Opinion ID: 3064566
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Turley

Text: In support of his claim that officers deliberately fabricated evidence, McSherry points in particular to the description of the interior of his grandparents’ residence and argues that: 1) he provided Turley a detailed description of his grandparents’ house after he was arrested; 2) Turley interviewed the victim the next day, then later documented in his police report and also testified at trial that the victim provided a detailed description of the interior of the residence during that interview; 3) the victim’s detailed description differed from her initial description but matched the grandparents’ residence; 4) after Turley searched the house, he reported that the victim provided another description with more matching details, 5) fourteen years after she was kidnaped, the victim denied giving the descriptions that Turley documented and testified to; and 6) because McSherry was exonerated of the crimes and another party confessed, the victim obviously was never in the residence and could not have provided such a detailed description. [2] The victim’s deposition creates a genuine issue of material fact as to whether Turley fabricated evidence. She denied providing the detailed description of the residence ascribed to her by Turley. Specifically, the victim said she did not tell police there was a picture on the wall because there was not one. She also denied telling the police that there were blue sheets and a white blanket on the bed. When asked whether she had told police that there was a folded up door in the room where she was taken, she said “No. There was no way that a five-year-old can actually remember everything in the house. I mean that’s too much for a five-year-old. There’s no way. That’s too much information in a house for a five-yearold to describe.” She denied also telling police that there was a window seat, that she heard a bird, or that there was a circular mirror. That Turley included that information, attributed to MCSHERRY v. CITY OF LONG BEACH 3815 the victim, in his reports means there are genuine issues of material fact as to whether Turley fabricated the descriptions. Credibility is an issue for the trier of fact. [3] As a result, Turley is not entitled to qualified immunity. If the evidence was fabricated, Turley violated McSherry’s “clearly established constitutional due process right not to be subjected to criminal charges on the basis of false evidence that was deliberately fabricated by the government.” Devereaux, 263 F.3d at 1074-75. Consequently, we reverse the judgment of the district court as to this claim that Turley deliberately fabricated evidence. At trial, McSherry may support his deliberate fabrication claim with evidence that Turley “used investigative techniques that were so coercive and abusive that [he] knew or should have known that those techniques would yield false information.” Id. at 1076. McSherry may present direct or circumstantial evidence, including evidence about identifications of McSherry by the victim, the victim’s brother, and an adult witness, and identifications of McSherry’s father’s car by the victim and the victim’s brother. McSherry argues also that Turley is liable for his allegedly false trial testimony regarding the descriptions of the interior of the residence. This claim is foreclosed by Briscoe v. LaHue, 460 U.S. 325, 326 (1983) (holding that police officers are immune from liability under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for perjured testimony).3 3 McSherry relies on Harris v. Roderick, 126 F.3d 1189, 1198-99 (9th Cir. 1997) for the proposition that Turley is not entitled to immunity because he initiated the prosecution. We do not find this argument persuasive. Harris holds that if officers “functionally served as complaining witnesses who may be said to have initiated [the] prosecution they are not entitled to absolute immunity for their false statements.” 126 F.3d at 1199. In Harris, unlike the case at bar, there were no other complaining witnesses, only the officers. Here, the victim served as the complaining witness. 3816 MCSHERRY v. CITY OF LONG BEACH