United States Court of Appeals
For the First Circuit
No. 21-2007
STEVEN PUNSKY,
Plaintiff, Appellant,
v.
CITY OF PORTLAND; PTL KIM ANN DONNEL; PTL DARREL GIBSON; SGT
JACOB TITCOMB; CHIEF VERN MALLOCH; SGT CHRIS DYER; PTL JONATHAN
JAMES LACKEE,
Defendants, Appellees.
APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF MAINE
[Hon. Nancy Torresen, U.S. District Judge]
Before
Lynch, Thompson, and Gelpí,
Circuit Judges.
Jeffrey Bennett, with whom Legal-Ease, LLC, P.A. was on brief,
for appellant.
John J. Wall, with whom Monaghan Leahy, LLP was on brief, for
appellees.
November 29, 2022
GELPÍ, Circuit Judge. Steven Punsky ("Appellant" or
"Punsky") brought various constitutional claims under 42 U.S.C.
§ 1983 in the United States District Court for the District of
Maine, alleging violations of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments
of the U.S. Constitution, as well as state law tort claims under
the Maine Civil Rights Act ("MCRA"), Me. Stat. tit. 5, § 4682,
against the City of Portland and six city police officers: Kimberly
Donnell, Darrel Gibson, Jacob Titcomb, Vern Malloch, Chris Dyer,
and Jonathan Lackee (collectively, "Appellees" or "officers").
Punsky alleged that the officers violated his constitutional
rights when they left him standing in socks in freezing
temperatures for approximately twenty-six minutes while they
investigated a domestic violence incident in which he was involved.
The district court entered summary judgment in favor of Appellees
on the basis of qualified immunity, finding that their actions
were "objectively, legally reasonable" in the unique circumstances
present. As to the state law tort claims, the district court held
likewise that Appellees were immune. This appeal followed.
I. Background
A. Domestic Violence Incident at Appellant's Residence
On December 31, 2017, the Portland Police Department
("PPD") received a call alerting of a domestic violence incident
involving Appellant. When dispatch notified Appellees of the
event, it cautioned that the occupants of the house had been
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drinking, they were wrestling on the floor, and the address was
"flagged" for firearms.1 Upon arrival, the PPD officers observed
two males, Appellant and his son, brawling on the kitchen floor.
Appellant had a scar on his face and was bleeding. Officer Lackee
ordered him to get off his son immediately and to lie down.
However, Appellant was noncompliant, verbally aggressive, and
threatening to the officers. Specifically, he shouted at Officer
Lackee, "I'm not laying on the floor in my own house."
Furthermore, he warned Officer Lackee that if he dared tase him,
it would be the "worst mistake of his life" as he would "com[e]
after" him. After some back and forth talk with Appellant,
Lieutenant Kevin Cashman (who had just arrived at the scene and is
not a party to the suit) persuaded him to step outside of the house
to talk.2 It was a cold night -- around zero degrees Fahrenheit
at 9:00 PM and there was snow on the ground. Appellant at the
time was wearing socks, a long-sleeved shirt, and shorts.
Consequently, within a minute of stepping outside, Officer Lackee
and Lieutenant Cashman offered him shoes, which he refused to
accept. In the meantime, inside the house, Officers Gibson and
A "flagged" residence indicates that on a prior occasion an
1
officer was dispatched to the residence and learned that at least
one occupant kept a firearm thereat.
Appellant contends that an officer pointed a taser at him
2
outside of his home, although he was unable to identify said
officer. There is no record evidence that a taser was ever used.
