Opinion ID: 2999316
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Denial of Motion Without Evidentiary Hearing

Text: Juarez also claims that the district court abused its discretion by declining to hold an evidentiary hearing on his motion to quash arrest and suppress evidence. We review for abuse of discretion. United States v. Woods, 995 F.2d 713, 716 (7th Cir. 1993). A defendant seeking an evidentiary hearing on a motion to suppress must provide sufficient information “to enable the court to conclude that a substantial claim is presented and that there are disputed issues of material fact which will affect the outcome of the motion.” United States v. Coleman, 149 F.3d 674, 677 (7th Cir. 1998) (citing United States v. Rollins, 862 F.2d 1282, 1291 (7th Cir. 1988)). Applying that standard, the district court ruled that there was no disputed issue of fact that would justify a hearing. In reaching this decision, the court 4 No. 05-2435 reasoned that “when the police saw the defendant at that time, date[,] and place, based upon the information that they had available to them, . . . they had a reasonable suspicion and could conduct a Terry stop of the defendant.” The government claims that the facts in Juarez’s affidavit did not conflict with the officers’ version of events. His affidavit relates that he was walking down Wood Street when he saw a police car, and then the officers jumped out and grabbed him. According to the officers, Juarez was walking down Wood Street when he saw a police car, hid behind a tree, saw an officer approaching on foot, ran away, and disposed of his gun. The affidavit, the government argues, did not create a factual dispute because the government agrees with the facts therein, even though “it appears that the affidavit was written so as to avoid conflicting with the officers’ account” by omitting certain other details. In its view, Juarez’s statement that he was initially “walking on Wood Street” does not preclude the possibility that he later ran upon seeing the officers. This interpretation of the defendant’s burden would require Juarez to state that he “was just walking” or that he “was walking, not running” in order to warrant an evidentiary hearing. Yet in his affidavit the defendant need not deny the government’s version of events line-by-line; he need only ensure that his affidavit is “sufficiently definite, specific, non-conjectural and detailed enough” for the court to discern the disputed factual issue. United States v. Villegas, 388 F.3d 317, 324 (7th Cir. 2004). A defendant would create a dispute by claiming he is purple, for instance, where the government says he is green; he need not declare that he is not green. Being purple precludes one from being green, just as the act of walking precludes one from running. For this reason, Juarez’s affidavit suffices to create a disputed issue of fact. A disputed issue only warrants an evidentiary hearing, however, “if the difference in facts is material, that is, only No. 05-2435 5 if the disputed fact makes a difference in the outcome.” United States v. Berkowitz, 927 F.2d 1376, 1385 (7th Cir. 1991). An evidentiary hearing was not necessary in this case because it is undisputed that the officers were justified in conducting a Terry stop whether Juarez was walking or running. While Juarez challenged this conclusion in his brief, his counsel conceded at argument that the facts in the affidavit provided reasonable suspicion for a Terry stop. See Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 21 (1968) (holding that officers may, consistent with the Fourth Amendment, conduct a brief investigatory stop when they have a reasonable, articulable suspicion that criminal activity is afoot). Because no disputed issue of material fact existed to compel an evidentiary hearing, the court did not abuse its discretion. See Villegas, 388 F.3d at 324.