Opinion ID: 712981
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Objectively Reasonable Conduct

Text: 16 The critical question, then, is whether Duncan's conduct in seizing and searching Pierce, conduct in which he engaged because he allegedly was not fully satisfied with her responses to his questions at the site of the initial stop, was objectively reasonable. If the actions [the plaintiff] allege(s) [the officer] to have taken are actions that a reasonable officer could have believed lawful, then the officer is entitled to dismissal prior to discovery. Anderson, 483 U.S. at 646 n. 6, 107 S.Ct. at 3042 n. 6. Further proceedings are necessary only if there is a material factual dispute concerning what actions the officer took and the officer's version of what took place. See Johnson v. Jones, --- U.S. ----, ---- - ----, 115 S.Ct. 2151, 2156-59, 132 L.Ed.2d 238 (1995); Anderson, 483 U.S. at 646, n. 6, 107 S.Ct. at 3042, n. 6; see also Act Up!/Portland v. Bagley, 988 F.2d 868, 873 (9th Cir.1993). Factual disputes that are irrelevant or unnecessary will not be counted. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2510, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). The burden is on the defendant to establish the reasonableness of his or her actions. Neely v. Feinstein, 50 F.3d 1502, 1509 (9th Cir.1995). 17 In evaluating a custodial arrest executed by state officials, federal courts must determine the reasonableness of the arrest in reference to state law governing the arrest. United States v. Mota, 982 F.2d 1384, 1388 (9th Cir.1993); see also Barry v. Fowler, 902 F.2d 770, 771 (9th Cir.1990) (finding that arrest without probable cause that the arrestee committed a crime constitutes a violation of the Fourth Amendment). Officer Duncan contends that he relied on his understanding that informal custodial detention for identification was authorized under Oregon law, pursuant to Or.Rev.Stat. § 153.110 and the City's acknowledged policy interpreting that statute, without any need to satisfy the requirement of probable cause to arrest for an offense punishable by incarceration. Thus, he claims that his conduct in arresting Pierce for identification comports with the Fourth Amendment's reasonableness requirement. See, e.g., Grossman v. City of Portland, 33 F.3d 1200, 1209 (9th Cir.1994) (finding that an officer who acts in reliance on a duly enacted ordinance usually is entitled to qualified immunity). 18 However, an officer who unlawfully enforces an ordinance in a particularly egregious manner, or in a manner which a reasonable officer would recognize exceeds the bounds of the ordinance, will not be entitled to immunity even if there is no clear case law declaring the ordinance or the officer's particular conduct unconstitutional. Grossman, 33 F.3d at 1209-10 (citing Chew v. Gates, 27 F.3d 1432, 1449-50 (9th Cir.1994), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 115 S.Ct. 1097, 130 L.Ed.2d 1065 (1995)). Thus, if Pierce is correct and she was identified adequately at the train stop to permit the issuance of the citation, Duncan's understanding of the statute and his actions in reliance thereon would not be objectively reasonable. 19 Duncan claims that Pierce's provision of her store address and her initial denial of any prior arrests cast sufficient doubt on her identity to permit him to detain her for firm identification at the jail facility. Pierce contends that she provided adequate information at the scene and that there was no basis for a further detention. Because the magistrate judge directed a verdict for Duncan at the close of the plaintiff's case-in-chief, the facts as to the sufficiency of Pierce's identification and justification for detention for a fare infraction were not fully resolved at trial. Because these foundational facts remain in dispute and could be decided in Pierce's favor by a jury, we conclude that Duncan is not entitled to qualified immunity on directed verdict. These facts must be determined by the jury before Duncan's qualified immunity claim can be resolved. For this reason, the magistrate judge erred by granting a directed verdict for Duncan on this issue.