Opinion ID: 775072
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Identity of the Arresting Officers

Text: 15 A claim for unlawful arrest is cognizable under §§ 1983 as a violation of the Fourth Amendment, provided the arrest was without probable cause or other justification. See Larson v. Neimi, 9 F.3d 1397, 1400 (9th Cir. 1993). The trial judge stopped short of deciding whether there was probable cause because Dubner could not prove the identity of the arresting officers. The court found that the City's practice of not identifying the actual arresting officers on the arrest report seems deliberately designed to frustrate the efforts of potential plaintiffs in false arrest cases to establish lack of probable cause, but dismissed the claim because Ninth Circuit law nonetheless imposes on Dubner the burden of identifying the officers she contends violated her constitutional rights.  1999 WL 820199, . We disagree as a matter of law. 16 Although the plaintiff bears the burden of proof on the issue of unlawful arrest, she can make a prima facie case simply by showing that the arrest was conducted without a valid warrant. At that point, the burden shifts to the defendant to provide some evidence that the arresting officers had probable cause for a warrantless arrest. The plaintiff still has the ultimate burden of proof, but the burden of production falls on the defendant. See Gilker v. Baker, 576 F.2d 245, 246 (9th Cir. 1978) (Once a warrantless arrest is established, the burden of going forward with the evidence passes to the defendant.). See also, Martin v. Duffie , 463 F.2d 464, 467 (10th Cir. 1972) (plaintiff who has been arrested without a warrant need only present a prima facie case of illegal arrest in order to sustain his burden); Patzig v. O'Neil, 577 F.2d 841, 849 n.9 (3d Cir. 1978); Dellums v. Powell, 566 F.2d 167, 175-76 (D.C. Cir. 1977). If the defendant is unable or refuses to come forward with any evidence that the arresting officers had probable cause and the plaintiff's own testimony does not establish it, the court should presume the arrest was unlawful. 17 This minimal burden shifting forces the police department, which is in the better position to gather information about the arrest, to come forward with some evidence of probable cause. Dubner did everything she possibly could to identify the arresting officers. She obtained a copy of the arrest report and, assuming the officers listed were in fact the arresting officers, named them in her suit. During discovery, she asked the City and County for [e]ach and every document authored or maintained by you (including your agencies, departments and employees) relating to this case in any way, including but not limited to all correspondence, personal notes, notebooks, memoranda, diaries, calendars, and summaries of facts. The City responded by objecting to the request and stating that it has already produced all non-privileged, responsive documents to plaintiff in its possession with its initial disclosures. At that point, Dubner could reasonably assume she had named the right officers or the City would come forward with the name of the officers who actually arrested her. By shifting the burden of production to the defendants, we prevent this exact scenario where police officers can hide behind a shield of anonymity and force plaintiffs to produce evidence that they cannot possibly acquire. 3 18 Since Dubner was not arrested pursuant to a valid warrant or citizen's arrest form, defendants had the burden of producing some evidence that the arresting officers had probable cause. None of the officers testified to having seen Dubner during the demonstration, much less to having seen her break the law. Appellees' references to the collective knowledge of the officers are, therefore, misplaced. While it is true that probable cause can be established through the collective knowledge of the officers at the scene, see United States v. Valencia, 24 F.3d 1106, 1108 (9th Cir. 1994), there is no indication that any of the police officers at the Moscone Center witnessed Dubner violate any laws or communicated any information regarding Dubner to the arresting officers. Based on the total lack of evidence as to who arrested Dubner or what they knew at the time, it follows that the defendants failed to satisfy their burden of production and that Dubner has made out a valid claim of unlawful arrest.