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Donnell interviewed Appellant's wife and son. Appellant's wife
validated that there were firearms inside the house and that she
hid them from Appellant because she felt worried about him having
access to them. She also told the officers that Appellant had
been drinking. Their son added that he fought his dad to defend
his mother after Appellant "had gotten into her face and poked
her." After approximately nine minutes had elapsed since Appellant
was taken outside, a Portland Fire Department paramedic arrived at
the scene and evaluated him for any possible injuries. Appellant
stated that he was fine and felt no pain "whatsoever." Moreover,
the paramedic also offered Appellant shoes, which he said he did
not want and that he did not care about the cold. The paramedic
additionally offered to take him to the ambulance, but he declined,
stating again that he was fine. The paramedic asked Punsky
questions to elicit whether he was oriented in space and time. He
determined that Punsky was competent, aware of his surroundings,
and had decision-making capability.
Following his medical assessment, Appellant started
walking towards his house when Appellees told him to back up since
by then they had determined that he was the primary aggressor in
the fight with his son. The officers, proceeded to arrest him,
and once again he began to threaten the officers, telling them
that tasing him would "be the worst fucking mistake of [their]
li[ves]" and that they would lose their jobs. Thereafter, the
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officers decided that they needed to place Appellant in an arrest
wagon rather than a cruiser for he was being too aggressive, and
the officers feared a physical altercation would occur.3 As the
officers awaited the arrival of the arrest wagon, Appellant
remained confrontational and verbally combative, swearing at the
officers. In the interim, he briefly mentioned an alleged mental
health disorder to the officers.4 Concerned about Appellant's
incessant refusal to put on shoes, Appellees placed a pair of
sneakers next to him, but he declined to put them on. At no point
did he complain about the shoes being too small. He later
protested about "hav[ing] stocking feet," to which the officers
responded, "You don't have to have stocking feet. We've asked you
if you wanted sneakers five times now."
Appellees' version of what transpired is supported by
body camera audio and video, in which they (we infer from the
recordings that it was either Officer Gibson and/or Officer
Donnell) offered Appellant footwear at least eight times
throughout the interaction. Each time, Appellant dismissed the
offer or ignored it. Appellant told them that he "d[id not] need
3 According to the record, Punsky stands at 6'3" and weighed
approximately 360 pounds at the time of the incident.
4 Punsky mentioned to an officer (likely Officer Gibson as
the audio recording came from his body camera) his alleged mental
health condition, to which the officer responded, "I'm not
medically trained so I can't really help you . . . ."
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[their] goddamn shoes," "d[id] not need any help," and "d[id] not
want [the] shoes."
The officers did not consider bringing Appellant back
into the house because his aggressive behavior posed a safety
concern not only for the officers but for Appellant's wife and son
who were fearful of his violent behavior. Moreover, the arrest
wagon arrived at the scene quickly, rendering unnecessary any
attempt to bring Appellant into the house and conduct a house
sweep. Appellant was then taken to Maine Medical Center for
further evaluation. Upon discharge, Appellees took him to the
Cumberland County Jail and he was charged with domestic assault.
Despite making no complaints about the cold or pain in either foot,
Appellant sustained frostbite and injuries to both feet.5
B. Procedural History
Punsky initially filed the instant action against
Appellees in Maine state court. Appellees timely removed the same
to the United States District Court for the District of Maine.
Shortly after, Appellant filed his second amended complaint, in
which he pled seven counts which included § 1983 claims of
excessive force and supervisory liability in violation of the
Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments, as well as a violation of the
5 There is no evidence on the record that describes the extent
of said injuries.
