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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT
OF WISCONSIN
WILLIAM BUCHANAN,
Plaintiff,
v.
CITY OF MILWAUKEE, et al.,
Defendants.
Case No. 02-C-0486
October 27, 2003, Decided
October 27, 2003, Filed
Plaintiff
William Buchanan ("plaintiff") brings this action under 42 U.S.C. §
1983 alleging that defendant Jeremy Sullivan ("defendant" or
"Sullivan"), a City of Milwaukee police officer, violated his Fourth
Amendment right to be free from excessive force by shooting him in the abdomen
during an encounter at plaintiff's residence. n1 Plaintiff commenced the [*957]
action in state court, but defendant removed it to this court. Before me now is
defendant's motion for summary judgment. n2
I. FACTS
Plaintiff,
who was thirty-three years old at the time of the incident giving rise to this
action, has a long history of mental illness and has been found to be disabled
by the federal and state governments due to his illness. Prior to the incident
in question, he was taking numerous medications in order to remain stable. He
also had a history of alcohol abuse. In the days and weeks before the shooting,
plaintiff was having a particularly difficult time of it, experiencing severe
mood swings and hearing voices telling him to commit suicide. As a result of
these difficulties, he was hospitalized for a time.
On February 21, 2000,
plaintiff was hearing voices telling him to kill himself and experiencing a
great deal of anxiety. He attempted to calm himself by over-medicating. In a
telephone conversation with his mother, he used threatening and abusive
language, apparently uncharacteristically. One of his roommates, James Reed,
admonished him for speaking that way to his mother, and plaintiff and Reed
wound up wrestling on the floor, in the course of which plaintiff hit Reed with
a pickle jar, causing a cut on Reed's head. Plaintiff recalls that he also
threw a flower pot at his other roommate, Jonathan Krause. At some point,
plaintiff became so distressed that he pulled a butcher knife from the
waistband of his pants and stated that he intended to cut his own wrists or
throat.
Uniformed
police officers Sullivan and Todd Baldwin were on patrol and received a
dispatch that a battery was in progress at 1607 North Astor Street (the
apartment building where plaintiff and his roommates lived), and that the
suspect had a weapon. When the officers arrived at the building, they found
ambulance attendants treating the cut on Reed's head. Reed told the officers
that plaintiff would not permit Krause to leave the apartment.
[*958] The officers requested
back-up, which soon arrived, and then entered the building. Plaintiff, who
lived on the second floor, emerged from his apartment with the knife in his
hand. Sullivan states that Baldwin drew his gun and ordered plaintiff to drop
the knife, and that plaintiff responded by
pressing the knife to his chest and using words to the effect of
"you're gonna have to shoot me -- I won't drop the knife." (Sullivan
Aff. P 16.) Sullivan further states that, at a certain point, plaintiff pointed
the knife in Baldwin's direction and began to move toward him, and Baldwin
fired three shots. None of the shots hit plaintiff, and he went back into his
apartment. Baldwin, Sullivan and the other officers then exited the building
via the front entrance. Soon thereafter, plaintiff appeared on the second floor
balcony outside his apartment still holding the knife. At this point, Sullivan
was standing outside the building. He estimates that plaintiff was about ten
feet from him.
There is a
dispute between the parties concerning what happened next. Plaintiff states
that he was holding the knife in his right hand, and that he brought the tip of
the knife toward himself so that the blade was turned inward toward his own
stomach or chest. He states that when he turned the knife toward himself,
Sullivan shot him in the stomach. Sullivan states that plaintiff made the sign
of the cross with the knife, closed one eye as if he were taking aim and raised
the knife to the right side of his head. This caused Sullivan to fear that
plaintiff was going to throw the knife at him or jump off the balcony on him;
thus, he shot plaintiff.
Plaintiff sustained
a serious injury and was hospitalized for several weeks.
II. DISCUSSION
Defendant moves for summary judgment on the ground that he did
not use excessive force and that, even if he did, he is entitled to qualified
immunity.
A. Summary Judgment Standard
Summary judgment is required "if the pleadings,
depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with
the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material
fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of
law." Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c). The mere existence of some factual dispute
does not defeat a summary judgment motion; "the requirement is that there
be no genuine issue of material fact." Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc.,
477 U.S. 242, 248, 91 L. Ed. 2d 202, 106 S. Ct. 2505 (1986). For a dispute to
be "genuine," the evidence must be such that a "reasonable jury
could return a verdict for the nonmoving party." Id. For the fact to be
"material," it must relate to a disputed matter that "might
affect the outcome of the suit." Id.
