Opinion ID: 754797
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Chief Samuels' Claim for Qualified Immunity

Text: 27 As Officer Chew's superior, Chief Samuels can be held liable in his individual capacity if he participated in the deprivation of Watkins' constitutional rights. Larez v. City of Los Angeles, 946 F.2d 630, 645 (9th Cir.1991). Chief Samuels' liability depends upon a jury finding Officer Chew used excessive force against Watkins. If Officer Chew used excessive force, then Chief Samuels' liability hinges on whether he set in motion a series of acts by others, or knowingly refused to terminate a series of acts by others, which he knew or reasonably should have known, would cause others to inflict the constitutional injury. Id. at 646 (internal corrections omitted). A supervisor can be liable in his individual capacity for his own culpable action or inaction in the training, supervision, or control of his subordinates; for his acquiescence in the constitutional deprivation ...; or for conduct that showed a reckless or callous indifference to the rights of others. Id. (internal quotations, citations and corrections omitted). 28 In Larez, we upheld a jury verdict finding Los Angeles Police Chief Gates individually liable for ratifying the excessive use of force by officers under his command by his signing a letter denying Larez's complaint when expert testimony showed that he should have disciplined the officers and established new police procedures. Id. We held that the jury could find Chief Gates liable for constitutional deprivations where the plaintiff shows that the police chief was responsible for the constitutional deprivations because he condoned, ratified, and encouraged the excessive use of force. Id. 29 Like Chief Gates in Larez, Chief Samuels signed an internal affairs report dismissing Watkins' complaint despite evidence of Officer Chew's use of excessive force contained in the report and evidence of Officer Chew's involvement in other police dog bite incidents, and apparently without ascertaining whether the circumstances of those cases required some ameliorative action to avoid or reduce serious injuries to individuals from dogs biting them. In addition, Watkins argues that Chief Samuels did not establish new procedures, such as including the use of police dogs within the OPD's policy governing the use of nonlethal force, despite evidence of numerous injuries to suspects apprehended by the use of police dogs. Since it was clearly established in Larez that a jury could hold Chief Samuels liable for ratifying Officer Chew's use of excessive force (if the jury finds it to be such), we affirm the district court's denial of qualified immunity to Chief Samuels on summary judgment. 2