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MCRA (Me. Stat. tit. 5, § 4682).6 Subsequently, Appellees moved
for summary judgment, which the district court granted as to all
claims. In its ratio decidendi, the district court explained that
Appellees were entitled to qualified immunity because the "actions
taken by the police in the unique circumstances of this case were
objectively, legally reasonable" and "a reasonable officer would
not have understood that his or her conduct violated [Appellant's]
constitutional rights[.]" Punsky timely appealed, solely
6 Punsky brought the following claims before the district
court: 1) Excessive Force; 2) Assault; 3) Battery; 4) Intentional
Infliction of Emotional Distress; 5) Negligent Infliction of
Emotional Distress; 6) MCRA (Me. Stat. tit. 5, § 4682); and 7) 42
U.S.C. § 1983 violations. As to the excessive force in violation
of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments claim, Punsky argued that
Appellees "unreasonably" and "improperly" restrained him and
caused "serious bodily injury" after leaving him standing barefoot
in "below freezing temperatures." Similarly, in the state civil
rights count, Punsky contended that the City of Portland adopted
a custom of mistreating individuals under custody, leading to an
unconstitutional custom or policy. Regarding the assault count,
Punsky alleged that Officers Donnell, Dyer, Gibson, Titcomb, and
Lackee "recklessly and intentionally placed [him] in reasonable
apprehension of injury by surrounding his person, insulting him,
threatening him with a taser[,] and forcing him to stand barefoot."
Additionally, Punsky pled a battery claim for "offensive" and
"harmful" contact when he got handcuffed. The complaint also
included claims for "severe emotional distress" due to Appellees'
conduct. Lastly, the complaint brought a § 1983 supervisory
violation count against Chief Vern Malloch for his failure to act
and promulgate appropriate policies within the police department.
The district court twice denied Punsky leave to further amend
his second amended complaint specifically to add a claim under the
"special relationship doctrine."
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challenging the grant of summary judgment as to the officers'
actions under § 1983 and the state law.7
II. Standard of Review
We review a district court's entry of summary judgment
on qualified immunity grounds de novo. Est. of Rahim v. Doe, 51
F.4th 402, 410 (1st Cir. 2022). We will affirm "only when the
record, read in the light most favorable to the nonmovant, presents
no genuine issues as to any material fact" and the moving party is
entitled "to judgment as a matter of law." Morse v. Cloutier, 869
F.3d 16, 22 (1st Cir. 2017); see also Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a).
III. Discussion
A. Qualified Immunity
Public officials are immune under the doctrine of
qualified immunity if sued in their individual capacities unless
"(1) they violated a federal statutory or constitutional right,
and (2) the unlawfulness of their conduct was 'clearly established
at the time.'" Irish v. Fowler, 979 F.3d 65, 76 (1st Cir. 2020)
(quoting District of Columbia v. Wesby, 138 S. Ct. 577, 589
(2018)). When considering the first prong, we must decide whether
the facts alleged by Appellant "make out a violation of a
7Punsky brought excessive force and unreasonable seizure
claims but has not appealed the district court's grant of summary
judgment to Appellees on those claims. The same are thus, not
properly before us. See United States v. Zannino, 895 F.2d 1, 17
(1st Cir. 1990).
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constitutional right." Rocket Learning, Inc. v. Rivera-Sánchez,
715 F.3d 1, 8 (1st Cir. 2013) (quoting Maldonado v. Fontanes, 568
F.3d 263, 269 (1st Cir. 2009)). Under the second prong, we
consider "two related aspects." Id. at 9. The first relates to
the "clarity of the law at the time of the alleged violation" while
the second "considers the specific facts of the case at bar." Id.
In regards to the first aspect of the second prong, a "clearly
established" right is one that is "sufficiently clear" such that
"every reasonable official would have understood that what he is
doing violates that right." Stamps v. Town of Framingham, 813
F.3d 27, 34 (1st Cir. 2016) (quoting Mullenix v. Luna, 577 U.S. 7,
11 (2015)). Under the second aspect of the second prong, "[t]he
relevant, dispositive inquiry in determining whether a right is
clearly established is whether it would be clear to a reasonable
[official] that his conduct was unlawful in the situation he
confronted." Rocket Learning, 715 F.3d at 9 (quoting Maldonado,
568 F.3d at 269) (alterations in original). The plaintiff must
satisfy both aspects of the second prong to demonstrate that the
law was clearly established. Id. at 8-9.
