STANLEY BAIN, A MINOR, BY AND THROUGH HIS NATURAL PARENT AND GUARDIAN, ELEANORE BAIN, AND ELEANORE BAIN, INDIVIDUALLY, APPELLANTS,
v.
THE CITY OF HIALEAH, FLORIDA, ROLANDO BOLANOS, INDIVIDUALLY AND IN HIS OFFICIAL CAPACITY AS CHIEF OF THE HIALEAH POLICE DEPT., LEONEL GRACIA, TERANCE BURKE AND STEVE LUBLINSKI, INDIVIDUALLY, AND IN THEIR OFFICIAL CAPACITY AS CITY OF HIALEAH POLICE OFFICERS, APPELLEES

Fla. 3d DCA | 1994-11-09
No. 93-1110
Before BARKDULL, LEVY and GREEN, JJ.
646 So. 2d 771 Florida District Court of Appeal, Third District (1994)

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Synopsis

The court reversed a trial court's dismissal of an amended complaint alleging excessive force by Hialeah police officers and their chief in apprehending a minor through a police dog. The decision clarifies that claims for excessive force in arrest, including state tort and federal civil rights claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, survive the pleading stage and that derivative claims for medical expenses and loss of consortium warrant reconsideration.


Holding

The court held that the dismissal of state tort and federal civil rights excessive force claims must be reversed because applicable authority supports such claims. The court also reversed dismissal of the derivative action for medical expenses and remanded for the trial court to determine in the first instance whether the derivative claim for loss of consortium under § 1983 is appropriate.


Headnotes

[1] A dismissal of a complaint based on authority that has since been reversed or modified is grounds for reversal.

[2] Claims for excessive force in the apprehension of a fleeing felon by a police dog are actionable under federal civil rights law.

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Key Quotes

“We reverse a final order dismissing an amended complaint seeking damages for state tort and federal civil rights damages pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for the use of excessive force in the apprehension of a fleeing felon by a police dog.”

Establishes the primary holding reversing the trial court's dismissal of excessive force claims.

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Facts & Procedural History

Police officers from the Hialeah Police Department, including Chief Rolando Bolanos, Officers Leonel Gracia, Terance Burke, and Steve Lublinski, appre…

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Opinion of the Court
BARKDULL, Judge.

BARKDULL, Judge.

We reverse a final order dismissing an amended complaint seeking damages for state tort and federal civil rights damages pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for the use of excessive force in the apprehension of a fleeing felon by a police dog.

The trial court, in its final order of dismissal, cited Chew v. Gates, 744 F.Supp. 952 (C.D.Cal.1990) as authority for dismissal and had heard argument for dismissing the civil rights claim pursuant to a pleading requirement under Leatherman v. Tarrant County Narcotics Intelligence, 954 F. 2d 1054 (5th Cir.1992).

Both Gates and Leatherman have been reversed or modified since entry of the final order of dismissal. See Chew v. Gates, 27 F. 3d 1432 (9th Cir.1994) and Leatherman v. Tarrant County Narcotics Intelligence, — U.S. —, 113 S.Ct. 1160, 122 L.Ed.2d 517 (1993).

Following review of the applicable authority as to excessive force in arrest, we reverse the dismissal of the state tort and the civil rights counts of the amended complaint. See Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386, 109 S.Ct. 1865, 104 L.Ed.2d 443 (1989); Tennessee v. Garner, 471 U.S. 1, 105 S.Ct. 1694, 85 L.Ed.2d 1 (1985); Kerr v. City of West Palm Beach, 875 F. 2d 1546 (11th Cir.1989); Searer v. Wells, 837 F.Supp. 1198 (M.D.Fla.1993); City of Pinellas Park v. Brown, 604 So. 2d 1222 (Fla. 1992); Woodall v. City of Miami Beach, 599 So. 2d 231 (Fla. 3d DCA 1992); Rankin v. Colman, 476 So. 2d 234 (Fla. 5th DCA 1985)

We also reverse the dismissal of the derivative action, seeking among other things, medical expenses, see Yordon v. Savage, 279 So. 2d 844 (Fla.1973), and the further derivative claim for loss of consortium under the civil rights claims. Although there appears to be a split of authority on this latter claim, see Bell v. City of Milwaukee, 746 F. 2d 1205, 1243-45 (7th Cir.1984); hut cf. Wright v. Collins, 766 F. 2d 841, 849 (4th Cir.1985), no authority has been cited or found on this issue in Florida. Further, we do not believe that the validity of this claim for loss of consortium under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 is ripe for determination at this time, in this court. Because the trial court dismissed the state tort claim and the civil rights claim, it was therefore required to dismiss the derivative claims. Now that we have reinstated the underlying claims, the derivative claims may be appropriate; we leave these questions to the trial court in the first instance.

This opinion shall not be construed as preventing any defendant from raising any defense to the amended complaint, or the trial court considering any motion for summary judgment.

Reversed and remanded with directions.


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