No. 24-492

Marino Scafidi v. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, et al.

Lower Court: Ninth Circuit
Docketed: 2024-10-31
Status: Granted
Type: Paid
Response Waived Experienced Counsel
Tags: civil-rights material-fact nonmovant-evidence probable-cause summary-judgment supreme-court-precedent
Latest Conference: N/A
Question Presented (from Petition)

1. Whether the Ninth Circuit's decision, clearly ignoring the nonmovant's (petitioner-plaintiff's) theories of prosecution and factual evidence set forth in his sworn affidavits and answers to interrogatories, violated the Supreme Court precedent regarding "the axiom that in ruling on a motion for summary-judgment, '[t]he evidence of the nonmovant is to be believed, and all justifiable inferences are to be drawn in his favor.'" Tolan v. Cotton, supra, 134 S. Ct. at 1863, quoting Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., supra, 477 U.S. at 255 ... the court may not ignore the plaintiffs' evidence, which includes sworn affidavits and answers to interrogatories ... Tolan, 572 U.S. at 657 ("By failing to credit evidence that contradicted some of its key factual conclusions, the court improperly 'weighted] the evidence' and resolved disputed issues in favor of the moving party").

2. Whether the Ninth Circuit's decision conflicts with Supreme Court precedent regarding the "general rule that a 'judge's function' at summary judgment is not 'to weigh the evidence and determine the truth of the matter but to determine whether there is a genuine issue for trial.' Anderson, 477 U.S., at 249. summary judgment is appropriate only if 'the movant shows that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.' [FRCP] 56(a). ... a court must view the evidence 'in the light most favorable to the opposing party.' Adickes v. S.H. Kress & Co., 398 U.S. 144,157,90 S. Ct. 1598... (1970); see also Anderson, supra, at 255." Tolan v. Cotton, supra, 134 S. Ct. at 1866.

3. Whether the Ninth Circuit's decision in this case violated Supreme Court precedent regarding "the fundamental principle that at the summary judgment stage, reasonable inferences should be drawn in favor of the nonmoving party." Tolan v. Cotton, supra, 134 S. Ct. at 1868.

4. Whether this Court must exercise its supervisory power because this Ninth Circuit decision creates intra-circuit conflict because it deliberately or recklessly ignored the former Ninth Circuit's final decision that correctly reversed the district court's prior clearly erroneous grant of summary judgment to the respondents when it concluded with regard to the same fabricated evidence and unlawful arrest issue(s) that "Scafidi's allegations of 'fabricated evidence, or other wrongful conduct undertaken in bad faith' create a triable issue of material fact as to probable cause. If credited, Scafidi's affidavit establishes several acts of affirmative misconduct that could cause a reasonable juror to conclude that the police defendants acted in bad faith." Scafidi v. Las Vegas Metro. Police Dep't, 966 F.3d 960 (9th Cir. 2020). In other words, does collateral estoppel prevent the respondents from re-litigating the same constitutional claims/issues when the Ninth Circuit's former final judgment concluded that Scafidi's evidence created triable issues of material fact as to whether the respondents fabricated evidence and had probable cause to arrest?

5. Whether this Court must exercise its supervisory powers when the Ninth Circuit's decision creates inter-circuit conflict when

Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether the Ninth Circuit violated Supreme Court precedent by improperly weighing evidence and failing to draw justifiable inferences in favor of the nonmovant at summary judgment

Docket Entries

2024-12-09
Petition DENIED.
2024-11-19
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 12/6/2024.
2024-11-12
Waiver of Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, et al. of right to respond submitted.
2024-11-12
Waiver of right of respondent Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, et al. to respond filed.
2024-10-25
2024-09-18
Application (24A268) to file petition for a writ of certiorari in excess of word limits granted by Justice Kagan. The petition for a writ of certiorari may not exceed 13,000 words.
2024-09-11
Application (24A268) to file petition for a writ of certiorari in excess of word limits, submitted to Justice Kagan.
2024-07-11
Application (24A32) granted by Justice Kagan extending the time to file until October 28, 2024.
2024-07-08
Application (24A32) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from August 29, 2024 to October 28, 2024, submitted to Justice Kagan.

Attorneys

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, et al.
Craig Richard AndersonMarquis Aurbach Coffing, Respondent
Marino Scafidi
Marino Scafidi — Petitioner