Although summary judgment is a useful tool for isolating and
terminating factually unsupported claims, Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S.
317, 323-24, 91 L. Ed. 2d 265, 106 S. Ct. 2548 (1986), courts should act with
caution in granting summary judgment, Anderson, 477 U.S. at 255. When the
evidence presented shows a dispute over facts that might affect the outcome of
the suit under governing law, summary judgment must be denied. Id. at 248.
The moving party bears the initial burden of demonstrating that
he is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Celotex Corp., 477 U.S. at 323.
The movant may satisfy that burden by pointing out that there is an absence of
evidence to support the nonmoving party's case. Id. at 325. Once the moving
party's initial burden is met, the nonmoving party must go beyond the [*959]
pleadings and designate specific facts to support each element of the cause
of action, showing a genuine issue for
trial. Id. at 322-23. Neither party may rest on mere allegations or denials in
the pleadings, Anderson, 477 U.S. at 248, or upon conclusory statements in
affidavits, Palucki v. Sears, Roebuck & Co., 879 F.2d 1568, 1572 (7th Cir.
1989).
In evaluating a summary judgment motion, a court may not make
credibility determinations or weigh the evidence; "these are jobs for a
factfinder." Payne v. Pauley, 337 F.3d 767, 770 (7th Cir. 2003).
"Rather, 'the court has one task and one task only: to decide, based on
the evidence of record, whether there is any material dispute of fact that
requires a trial.'" Id. (quoting Waldridge v. Am. Hoechst Corp., 24 F.3d
918, 920 (7th Cir. 1994)). The court must look at the evidence as a jury might,
construing the record and drawing all reasonable inferences from it in the
light most favorable to the nonmovant. Id.; see also Matsushita Elec. Indus.
Co., Ltd. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 587, 89 L. Ed. 2d 538, 106 S.
Ct. 1348 (1986); Bank Leumi Le-Israel, B.M. v. Lee, 928 F.2d 232, 236 (7th Cir.
1991).
B. Elements of Section 1983
Claim
Section 1983 provides that:
Every person who, under
color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage of any State . .
. subjects or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other
person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights,
privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable
to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper
proceeding for redress.
In order to prove a
violation of § 1983, plaintiff must show that defendant deprived him of a
federal constitutional right while acting under color of state law. Reed v.
City of Chicago, 77 F.3d 1049, 1051 (7th Cir. 1996); Estate of Thurman v. City
of Milwaukee, 197 F. Supp. 2d 1141, 1147 (E.D. Wis. 2002). It is undisputed
that Sullivan was acting under color of state law. The only issue is whether
plaintiff was deprived of a federal constitutional right. Plaintiff contends
that Sullivan deprived him of his rights secured by the Fourth Amendment.
C. Plaintiff's Fourth
Amendment Claim
1. Reasonableness of Seizure
The Fourth Amendment protects persons against
"unreasonable searches and seizures." U.S. Const. amend. IV. All
claims that law enforcement officers used excessive force in the course of an
arrest, investigatory stop or other seizure of a citizen who is not in custody
are analyzed under the Fourth Amendment and its objective
"reasonableness" standard. Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386, 395, 104
L. Ed. 2d 443, 109 S. Ct. 1865 (1989). In the present case, the parties do not
dispute that a seizure occurred. The only question is whether, by shooting
plaintiff, defendant acted reasonably.
In determining whether reasonable force was used, I balance the
extent of the force used against the need for it. Tennessee v. Garner, 471 U.S.
1, 7-8, 85 L. Ed. 2d 1, 105 S. Ct. 1694 (1985). In making this determination, I
assess the relevant facts from the perspective of a reasonable officer on
the scene rather than with 20/20 hindsight.
Graham, 490 U.S. at 397.
I first consider the nature and quality of the intrusion on
plaintiff's Fourth Amendment interests. Garner, 471 U.S. at 8. In the present
[*960]case, Sullivan shot plaintiff in the stomach. This was an application of
"deadly force" because it created a substantial risk of death or
serious injury to plaintiff. See Estate of Phillips v. City of Milwaukee, 123
F.3d 586, 593 (7th Cir. 1997) (stating that for a particular application of
force to be classified as "deadly," it must carry with it a substantial
risk of causing death or serious bodily harm). Plaintiff's "fundamental
interest in his own life need not be elaborated upon." Garner, 471 U.S. at
9.
