Case: 22-40758 Document: 00517005786 Page: 1 Date Filed: 12/18/2023
United States Court of Appeals
for the Fifth Circuit United States Court of Appeals
Fifth Circuit
____________ FILED
December 18, 2023
No. 22-40758
____________ Lyle W. Cayce
Clerk
Barney Donalson, Jr.,
Plaintiff—Appellant,
versus
Erin McLeaish,
Defendant—Appellee.
______________________________
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Eastern District of Texas
USDC No. 6:22-CV-13
______________________________
Before Higginbotham, Higginson, and Duncan, Circuit Judges.
Per Curiam:*
On January 14, 2020, Barney Joe Donalson, Jr. was arrested at the Van
Zandt County Courthouse in Canton, Texas following his outburst in the
Courthouse hallway. Two years later, Donalson sued Deputy Erin McLeaish,
alleging that she violated his constitutional rights during the arrest.1 The case
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*
This opinion is not designated for publication. See 5th Cir. R. 47.5.
1
Donalson also named Steve Deville as a defendant, but he later dismissed claims
against Deville.
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was referred to a magistrate judge who recommended granting summary
judgment in favor of Deputy McLeaish. The district court adopted the
magistrate’s report and agreed. Donalson appealed.
We find that Donalson failed to demonstrate a genuine dispute of
material fact as to his § 1983 claims and that Deputy McLeaish is entitled to
summary judgment as a matter of law. The district court’s ruling is
AFFIRMED.
I.
A.
Appellant Joe Donalson is a pastor at the New Beginnings Fellowship
Church (NB), located in Houston, Texas. In 2017, NB purchased a property
in Canton, Texas to use as an emergency shelter for hurricane victims or as a
“multipurpose house of worship with a sanctuary and housing for homeless
persons.” However, NB quickly encountered problems with the Canton mu-
nicipal government who quickly filed suit in the 294th Judicial District of
Texas seeking to enjoin NB from occupying the premises without complying
with the relevant health and safety codes. On January 14, 2020, the court
granted the injunction and ordered that NB, and Donalson personally, vacate
the premises.2
The same day the injunction was issued, Donalson went to the Van
Zandt courthouse to try and stay the order. While Donalson spoke with the
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2
The court also ordered that all personal property be removed from the property,
proscribed habituation on the property, prohibited NB and Donalson from performing
work on the property until they acquired the requisite City permits, and mandated that a
third-party inspection be performed once the party was vacated. The court authorized the
City of Canton Police Department to monitor and enter the premises, ordered the City to
disconnect water service to the property, and required prior written authorization before
reconnecting water.
2
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Court Coordinator, Deputy Erin McLeaish approached the pair and re-
quested that Donalson lower his voice because court was in session. After
Donalson explained that he sought an emergency stay and that he “was
told . . . not [to] leave this courthouse until I have a ruling on it,” McLeaish
directed Donalson to sit in a chair several feet away.
Several minutes later, a second officer—Deputy Rule—approached
Donalson while he sat down. Donalson explained to Rule that he sought an
emergency stay, and McLeaish said the presiding judge on the case was not
in the courthouse that day. In a slightly raised voice, Donalson disputed
McLeaish’s explanation and requested to speak with another judge. In re-
sponse, Rule advised Donalson that he “better calm it down because I will
take you out of here.”
Then, Donalson picked up his cell phone from his lap, raised both
hands, and began to hit himself in the head with his hands and phone. He
yelled an expletive, began to writhe in his chair, and rocked himself back and
forth which caused his head to connect with the wall behind him. McLeaish
approached Donalson with her hands outstretched towards his arms but low-
ered, seemingly attempting to stop him from hitting himself. At this point,
Donalson may have tried to bite McLeaish. Rule approached Donalson from
his other side and similarly tried to hold down his arms.
