Carrasco v. Metro Police Dept.
Opinion of the Court
MEMORANDUM
Gilbert Carrasco appeals the district court’s granting of summary judgment in favor of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Officer James Fink (LVMPD) on his civil rights complaint pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983.
I
Carrasco challenges the sufficiency of the Klingele notice that he was sent.
II
Carrasco contends that he should not be accountable for the lack of response to the Requests for Admissions because he may not have received the Requests and there was inadequate “notice” of the consequences of failing to respond. We disagree. That he might not have received the Requests is sheer speculation; nor does any basis appear for faulting the district court for not giving Carrasco more time to respond. He never asked for it. Further, the Requests for Admissions clearly explains at the beginning that the subject matter of the Request would be deemed admitted unless Carrasco denied or objected as set forth in Rule 36 within thirty days.
Beyond this, Carrasco argues that LVMPD’s motion for summary judgment gave him no notice that it was relying on
There is another reason why summary judgment on Carrasco’s excessive force claim cannot stand. It, too, lacks an evidentiary basis, for LVMPD’s memorandum of points and authorities simply attached Fink’s police reports. There was no declaration by Fink about what he saw and did when Carrasco was arrested. The police reports by themselves are unauthenticated hearsay. This leaves as the only admissible evidence the complaint, which was verified, and Carrasco’s opposing papers, which included a statement under penalty of perjury.
Accordingly, the order granting summary judgment must be vacated,
III
Carrasco also argues that the magistrate judge erred by refusing to accept his pro se “amended complaint” for failure to seek leave to file it. While leave to amend was plainly required under Fed.R.Civ.P. 15(a) because an answer had been filed, lodging the amended complaint could have been treated as a request for leave to amend. See Lopez v. Smith, 203 F.3d 1122, 1130 (9th Cir. 2000) (en bane). LVMPD offers no argument that the pleading was otherwise deficient, or that it would have been prejudiced if the amended complaint had been filed. There is no indication that this possibility was considered. Because we are vacating the summary judgment, we also vacate the order refusing to file Carrasco’s amended complaint and remand with instructions that Carrasco be given an opportunity to amend his complaint.
IV
LVMPD’s request for attorney’s fees is denied.
AFFIRMED IN PART; REVERSED IN PART; AND REMANDED WITH INSTRUCTIONS.
Each party shall pay its own costs on appeal.
This disposition is not appropriate for publication and may not be cited to or by the courts of this circuit except as provided by 9th Cir. R. 36-3.
. Carrasco brought the appeal pro se. Pro bono counsel was appointed, and filed supplemental briefs. We have carefully reviewed Carrasco’s pro se briefs and see no basis for reversal on any of the issues raised.
. Klingele v. Eikenberry, 849 F.2d 409 (9th Cir. 1988).
. Given this disposition, we do not reach Carrasco’s contention that there were triable issues of fact as to the reasonableness of the force used by Fink.
. Monell v. Dep’t of Social Services of City of New York, 436 U.S. 658, 98 S.Ct. 2018, 56 L.Ed.2d 611 (1978).
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Gilbert CARRASCO v. METRO POLICE DEPT. JAMES FINK
- Status
- Published