Opinion ID: 745482
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Alfred Ricciuti's Arrest

Text: 17 The plaintiffs first contend that the district court's grant of summary judgment in Officer Lopez's favor on qualified immunity grounds was inappropriate because a reasonable jury could find, based on the evidence presented, that he lacked probable cause to arrest Alfred Ricciuti, and that the arrest was objectively unreasonable. 18 The doctrine of qualified or good faith immunity shields police officers from being subject to personal liability for damages. The doctrine extends to official conduct that does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known, Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800, 818, 102 S.Ct. 2727, 2738, 73 L.Ed.2d 396 (1982), insofar as it was objectively reasonable for such officials to believe, even if mistakenly, that their conduct did not violate such rights. Anderson v. Creighton, 483 U.S. 635, 641, 107 S.Ct. 3034, 3039-40, 97 L.Ed.2d 523 (1987). 19 The right to be free from arrest or prosecution in the absence of probable cause is a long established constitutional right. A police officer is entitled to qualified immunity shielding him or her from a claim for damages for false arrest where (1) it was objectively reasonable for the officer to believe there was probable cause to make the arrest, or (2) reasonably competent police officers could disagree as to whether there was probable cause to arrest. See Golino v. City of New Haven, 950 F.2d 864, 870 (2d Cir.1991). 20 An officer has probable cause to arrest when in possession of facts sufficient to warrant a prudent person to believe that the suspect had committed or was committing an offense. Gerstein v. Pugh, 420 U.S. 103, 111, 95 S.Ct. 854, 861, 43 L.Ed.2d 54 (1975); O'Neill v. Town of Babylon, 986 F.2d 646, 650 (2d Cir.1993). In evaluating these matters, we consider the facts available to the officer at the time of the arrest. Lowth v. Town of Cheektowaga, 82 F.3d 563, 569 (2d Cir.1996). Summary judgment on the basis of qualified immunity is appropriate when the only conclusion a rational jury could reach is that reasonably competent police officers could under the circumstances disagree about the legality of the arrest. Lennon v. Miller, 66 F.3d 416, 421 (2d Cir.1995). 21 Plaintiffs contend no reasonable police officer faced with the facts apparent to Officer Lopez could believe that there was probable cause for the arrest. It is undisputed that Officer Lopez was approached by a visibly injured Harlice Watson, who produced a corrections officer badge, stated that he had been attacked without provocation, and identified Alfred Ricciuti as his assailant. Although plaintiff protested that Watson had started the fight, he did not deny causing Watson's injuries. Plaintiff insists that notwithstanding Watson's injuries and identification of him as his assailant, the arrest was objectively unreasonable because plaintiff's loud protestations of innocence should have made clear to Officer Lopez that plaintiff was acting in self-defense and therefore lacked the requisite intent to commit an assault. Once plaintiff protested his innocence, the argument continues, Officer Lopez should have made further inquiries and interviewed witnesses at the scene. Having failed to do so, the argument concludes, probable cause to arrest was clearly lacking. 22 We are not persuaded. Although Officer Lopez would have been entitled to believe Alfred Ricciuti's version of events rather than Watson's, he was not required to do so. Given Watson's version of events and his visible injuries, a competent police officer could believe it was objectively reasonable to arrest plaintiff for the assault that had been committed. The officer was not required to make a full investigation into plaintiff's state of mind prior to taking action. Once a police officer has a reasonable basis for believing there is probable cause, he is not required to explore and eliminate every theoretically plausible claim of innocence before making an arrest. Baker v. McCollan, 443 U.S. 137, 145-46, 99 S.Ct. 2689, 2695-96, 61 L.Ed.2d 433 (1979) (arresting officers not required to investigate claim of mistaken identity or lack of requisite intent); Krause v. Bennett, 887 F.2d 362, 372 (2d Cir.1989) (factfinder determines whether defendant's story holds up, not arresting officer). Here, Watson's version of events was plausible, and his credibility was buttressed by the fact that he identified himself a law enforcement officer. Under the circumstances, Officer Lopez had a reasonable basis for believing there was probable cause, and was entitled to qualified immunity in making the arrest notwithstanding Alfred Ricciuti's protestations of innocence.