Donalson continued to flail his arms and legs, resist the deputies, and
eventually slid off his chair and threw himself to the ground.3 McLeaish
moved to the ground and tried to restrain Donalson by placing her right knee
onto Donalson’s back or side as she grabbed his left arm and brought it behind
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3
When Donalson launched himself forward, his momentum caused his chair to
move and trip Deputy Rule. Rule fell onto Donalson’s back and Donalson can be heard
crying and saying “ow.” Rule quickly composed herself and moved off Donalson’s back.
Footage shows that the fall caused Donalson to begin bleeding from his face.
3
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his back. Two other officers joined the scuffle to assist Rule and McLeaish,
and the four officers struggled to handcuff Donalson. During the struggle,
McLeaish continued to straddle Donalson’s legs to hold him down.
After approximately thirty seconds, McLeaish successfully
handcuffed Donalson and called for an ambulance. McLeaish remained on
top of Donalson while she put on rubber gloves, secured his handcuffs, and
patted him down. Once another officer arrived to interview Donalson,
McLeaish left the scene. Although Donalson was injured during the
interaction, he refused medical treatment.
Donalson was taken to a local hospital for a mental evaluation. The
hospital determined Donalson did not require medical treatment and
released him into the custody of the sheriff’s department, and he was
transferred to jail. Over the next several months, Donalson claims that he
experienced headaches, back pain, and abdominal pain from the incident.
Medical records indicate Donalson was eventually diagnosed with
headaches, “postconcussion syndrome,” spinal nerve damage, and
gastrointestinal hemorrhage.
B.
Two years later, Donalson sued Deputy McLeaish under
42 U.S.C. § 1983 for violations of his Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment
rights. Donalson claimed that McLeaish violated his Fourth Amendment
rights when she unlawfully detained him by “limit[ing] his movement by
ordering him down a hallway and to sit in a chair,” and by using excessive
force to “slam Donalson on the floor and [cause] serious injury by putting
her knee in the small of his back twisting [sic].”
After the case was referred to a magistrate judge, McLeaish moved for
summary judgment on the basis of qualified immunity and provided three ex-
hibits in support of her motion. Exhibit A is the temporary restraining order
4
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issued on January 14, 2020, enjoining NB, Donalson, and Covenant Commu-
nity of New Beginnings Fellowship/Canton from occupying the aforemen-
tioned property in Canton, Texas. Exhibit B contains McLeaish’s affidavit,
an affidavit of probable cause and an order to detain Donalson, and also in-
corporates three videos provided to the court: (1) Exhibit B.3, labeled “Dep-
uty McLeaish Body Camera Video (1 of 2)”; (2) Exhibit B.4, labeled “Dep-
uty McLeaish Body Camera Video (2 of 2)”; and (3) Exhibit B.5, labeled
“Van Zandt County Courthouse Video.” Exhibit C is an affidavit by
Waynette Barker, the District Court Administrator of Van Zandt County.
The magistrate judge recommended that the district court grant
McLeaish’s motion for summary judgment on both claims. As to Donalson’s
unlawful detention claim, the magistrate judge concluded McLeaish did not
violate Donalson’s constitutional rights by “limit[ing] his movement by
ordering him down a hallway and to sit in a chair.” Regarding the excessive
force claim, the magistrate judge found that McLeaish’s use of force was not
excessive because Donalson presented an objective risk of harm to himself
and the nearby officers by “weaponiz[ing] his cell phone” which justified
using force to restrain him. Once Donalson was on the ground, the magistrate
judge concluded that McLeaish used appropriate force considering
Donalson’s “initial struggle,” the length of time McLeaish kept her knee on
his back, and the time it took to handcuff Donalson and perform a pat down.
Ultimately, the magistrate judge concluded that McLeaish acted as a
reasonable officer under the circumstances and did not use excessive force.4
The district court agreed and granted McLeaish’s motion for summary
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4
The magistrate judge further found that Donalson failed to provide evidence that
McLeaish violated a clearly established right because Donalson provided inapposite case
law to support his claim.
5
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judgment. Donalson filed a motion for reconsideration, which the district
court denied.
