Opinion ID: 2929088
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Fourteenth Amendment – Excessive Force

Text: Hall argues Appellees violated Hall’s constitutional rights by using excessive force during Hall’s escort to seclusion. When evaluating an excessive force claim in the involuntary commitment setting, the constitutional right at issue is an individual’s “right to substantive due process arising under the Fourteenth Amendment.” Norris v. Engles, 494 F.3d 634, 637 (8th Cir. 2007); see also Lanman v. Hinson, 529 F.3d 673, 681 (6th Cir. 2008) (holding that when an incident is not covered by a specific provision of the Fourth Amendment “the Fourteenth Amendment Due Process Clause applies to [an] excessive force claim”). The Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment “protects individual liberty against certain government actions regardless of the fairness of the procedures used to implement them.” Flowers v. City of Minneapolis, 478 F.3d 869, 873 (8th Cir. 2007) (quoting Collins v. City of Harker Heights, 503 U.S. 115, 125, 112 S. Ct. 1061, 117 L. Ed. 2d 261 (1992)) (internal quotation marks omitted). In the context of substantive due process, an individual must overcome a very heavy burden to show a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. To balance competing interests in a substantive due process analysis, “the question is not simply whether a liberty interest has been infringed but whether the extent or nature of the [infringement] . . . is such as to violate due process.” Moran v. Clarke, 296 F.3d 638, 647 (8th Cir. 2002) (en banc) (alteration in original) (citation omitted) (internal quotation marks omitted). To establish a violation, the “plaintiff must demonstrate both that the official’s conduct was conscience-shocking, and that the official violated one or more fundamental rights that are deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition, and implicit in the concept of ordered liberty, such that neither liberty nor justice would exist if they were sacrificed.” Norris, 494 F.3d at 638 (quoting Slusarchuk v. Hoff, 346 F.3d 1178, 1181-82 (8th Cir. 2003)) (internal quotation marks omitted). -5- To satisfy the conscience-shocking standard,3 a government official’s conduct must be “so egregious, so outrageous, that it may fairly be said to shock the contemporary conscience.” Cnty. of Sacramento v. Lewis, 523 U.S. 833, 847-48 n.8, 118 S. Ct. 1708, 140 L. Ed. 2d 1043 (1998). “[C]onduct intended to injure [an individual] in some way unjustifiable by any government interest is . . . most likely to rise to the conscience-shocking level.” Id. at 849, 118 S. Ct. 1708, 140 L. Ed. 2d 1043. But when the acts of a government official fall “within the middle range . . . something more than negligence but less than intentional conduct”4 the “totality of the facts in a given case” must be assessed to determine whether the behavior is 3 The Supreme Court recently published its decision in Kingsley v. Hendrickson, 135 S. Ct. 2466 (2015), holding a pretrial detainee need only show a government official’s use of force was objectively unreasonable in a section 1983 case premised upon excessive force. Prior to the publication of Kingsley, the parties did not dispute the requisite state of mind required for Hall’s excessive force claim. See, e.g., Werner v. U.S. Dep’t of Interior, 581 F.2d 168, 171 (8th Cir. 1978) (holding arguments not made “to the district court . . . will not be considered by this court when raised for the first time on appeal”). Further, any constitutional rights afforded to Hall under Kingsley were not “clearly established” at the time of Hall’s detention. See Vaughn, 253 F.3d at 1128 (holding a government official is entitled to qualified immunity if a constitutional right is not “clearly established at the time of the” alleged violation). Therefore, Kingsley does not effect the standard against which we evaluate the Aides conduct in the qualified immunity analysis. 4 Hall relies on the “deliberate indifference that shocks the conscience” standard. We have held that the middle range of conduct that could shock the conscience “in some contexts” includes egregious cases of “deliberate indifference, recklessness, or gross negligence.” Bonebrake v. Norris, 417 F.3d 938, 942 (8th Cir. 2005) (internal quotation marks omitted). But we have never applied the “deliberate indifference that shocks the conscience” standard in the context of an excessive force claim brought by an involuntarily committed individual. See Norris v. Engles, 494 F.3d 634, 638-39 (8th Cir. 2007) (articulating the standard above for a substantive due process claim brought by an individual placed, involuntarily, in protective custody). Even if we assume, arguendo, it is proper to analyze “deliberate indifference that shocks the conscience” in this context, Hall’s claim would also fail. -6- conscience shocking. Id. at 849-50, 118 S. Ct. 1708, 140 L. Ed. 2d 1043 (citations omitted) (internal quotation marks omitted). Determining whether conduct is conscience shocking “is a question of degree.” Moran, 296 F.3d at 647 (citation omitted) (internal quotation marks omitted). In general, substantive due process is concerned with violations of personal rights . . . so severe . . . so disproportionate to the need presented, and . . . so inspired by malice or sadism rather than a merely careless or unwise excess of zeal that it amounted to a brutal and inhumane abuse of official power literally shocking to the conscience. Id. (alteration in original) (citation omitted) (internal quotation marks omitted). The issue of whether the Appellees’ conduct was conscience shocking is a close one. But ultimately, Hall’s resistance to the Aides, shown by the video footage, makes the high standard inapplicable. See, e.g., Wilson v. Spain, 209 F.3d 713, 715 (8th Cir. 2000) (relying on “objective” video footage to analyze the reasonableness of a police officer’s actions in an excessive force case). Video footage shows Hall resisted his escort just prior to the Aides’ use of force. To get Hall under control, the Aides pressed Hall against a wall and twisted his arm behind his back. Once under control, the Aides brought Hall to the seclusion room and took him down onto a mat. The conduct of the Aides and Leifeld shows an error in judgment and carelessness because Hall was likely injured by the Aides’ actions. But this is a plain case of “unwise excess of zeal” that, while disturbing, does not literally shock the conscience such that the behavior meets the heavy burden of violating substantive due process. See Moran, 296 F.3d at 647 (citation omitted) (internal quotation marks omitted). Thus, Hall failed to show a constitutional violation as required to recover for the use of excessive force. We would be remiss, however, if we failed to acknowledge that government officials have “an unquestioned duty to provide reasonable safety for all residents and -7- personnel within [an] institution” where people are involuntarily committed. Youngberg v. Romeo, 457 U.S. 307, 324, 102 S. Ct. 2452, 2462, 73 L. Ed. 2d 28 (1982). Here, government officials failed to provide reasonable safety to Hall. Instead, Hall’s elbow and wrist were likely injured during the escort to seclusion. The behavior on the part of the Aides, and Leifeld’s supervision of such conduct, is unacceptable. Yet, this is not the egregious case that rises to the level of violating substantive due process under the Fourteenth Amendment. Instead, state-law claims still exist that may be a more appropriate remedy for the harm caused to Hall.