Opinion ID: 694871
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Qualified immunity for all deputies regarding probable cause for arrest.

Text: 13 We hold that the seizure of Casem amounted to an investigatory stop requiring reasonable suspicion on the part of the offiers. See United States v. Jacobs, 715 F.2d 1343, 1345-46 (9th Cir. 1983) (holding that detention of suspect at gunpoint does not automatically convert an investigatory stop into an arrest). Because we find that the officers had reasonable suspicion to justify such an investigation, we hold that Casem has no cause of action against the deputies. However, we find that the manner in which Albiso was seized--in addition to being held at gunpoint, he was handcuffed and required to lie face down on the street while handcuffed--rendered his seizure an arrest. See United States v. Robertson, 833 F.2d 777, 780-81 (9th Cir. 1987) (holding similar circumstances to constitute an arrest). The ultimate question is whether, in view of all the circumstances, a reasonable person would believe himself to be under arrest. Id. at 780. The following discussion is limited to the arrest of Albiso. 14 Albiso maintains that because his arrest was not based on probable cause, the deputies are not entitled to summary judgment on the issue of qualified immunity. [Q]ualified immunity shields [officers] from suit for damages if a 'reasonable officer could have believed [the suspect's detention] to be lawful, in light of clearly established law and the information the [detaining] officer possessed.' Hunter v. Bryant, 502 U.S. 224, 227 (citing and quoting in part Anderson v. Creighton, 483 U.S. 635, 641 (1987)). Because we find that there are unresolved questions pertaining to the finding of probable cause, or whether a reasonable officer in the position of the defendants would have believed that there was probable cause, we remand for trial on this issue. 15 The threshold determination of whether the law governing the conduct at issue is clearly established is a question of law for the court. Act Up!/Portland v. Bagley, 988 F.2d 868, 873 (9th Cir. 1993). If no genuine issues of fact exist, the determination whether those facts support an objective belief that probable cause or reasonable suspicion existed is ordinarily a question for the court. Id. However, [i]f a genuine issue of fact exists preventing a determination of qualified immunity at summary judgment, the case must proceed to trial. Id. 16 [F]actual issues that may preclude a determination of summary judgment fall into two categories. First, a determination of reasonable suspicion or probable cause requires an inquiry as to the facts and circumstances within an officer's knowledge.... Second, the determination of what conduct underlies the alleged violation--what the officer and claimant did or failed to do--is a determination of fact. 17 Id. We find that triable issues of fact exist as to the deputies' finding of probable cause and as to their conduct during arrest. 18 It is undisputed that Albiso and Casem, then employees of the California State Department of Fair Employment and Housing, were sitting in broad daylight in their state-marked car outside the residence of a man they sought to serve with a subpoena, when they were seized by deputies responding to a burglary call. The caller, who gave a false name, alleged that a black man and a Hispanic man were attempting to break into his house. Finding that Albiso and Casem fit the physical descriptions of the alleged burglars, the deputies detained them. The deputies acknowledge that Albiso and Casem were in business attire, sitting quietly in their parked car when they arrived. The officers detained them at gunpoint and handcuffed Albiso before attempting to determine their identity. When they learned the two men were state employees on an official errand, they released them. 19 Some of the circumstances surrounding the arrest remain in dispute. The deputies deny having seen the state emblems on Albiso and Casem's car. Albiso maintains that the deputies ignored his repeated statements to the effect that he and Casem were state agents with identification. The deputies deny they heard Albiso and suggest the noise of the police helicopter and/or their P.A. system may have prevented them from doing so. Casem testified that Albiso spoke loudly and could clearly be heard, as the helicopter had moved off and the P.A. system was not in use when Albiso spoke. If the trier of fact determines that the deputies heard Albiso and ignored him, there would be a factual basis for them to find that the deputies lacked a good faith belief that probable cause existed to arrest Albiso. 20 Probable cause exists when, at the time of arrest, the agents know reasonably trustworthy information sufficient to warrant a prudent person in believing that the accused had committed or was committing an offense. United States v. Delgadillo-Velasquez, 856 F.2d 1292, 1296 (9th Cir. 1988). Looking at the totality of the circumstances, as required by Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213, 230 (1983), it is far from clear that the undisputed facts gave rise to probable cause for this arrest. 21 The fact that the officers received a tip from a named but unknown source and found two men who fit the caller's description does not by itself establish probable cause for arrest. The information provided by the false tip must be assessed in relation to the facts and circumstances encountered by the deputies when they arrived on the scene. It is well-established that [a]n anonymous tip, without more, does not constitute probable cause. United States v. Mendonsa, 989 F.2d 366, 368 (9th Cir. 1993). The tip in this case was not strictly speaking anonymous, as the caller gave a name, though a false one. However, an untested tip, even from an identified source, cannot by itself support a finding of probable cause. Delgadillo-Velazquez, 856 F.2d at 1297-98. In Delgadillo-Velazquez, we held that the tip of a confidential informant, passed along by an identified Customs Agent who reported the informant to be reliable, was insufficient to establish probable cause in the absence of evidence of the informant's reliability or any corroborating evidence of criminal activity at the scene. Id. 22 Because we cannot decide on this record that probable cause existed for the arrest of Albiso, or that a reasonable officer would have believed that probable cause existed, we cannot say that the deputies are entitled to qualified immunity as a matter of law. We therefore reverse the summary judgment in their favor, and remand for jury trial to determine whether there was any violation of Albiso's constitutional rights and what damages, if any, are due him. The question of qualified immunity may be resolved by the court using special verdicts or other appropriate means. See Sloman v. Tadlock, 21 F.3d 1462, 1467 and n.4 (9th Cir. 1994). 23