On appeal, Donalson argues the district court erred by considering
inadmissible and unreliable evidence and that the record does not support
McLeaish’s entitlement to summary judgment as a matter of law. We
disagree.
II.
The magistrate judge determined that the video evidence from
McLeaish’s body-worn camera and from a hallway camera inside the
courthouse offered “uncontested facts” refuting Donalson’s account of the
event. Because “nothing in the record indicates that [McLeaish’s] knee was
placed on [Donalson’s] back in an aggressive manner or that it was placed for
a reason other than to ensure both [Donalson’s] and the officers’ safety while
assisting with restraining [Donalson],” the magistrate concluded that
Donalson failed to show a genuine dispute of material fact as to the
reasonableness of McLeaish’s use of force and recommended the district
court grant McLeaish’s motion. Without commenting on the footage, the
district court adopted the recommendation.
Donalson now argues the district court erred by considering
McLeaish’s videos for three reasons. First, Donalson argues the footage is
not competent summary judgment evidence because it was unauthenticated.
Although McLeaish did not authenticate the videos before the magistrate
judge, summary judgment evidence need not be in an admissible form so long
as it is capable of being presented in an admissible form at trial.5 This
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5
Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(b)(2) (“A party may object that the material cited to support
or dispute a fact cannot be presented in a form that would be admissible in evidence.”); Lee
v. Offshore Logistical & Transp., L.L.C., 859 F.3d 353, 355 (5th Cir. 2017), as revised (July 5,
2017) (citing 11 Moore’s Federal Practice – Civil ¶ 56.91 (2017)); Allen v. Hays,
6
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approach “allows the court to consider the evidence that would likely be
admitted at trial—as summary judgment is trying to determine if the
evidence admitted at trial would allow a jury to find in favor of the
nonmovant—without imposing” the burdens of trial at an earlier procedural
stage.6 Because McLeaish could have authenticated the videos at trial by
providing an affidavit of their authenticity, Donalson’s argument has no
merit.
Second, Donalson claims McLeaish destroyed or altered the videos
and fraudulently “passed off” her exhibits as the “true and correct copy of
the Van Zandt surveillance videos of the incident.” In support of this
assertion, Donalson claims McLeaish’s body-worn camera footage was
“altered into two separate files, with missing material content both before, in
the middle, and after.” He further argues that Exhibit B.5, the hallway
recording, shows signs of “intentional concealment of material information”
and objects that this recording was not the same as the “full 33-minute long
video that was publicly released without audio.”7
The Court disagrees. Fraud upon the court is a serious accusation, and
Donalson has provided no evidence that the exhibits were improperly
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812 F. App’x 185, 193 (5th Cir. 2020) (“The attached documents, moreover, were properly
before the court on summary judgment, despite their not being authenticated, because
admissible evidence may be submitted in an inadmissible form at the summary judgment
stage.”) (citation and internal quotations omitted); Maurer v. Indep. Town, 870 F.3d 380,
384 (5th Cir. 2017) (“At the summary judgment stage, evidence need not be authenticated
or otherwise presented in an admissible form.”) (citation omitted).
6
Maurer, 870 F.3d at 384.
7
Because McLeaish failed to provide the “full” video, Donalson also argues that
she “failed to make a complete disclosure” pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure
26(a)(1). There is no evidence that McLeaish excluded Exhibit B.5 from her initial
disclosures, and Donalson did not object to her disclosures in his Response to her motion
for summary judgment.
7
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modified; he offers mere “speculative allegations.”8 That McLeaish’s body
camera footage was divided into two recordings does not mean the recordings
were inaccurate or their quality was compromised. Further, aside from the
conclusory allegation that the footage is “missing material content,”
Donalson does not explain what the “material content” is or how it affects
the case at hand. Moreover, the hallway footage captures the entirety of the
encounter, from McLeaish’s initial meeting with Donalson to when he is
escorted out of the building. This footage renders any deficiencies in the
body-worn camera recordings immaterial.