Next, I consider whether the circumstances justified the use of
such force. Deadly force may be used if an officer has probable cause to
believe that the suspect's actions place the officer or others in imminent
danger of death or serious bodily harm. See id. at 11; Muhammed v. City of
Chi., 316 F.3d 680, 683 (7th Cir. 2002). The standard is an objective one --
whether the officer's belief was "objectively reasonable" in light of
the facts and circumstances confronting him. Graham, 490 U.S. at 397.
In the
present case, taking the facts in the light most favorable to plaintiff, a
reasonable jury could conclude that Sullivan's belief that he needed to shoot
plaintiff was unreasonable. According to plaintiff's version of the events,
plaintiff was not engaging in conduct that could reasonably be regarded as
creating a risk of death or serious bodily harm to Sullivan. Plaintiff states
that he pressed the blade of the knife against his own chest or stomach giving
no indication that he intended to throw the knife at Sullivan. Based on
plaintiff's testimony, a reasonable factfinder could conclude that Sullivan's
belief that plaintiff was about to throw the knife at him or jump off the
balcony on him was unreasonable, and that Sullivan was therefore not justified
in using deadly force. Even according to Sullivan's testimony, there is little
basis from which it could reasonably be inferred that plaintiff intended to
jump off the balcony. Sullivan does not indicate that plaintiff threatened to
jump, or that he moved toward or attempted to climb over the railing. n3
Thus, there
is a dispute about what plaintiff did prior to the shooting, and such dispute
bears directly on the reasonableness of Sullivan's belief that he was in
imminent danger. I cannot on a motion for summary judgment decide whose version of events is more credible.
Therefore, defendant's motion for summary judgment on the merits of plaintiff's
Fourth Amendment claim must be denied. n4
I also note
that although plaintiff's conduct
immediately before the shooting is the most important factor in determining
whether the use of deadly force was reasonable, I must consider the totality of
the circumstances. Deering v. Reich, 183 F.3d 645, 649-50 (7th Cir. 1999). This
requires me to assess "all of the events that occurred around the time of
the shooting," id. at 652, and measure the consequences of each such event
based on the extent to which it contributed to the shooting, Abraham v. Raso,
183 F.3d 279, 292 (3d Cir. 1999). In making this assessment, I consider both
the actions of the suspect and the officer. See Estate of [*961] Starks v.
Enyart, 5 F.3d 230, 233-34 (7th Cir. 1999). One relevant circumstance is
whether Sullivan knew or should have known that plaintiff was mentally ill and,
if so, whether he followed generally accepted police practices applicable to
encounters with such persons. See Deorle v. Rutherford, 272 F.3d 1272, 1283
(9th Cir. 2001), cert. denied, 536 U.S. 958, 153 L. Ed. 2d 835, 122 S. Ct. 2660
(2002) (stating that "where it is or should be apparent to the officers
that the individual involved is emotionally disturbed, that is a factor that
must be considered in determining, under Graham, the reasonableness of the
force employed"); Palmquist v. Selvik, 111 F.3d 1332, 1340-41 (7th Cir.
1997) (indicating that an officer's awareness of an emotionally disturbed
person's suicidal motivation might have a bearing on what tactics and level of
force are reasonable); Ludwig v. Anderson, 54 F.3d 465, 472 (8th Cir. 1995)
(stating that the mental state of an emotionally disturbed person is relevant
in assessing the reasonableness of an officer's use of deadly force).
It is
unclear whether the dispatcher or plaintiff's roommate, Reed, advised the
officers that plaintiff was mentally ill. In any event, it is reasonable to
infer that based on their own observations of plaintiff's behavior they should
have concluded as much. Plaintiff was obviously thinking about committing
suicide. When Baldwin ordered him to drop the knife, plaintiff pressed the
blade against his chest as if he was going to stab himself and said that
Baldwin would have to shoot him to get him to drop the knife. This behavior was
extremely irrational. Plaintiff had done nothing to warrant a lengthy prison
sentence (he was ultimately convicted of two misdemeanors); thus, his conduct
was obviously compelled by his own inner demons. Moreover, police officers are
trained to recognize people suffering
from serious emotional or mental problems. Michael Avery, Unreasonable Seizures
of Unreasonable People: Defining the Totality of Circumstances Relevant to
Assessing the Police Use of Force Against Emotionally Disturbed People, 34 Col.
