Opinion ID: 4520270
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Arrest and Repossession

Text: Plaintiff Jiries Abu-Joudeh lives in Allenton, Michigan, with his wife Yasmeen and three sons. On November 20, 2014, Michael Edwards and Patrick Leaveck—two repossession agents with Best Recovery Services, LLC—came to the Abu-Joudehs’ home to repossess their car. An altercation ensued. According to Yasmeen, one of the agents pushed her and later shoved Jiries into her. But the repossession agents say that Jiries asked Yasmeen to get him a gun, and then hit her when she refused. Whatever happened, the repossession agents called the police, and the Abu-Joudehs moved their car into the garage and shut the door. Police officers soon arrived at the Abu-Joudehs’, specifically Chief Heather Schneider of the Capac Police Department and Trooper Rick Sebring of the Michigan State Police. No. 19-1337 Abu-Joudeh v. Schneider, et al. Page 3 Yasmeen let the officers into the house and denied that Jiries hit her. But after a scuffle with Schneider, Jiries was arrested for assault. Following the arrest, two more police cars arrived at the scene, both driven by male officers. One of these officers—whom Yasmeen refers to as the “third officer” to arrive— entered the house and began assisting Schneider and Sebring. (Yasmeen Dep., R. 77-1 at PageID at #876–77.) While inside the house, Yasmeen says that the third officer was standing by her and kept her seated on the couch, ordering her to “[s]it down” and repeatedly telling her to “shut up” when she tried to get Jiries his medication. (Id. at #877.) Of particular relevance to this appeal, Schneider’s police report suggests that this third officer was Chief Scott Sheets of the Memphis Police Department. (See Police Report, R. 55-8 at PageID #410 (“Once Chief Sheets showed up I advised him to watch Yasmeen so she didn’t get up and interfere.”).) Yasmeen also described the third officer as being mostly bald with short blond or dirty-blond hair, medium height and build, relatively young, and wearing a blue uniform. On the other hand, the fourth officer had dark or black hair. According to Yasmeen, the third officer spoke with the repossession agents and then told Schneider and Sebring that the garage was locked. After that, the third officer—joined by the two repossession agents—took a metal bar and attempted to pry open the main electric door to the garage, presumably to help the agents take the Abu-Joudehs’ truck. When this attempt failed, they went around to the side door, which one of them opened, allowing the trio to enter the garage. While Yasmeen did not see which of the three actually opened the side door, Leaveck testified that it was a police officer who let them into the garage: Q. How did you get into the garage? A. We were let into the garage. Q. By who? A. By one of the police officers. Q. Which police officer? A. I don’t know. He didn’t give his name. He basically walked out of the house, walked into the barn, opened the large door, walked out and said, is this the No. 19-1337 Abu-Joudeh v. Schneider, et al. Page 4 vehicle you guys are here to get, and I said yes, sir. He said, load it up, get it out of here. (Leaveck Dep., R. 55-7 at PageID #405.) Edwards and Leaveck then loaded the vehicle onto their tow truck and hauled it away.