Finally, Donalson’s critique of the hallway recording is likewise
unpersuasive. Exhibit B.5 is a 33-minute recording from a hallway camera
inside the courthouse. Because of its vantage point, the recording captured
the whole encounter. However, Donalson claims that Exhibit B.5 is not the
same recording as the “full” video released by the County and that the
provided video indicated “intentional concealment of material information.”
Donalson provided a YouTube link to the “full” video, which he asserts
shows the scene from a “different angle” and reflects McLeaish using her
knee to restrain Donalson.
The Court has reviewed Donalson’s referenced video and finds that
it is the same recording McLeaish provided as Exhibit B.5. The recordings
contain the same content, are recorded from the same vantage point, and
both bear the indicator “Camera 05.” Donalson’s argument that McLeaish
concealed material by not providing “full” video is baseless.9
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8
See Skiba v. Jacobs Ent., Inc., 587 F. App’x 136, 139 (5th Cir. 2014).
9
For the same reason, Donalson’s accusations provide no basis to remand for
another evidentiary hearing nor to supplement the appellate record.
8
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III.
Donalson also contends that the record did not support the district
court’s grant of summary judgment because there is a genuine dispute as to
whether McLeaish used excessive force. This Court reviews a district court’s
grant of summary judgment de novo and disagrees with Donalson.10
A.
42 U.S.C. § 1983 imposes liability for the “deprivation of any rights,
privileges or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws” caused by
any person acting “under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom,
or usage, of any State.”11 To prevail on a § 1983 claim, the plaintiff must
establish: (1) a violation of a right secured by the Constitution or laws of the
United States, and (2) that was committed by a person acting under color of
state law.12 Donalson claims McLeaish violated his Fourth and Fourteenth
Amendment rights to be free from unlawful detention and excessive use of
force.
The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable searches and
seizures.13 A “seizure” occurs when, “taking into account all of the
circumstances surrounding the encounter, the police conduct would ‘have
communicated to a reasonable person that he was not at liberty to ignore the
police presence and go about his business.’”14 Seizures are unlawful if,
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10
Aguirre v. City of San Antonio, 995 F.3d 395, 405 (5th Cir. 2021).
11
42 U.S.C. § 1983.
12
Salazar-Limon v. City of Houston, 826 F.3d 272, 277–78 (5th Cir. 2016), as revised
(June 16, 2016).
13
U.S. Const., amend. IV.
14
Kaupp v. Texas, 538 U.S. 626, 629 (2003) (citing Florida v. Bostick, 501 U.S. 429,
437 (1991)); see also United States v. Mendenhall, 446 U.S. 544 (1980).
9
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depending on the circumstances, the officer lacked reasonable suspicion or
probable cause to detain the individual.15
Any claim “that law enforcement officers have used excessive force—
deadly or not—in the course of an arrest, investigatory stop, or other seizure
of a free citizen should be analyzed under the Fourth Amendment and its
reasonableness standard.”16 To establish a Fourth Amendment violation
based on an officer’s use of excessive force, the plaintiff must show: (1) an
injury; (2) “which resulted from the use of force that was clearly excessive to
the need;” (3) “the excessiveness of which was objectively unreasonable.”17
At summary judgment, the movant must show that there is no genuine
dispute as to any material fact and that the movant is entitled to judgment as
a matter of law.18 The Court reviews all facts in the light most favorable to
the nonmoving party.19 However, when a public official asserts the qualified
immunity defense, the burden shifts to the plaintiff to show that: (1) the
official violated a statutory or constitutional right; and (2) the right was
“clearly established” at the time of the challenged conduct.20 Under this
burden shifting regime, the public official asserting qualified immunity does
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15
See generally Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 (1968) (justifying on-the-street stops based
on reasonable suspicion that crime is afoot); Allen v. Hays, 65 F.4th 736, 746 (5th Cir. 2023)
(“An arrest is unlawful if the officer did not have probable cause.”).
16
Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386, 395 (1989).