Hum. Rts. L. Rev. 261, 332 (2003).
Thus, a
reasonable factfinder could conclude that Sullivan knew or should have known
that plaintiff was emotionally disturbed and could reasonably take this fact
into account when assessing the constitutional reasonableness of his use of
force. A great deal of information has long been available to police officers
concerning how to interact with persons who are emotionally disturbed. Id. at
290-91. These materials uniformly indicate that emotionally disturbed persons
often respond slowly or inappropriately to police orders, and that officers'
usual techniques for eliciting compliance from criminal suspects are not likely
to work with such persons. Id. at 292-93. Emotionally disturbed people are
already fearful, and threats or forceful verbal commands usually make matters
worse by making them still more frightened. Id. at 292-94.
Police training materials
consistently recommend that officers can greatly reduce the dangers present in
encounters with emotionally disturbed persons by adhering to a few simple
principles including: (1) keeping a safe distance from the person; (2) avoiding
unnecessary and provocative displays or threats of force; (3) making it clear
to the person that the police want to help him, and that the way to accomplish
this is for the person to put down the weapon and come to the police for help;
and (4) taking as much time as necessary to talk the person into custody even
if it runs into hours or more. James J. Fyfe, Policing the Emotionally
Disturbed, 28 J. Am. Acad. Psychiatry & L. 345, 347 (2000). If the
emotionally disturbed person is armed with a knife, it is recommended that
officers maintain a distance [*962] of twenty-one feet from him in order to
have enough time to employ a firearm against an attack. Avery, supra, at
294-95. In the present case, where plaintiff was on a second floor balcony and
thus could not have rushed the officer, Sullivan could have made absolutely
certain that he was safe simply by taking a few steps.
Thus,
although the record is not entirely clear, the evidence suggests that, in
dealing with plaintiff, Sullivan may not have followed accepted police
practices. As previously indicated, in determining the reasonableness of
Sullivan's use of deadly force, this factor is of less significance than what
plaintiff did or did not do immediately before the shooting, but it also weighs
against granting summary judgment.
2. Qualified Immunity
Sullivan argues that even if he violated plaintiff's Fourth
Amendment rights summary judgment must be granted on the basis of qualified
immunity. Under the doctrine of
qualified immunity, government officials performing discretionary functions
"generally are shielded from liability for civil damages insofar as their
conduct does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights
of which a reasonable person would have known." Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457
U.S. 800, 818, 73 L. Ed. 2d 396, 102 S. Ct. 2727 (1982).
In Saucier v. Katz, 533 U.S. 194, 150 L. Ed. 2d 272, 121 S. Ct.
2151 (2001), the Supreme Court explained how to address the qualified immunity
issue on a summary judgment motion in an excessive force case. The initial
inquiry is whether, taking the facts in the light most favorable to the party
asserting the injury, the facts alleged show that the officer's conduct
violated a constitutional right. Id. at
201. In the present case, I have already determined that, taking the evidence
in the light most favorable to plaintiff, a reasonable jury could conclude that
by using deadly force Sullivan violated plaintiff's rights under the Fourth
Amendment.
The second sequential step is to ask whether the right was
clearly established at the time of the alleged violation. Id. "The
relevant, dispositive inquiry in determining whether the right is clearly
established is whether it would be clear to a reasonable officer that his
conduct was unlawful in the situation he confronted." Id. at 202.
The plaintiff bears the burden of establishing the existence of
a clearly established constitutional right. Jacobs v. City of Chicago, 215 F.3d
758, 766 (7th Cir. 2000). A right is clearly established when its contours are
"'sufficiently clear that a reasonable official would understand that what
he is doing violates that right.'" Id. at 767 (quoting Anderson v.
Creighton, 483 U.S. 635, 640, 97 L. Ed. 2d 523, 107 S. Ct. 3034 (1987)).
However, it is not necessary that the very action being
challenged has been previously held unconstitutional, so long as the
unlawfulness was apparent in light of existing law. Anderson, 483 U.S. at 640.