Because we can resolve the qualified immunity challenge
considering the prongs in any order, Glik v. Cunniffe, 655 F.3d
78, 81 (1st Cir. 2011), we start (and finish) by analyzing the
second aspect of the second prong: whether it would be clear to a
reasonable officer that his or her conduct violated Appellant's
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constitutional rights. Penate v. Hanchett, 944 F.3d 358, 366 (1st
Cir. 2019).
We find that under the particular circumstances that
Appellees found themselves in, a reasonable officer in their
positions could have not concluded that keeping Appellant standing
with socks in cold temperatures was unlawful, especially after
offering him footwear multiple times since the outset. Let's
recall what transpired that turbulent night. PPD officers
responded to a call that alerted of a domestic violence incident
at Punsky's residence. The officers were informed beforehand that
someone in the house possessed firearms. Upon arriving to the
scene, Punsky and his son were fighting on the floor. After a
standoff in the house in which Punsky threatened and disobeyed the
officers' commands, Appellees were able to remove him from the
house. His wife and son felt threatened by him and feared for
their well-being. Appellant's wife further confirmed to Officers
Donell and Gibson that there were firearms inside the home.
Appellant argues that the district court erred in
granting summary judgment because doing so required the court to
resolve several factual disputes in the officers' favor. We
disagree. Nearly immediately after stepping outside, Appellees
offered Punsky shoes, which he declined repeatedly. Instead, he
kept acting in a violent manner, often threating the officers by
stating, for example, "It's war and that's all I'm going to say."
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Appellees took steps to ensure that Punsky was protected from the
elements -- on at least eight occasions they offered shoes, which
Appellant declined, and even brought a pair of sneakers to Punsky,
which he rejected. When the paramedic arrived, Appellant was
evaluated and asked if he was in pain, to which he indicated
otherwise.8 Furthermore, Punsky did not show any signs of
emotional distress or disorientation. He was later taken to Maine
Medical Center for further assessment.
Qualified immunity exists to shield all defendants
except those who are "plainly incompetent" or "who knowingly
violate the law." Eves v. LePage, 927 F.3d 575, 583 (1st Cir.
2019) (quoting White v. Pauly, 580 U.S. 73, 79 (2017)). Here, the
officers acted in an objectively reasonable manner responding to
a "dangerous, rapidly evolving situation[]" in which Appellant
engaged in loathsome behavior against his wife and son. Est. of
Rahim, 51 F.4th at 410 ("[The reasonableness] requirement provides
'breathing room' to officers -- who are often called on to respond
to dangerous, rapidly evolving situations[.]") We thus conclude
that any reasonable officer would have objectively believed that
his or her actions did not violate Appellant's constitutional
rights. Appellees are thus entitled to qualified immunity.
8 Appellant complained about some neck and back pain while
the arrest was unfolding, but, as he stated, it was unrelated to
the events that unfolded that night.
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B. Maine Tort Claims
Additionally, Appellant brought tort claims against
Appellees. Appellees argued in their motion for summary judgment
that they were "absolutely immune" because they had engaged in
discretionary acts protected by state law. Appellant failed to
contest said assertion and thus the district court concluded that
the claim has been waived and entered summary judgment in
Appellees' favor. We agree. On appeal, Appellant posits that the
district court erred in granting tort immunity to Appellees because
holding him outside for twenty-six minutes in freezing
temperatures exceeded the officers' discretionary functions.
However, he did not address the waiver issue before us and,
although he attempts for the first time to respond to Appellees'
argument on the merits, "[a]ppellants cannot raise an argument on
appeal that was not 'squarely and timely raised in the trial
court.'" Carrozza v. CVS Pharmacy, Inc., 992 F.3d 44, 59 (1st
Cir. 2021) (alteration in original) (quoting Thomas v. Rhode
Island, 542 F.3d 944, 949 (1st Cir. 2008)). That ends the matter.
IV. Conclusion
For all the above, we affirm the district court's grant
of summary judgment.
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