17
Ramirez v. Martinez, 716 F.3d 369, 377 (5th Cir. 2013) (quoting Rockwell v. Brown,
664 F.3d 985, 991 (5th Cir. 2011)).
18
Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a).
19
First Colony Life Ins. Co. v. Sanford, 555 F.3d 177, 181 (5th Cir. 2009).
20
Bazan ex rel. Bazan v. Hidalgo Cnty., 246 F.3d 481, 489 (5th Cir. 2001) (citing
Salas v. Carpenter, 980 F.2d 299, 306 (5th Cir. 1992)).
10
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not bear the initial burden of showing “an absence of genuine disputes of
material fact and entitlement to judgment as a matter of law.”21
This Court will review the evidence in light most favorable to
Donalson and will draw all reasonable inferences in his favor, but Donalson
still bears the burden of pointing to “specific evidence” in the record that
demonstrates a genuine dispute of material fact as to a constitutional injury
that was clearly established at the time of the alleged violation.22 Moreover,
“when there is video evidence in the record, courts are not bound to accept
the nonmovant’s version of the facts if it is contradicted by the video.”23
However, when video evidence is ambiguous or incomplete, “a court should
not discount the nonmoving party’s story unless the video evidence provides
so much clarity that a reasonable jury could not believe his account.”24
B.
The district court granted McLeaish’s motion for summary judgment
on Donalson’s unlawful seizure and excessive force claims. In his briefing
before the Court, Donalson does not appeal the district court’s dismissal of
his unlawful seizure claim.25 Thus, only the excessive force claim is before us.
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21
Id.
22
Orr v. Copeland, 844 F.3d 484, 490 (5th Cir. 2016).
23
Crane v. City of Arlington, Tex., 50 F.4th 453, 461–62 (5th Cir. 2022), cert. denied
Arlington, TX v. Crane, No. 22-1151, 2023 WL 7117014 (U.S. Oct. 30, 2023).
24
Darden v. City of Fort Worth, 880 F.3d 722, 730 (5th Cir. 2018).
25
Despite noting that “this case also presents the issue of whether Donalson was
subjected to a false arrest when [O]fficer McLeaish directed him to sit by himself in a chair
in the Van Zandt County Courthouse hallway,” Donalson did not brief this issue. This
Court will not address issues not raised in the initial appellate brief. See Reagan Nat’l
Advert. Of Austin, Inc. v. City of Austin, 64 F.4th 287, 291 (5th Cir. 2023) (“Ordinarily,
‘[a]n appellant abandons all issues not raised and argued in its initial brief on appeal.’”)
(citing Cinel v. Connick, 15 F.3d 1338, 1345 (5th Cir. 1994)).
11
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Donalson bears the burden of pointing to “specific evidence” of:
(1) his injury; (2) “which resulted from the use of force that was clearly
excessive to the need;” and (3) “the excessiveness of which was objectively
unreasonable.”26 As evidence of his injury, Donalson directs this Court to his
records, which reflect diagnoses ranging from headache and trauma to acute
lower GI bleeding. He also points to the video evidence, which he describes
as “portray[ing] a prone Donalson lying under McLeaish and several other
officers lying in a pool of blood.”
It is indisputable that Donalson was injured during the scuffle at the
courthouse. As Donalson points out, his injuries are apparent from the videos
that show pools of blood underneath Donalson’s head and significant blood
on his face. But as McLeaish notes, Donalson “caused injury to himself”
when he hit himself in the head with his cell phone, “thrashed” around in his
chair, and propelled himself onto the ground. The footage underscores
McLeaish’s account: Donalson hit himself in the head repeatedly and
forcefully rocked back forward and backward in his chair, seemingly hitting
his head against the wall. Furthermore, the footage shows that it was
Donalson, not McLeaish or Rule, who pulled himself to the floor. When he
hit the ground, Donalson injured his face, which is captured clearly by the
hallway camera.