Officials can still be on
notice that their conduct violates established law even in novel factual
circumstances. Indeed, . . . we [have] expressly rejected a requirement that
previous cases be "fundamentally similar." Although earlier cases
involving "fundamentally similar" facts can provide especially strong
support for a conclusion that the law is clearly established, they are not
necessary to such a finding. The same is true of cases with "materially
similar" facts. Accordingly, . . . the salient question . . . is whether
the state of the law [at the time of the alleged conduct] gave [the defendants]
fair warning that their alleged [*963] treatment of [the plaintiff] was
unconstitutional.
Hope v. Pelzer, 536 U.S.
730, 741, 153 L. Ed. 2d 666, 122 S. Ct. 2508 (2002); United States v. Lanier,
520 U.S. 259, 271, 137 L. Ed. 2d 432, 117 S. Ct. 1219 (1997) (stating that
"a general constitutional rule already identified in the decisional law
may apply with obvious clarity to the specific conduct in question," even
though the very action in question has not previously been held unlawful); see
also Clash v. Beatty, 77 F.3d 1045, 1048 (7th Cir. 1996) (stating that in
excessive force case plaintiff may overcome qualified immunity defense by
"(1) pointing to a closely analogous case that established a right to be
free from the type of force the police officers used on him, or (2) showing
that the force was so plainly excessive that, as an objective matter, the police
officers would have been on notice that they were violating the Fourth
Amendment ").
It was
clearly established at the time of this incident that the excessive use of
force during an arrest or other seizure constituted a Fourth Amendment
violation, Titran v. Ackman, 893 F.2d 145, 146 (7th Cir. 1990); and that the
use of deadly force was permissible only when the officer reasonably believed
that the suspect posed an immediate threat to the officer or others, Garner,
471 U.S. at 11 . If the facts are as plaintiff describes them, Sullivan is not
entitled to qualified immunity. Sullivan employed deadly force on a suspect who
threatened no one but himself. As an objective matter, on February 21, 2000,
a reasonable police officer would have
known that it was unreasonable to use deadly force against a person who did not
pose a threat of death or serious bodily harm. If the facts are as Sullivan
claims, the result could be different. See Haugen v. Brosseau, 339 F.3d 857,
863 (9th Cir. 2003) ( "Where a
suspect threatens an officer with a weapon such as a gun or a knife, the
officer is justified in using deadly force. . . . On the other hand, the mere
fact that a suspect possesses a weapon does not justify deadly force.").
The Seventh Circuit has consistently held that if further factual development is necessary
to determine whether the officer is entitled to qualified immunity the court
may deny the officer's pre-trial motion. See, e.g., Payne, 337 F.3d at 780-81;
Garvin v. Wheeler, 304 F.3d 628, 633-34 (7th Cir. 2002); Lanigan v. Vill. of
East Hazel Crest, III., 110 F.3d 467, 476 (7th Cir. 1997). Because I cannot
decide on summary judgment whose version of the facts is correct, I cannot
determine as a matter of law whether Sullivan is entitled to qualified immunity.
Therefore, defendant's motion for summary judgment on the grounds of qualified
immunity must be denied. See, e.g., Smith v. Kim, 70 Fed. Appx. 818, 819-21
(6th Cir. 2003) (affirming denial of summary judgment on qualified immunity
grounds where officers claimed they shot plaintiff because he threatened them
with a small knife and a brick, advancing toward them with these items in hand,
but plaintiff's witnesses either denied that plaintiff had a knife or brick, or
said that he had a brick but did not advance toward the officers); Sova v. City
of Mt. Pleasant, 142 F.3d 898, 902-03 (6th Cir. 1998) (denying summary judgment
on qualified immunity grounds in deadly force case where mentally ill and
suicidal decedent cut himself with knives, broke windows, and said he wanted
police to shoot him; officers said decedent threatened to get gun and charged
at them through kitchen door with knives drawn, but plaintiff claimed that
decedent never mentioned gun and was shot before he stepped out of the kitchen
doorframe); Howerton v. Fletcher, No. 97-CV-914, 1998 U.S. Dist. Lexis 18353,
at *3-16 (M.D.N.C. Sept. 21, 1998) (denying motion for summary judgment on
qualified immunity grounds in deadly force case where officers claimed that
decedent acted erratically, [*964] aggressively advanced upon them with knife
to distance of less than twenty feet, and disregarded repeated commands to drop
knife, but plaintiff presented evidence that decedent was not advancing on or
threatening anyone and that while he had knife in his hand he did not raise it
toward anyone); Samander v. Flemmig, 20 F. Supp. 2d 343, 346-47 (D. Conn. 1998)
(denying motion for summary judgment on qualified immunity grounds in deadly
force case where decedent had stabbed his father and was restraining mother in
house with him, but evidence was presented that at time of shooting he was
standing rigidly with the knife at his shoulder and had made no movement to
throw knife at officers or advance on them); Bean v. City of Buffalo, No.
