of chilling his speech can be proved, the existence of ongoing police harassment based on his political beliefs is sufficient evidence of a police department custom of harassing him. Customary practices, if widespread among police employees, are a sufficient basis for municipal liability. Thompson v. City of Los Angeles, 885 F.2d 1439, 1443-44 (9th Cir.1989). However, despite general testimony that police were constantly present whenever Sloman was picketing, the only testimony concerning interactions between Sloman and specific police officers involved Hale and Rein. Officer Rein was found not to have violated Sloman's civil rights. Thus, although the jury reasonably found that Hale habitually harassed Sloman, there is no evidence credited by the jury that such practices extended beyond Hale even to Rein, much less to a wider group within the police department. 31 Individual action like Hale's does not rise to the level of the well-settled, widespread practices contemplated in the cases discussing municipal liability. Id. at 1444 (citing cases). We hold that no reasonable jury could have found the evidence sufficient to impose Sec. 1983 liability on the City.