90-CV-880S, 1993 U.S. Dist. Lexis 6046, at *13-23 (W.D.N.Y. Apr. 26, 1993)
(denying summary judgment due to "legitimate questions concerning the
immediacy of any threat" by decedent where officers claimed decedent
advanced with knife and ignored commands to drop it, but plaintiff presented
evidence that decedent held knife at her side and was farther away from
officers than they claimed when shot).
III. CONCLUSION
Therefore, for the reasons stated,
IT IS ORDERED that defendants' motion to dismiss for failure to
prosecute is DENIED.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Sullivan's motion for summary
judgment on plaintiff's Fourth Amendment Claim is DENIED, but with respect to
plaintiff's state law claims is GRANTED.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the City's motion for summary
judgment is GRANTED.
Dated at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this 27 day of October, 2003.
LYNN ADELMAN
District Judge
FOOTNOTES:
n1 In his complaint, plaintiff also named the City of Milwaukee as a defendant and alleged that it failed to properly train and supervise Sullivan. Plaintiff also brought state law tort claims against Sullivan. However, plaintiff makes no arguments in support of these claims in response to the motion for summary judgment; thus, he has abandoned them. See Laborers' Int'l Union of N. Am. v. Caruso, 197 F.3d 1195, 1197 (7th Cir. 1999) (stating that arguments not presented to the district court in response to summary judgment motion are waived). Therefore, plaintiff's Fourth Amendment claim against the City and his state law claims against Sullivan will be dismissed.
n2
Defendant also moves to dismiss based on plaintiff's failure to prosecute his
claim and to
comply with discovery
requests. Defendant states that plaintiff has not named an expert witness
regarding proper police procedure, has not conducted discovery, and has not
signed medical authorizations.
Dismissal for failure to prosecute is "an extraordinarily harsh
sanction" and should occur "only in extreme situations, when there is
a clear record of delay or contumacious conduct, or when other less drastic
sanctions have proven unavailable." Dunphy v. McKee, 134 F.3d 1297, 1299
(7th Cir. 1998) (internal quotation marks omitted); see also Crabtree v. Nat'l
Steel Corp., 261 F.3d 715, 720 (7th Cir. 2001) (stating that court should
dismiss based on party's failure to respond to discovery requests only when
party persistently fails to comply and displays wilfulness, bad faith or fault
in doing so). Plaintiff's failures in the present case do not rise to that
level. Defendant cites no authority for the proposition that an expert witness
is required in a deadly or excessive
use of force case, and I have found none. See Robinson v. City of West
Allis, 2000 WI 126, 239 Wis. 2d 595, 601, 611, 619 N.W.2d 692 (2000) (holding
that expert testimony is not mandatory in excessive force case and that
district court erred in granting summary judgment based on plaintiff's failure
to proffer an affidavit from expert countering that offered by defendants); see
also Pena v. Leombruni, 200 F.3d 1031, 1034 (7th Cir. 2000) (holding that
expert testimony was not required because "the question whether the danger
was sufficiently lethal and imminent to justify the use of deadly force was
within lay competence"). Defendant also provides no authority for the
proposition that plaintiff's failure to conduct his own discovery (as opposed
to obstructing defendant's) should result in dismissal. Finally, plaintiff has
indicated that he will sign the requested authorizations, and defendant fails
to demonstrate any bad faith or prejudice resulting from the delay. Therefore,
for all of these reasons, the motion to dismiss will be denied.
n3 Sullivan does not argue that he shot plaintiff because he believed that Krause or anyone else inside the apartment building was in imminent danger of death or serious injury. Nor is there evidence that plaintiff was saying or doing anything indicating that he was about to harm Krause.
n4
Defendant argues that I should grant summary judgment because plaintiff's brief
was not accompanied by various materials required by a local rule. However, the
factual dispute is fairly presented by the record, and I am not obliged to
dismiss for noncompliance with a local rule. See Stanciel v. Gramley, 267 F.3d
575, 579 (7th Cir. 2001).