Next, Donalson contends that his more serious injuries, i.e., the spinal
and intestinal injuries, occurred once he was on the ground when McLeaish
“lifted one of her knees and struck Donalson in the back injuring his spine
and small intestine.” Donalson claims he was not resisting when McLeaish
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26
Orr, 844 F.3d at 490; Ramirez, 716 F.3d at 377 (quoting Rockwell, 664 F.3d at
991).
12
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delivered her “knee strike assault,” and that the video footage “removes any
doubts” as to the force used.
Even accepting that Donalson sustained serious injuries, we cannot
say that McLeaish used excessive force. “Excessive force claims are
necessarily fact-intensive; whether the force used is ‘excessive’ or
‘unreasonable’ depends on ‘the facts and circumstances of each particular
case.’”27 Whether an officer acted reasonably is a totality of the
circumstances assessment, but relevant factors include “the severity of the
crime at issue, whether the suspect poses an immediate threat to the safety
of the officers or others, and whether he is actively resisting arrest or
attempting to evade arrest by flight.”28
Although Donalson had committed no crime, we agree with the
district court that he posed a threat to himself and others when he
“weaponized” his phone.29 Donalson posed a threat to his own safety as soon
as he began hitting himself in the head with a hard object, thrashing his body
in the chair, and hitting his head against the wall. Donalson did not merely
“tap[] his forehead” with the phone; audio from McLeaish’s body camera
captured the sound of Donalson’s phone hitting his head five times before
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27
Scott v. City of Mandeville, 69 F.4th 249, 256 (5th Cir. 2023) (citing Deville v.
Marcantel, 567 F.3d 156, 167 (5th Cir. 2009) (per curiam)).
28
Graham, 490 U.S. at 396 (citing Tennessee v. Garner, 471 U.S. 1, 8–9 (1986).
29
We further note that given Donalson’s behavior—including his physical
movements and yells—the deputies could have reasonably believed he presented a
substantial risk of harm to himself and, as such, were legally authorized to detain Donalson
at that point. See Tex. Health & Safety Code § 573.001 (authorizing a peace
officer, without a warrant, to take a person into custody if the officer has reason to believe
and does believe “the person is a person with mental illness,” “because of that mental
illness there is a substantial risk of serious harm to the person or to others unless the person
is immediately restrained,” and “believes that there is not sufficient time to obtain a
warrant before taking the person into custody”).
13
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McLeaish approached him. The same clip reflects Donalson moving his head
backwards and connecting with the wall.
Furthermore, Donalson’s actions threatened the deputies’ safety.
When McLeaish attempted to hold his arm down, Donalson appeared to have
tried to bite her. He continued to wave his phone and arms violently, and in
doing so, brought his fist close to Rule’s head as she tried to restrain him.
When he launched himself out of his chair, Donalson brought Rule down with
him.30 Because Donalson presented an objective risk of harm to himself and
the deputies, McLeaish had cause to temporarily restrain him.31
The footage also indicates that McLeaish used minimal force when
restraining Donalson. While Donalson was flailing in the chair, McLeaish
approached him with her arms lowered; she limited her physical contact at
first to his arms and wrists. Only when Donalson moved to the ground did
McLeaish exert more force by using her right knee to hold Donalson down
while she attempted to bring his left arm behind his back.32 Once Donalson
was handcuffed, McLeaish remained on Donalson’s back for approximately
one more minute while she put on rubber gloves, adjusted Donalson’s
handcuffs, and performed a pat down. Once McLeaish completed her frisk,
she stood up, thus removing any weight from Donalson.
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30
Contrary to Donalson’s assertion that “Deputy McLeaish and several other law
enforcement officers pulled Donalson out of the chair onto the floor and piled on top of
him,” the video shows that neither Deputy McLeaish nor Deputy Rule pulled him towards
the ground. To the contrary, Donalson pulled Rule down.
31
See Tex. Health & Safety Code § 573.001.
32
Although the audio records Donalson stating “I’m not resisting,” the video
shows Deputies Rule and McLeaish, as well as two other officers who came to support
them, struggling to clasp the handcuffs.
14
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In sum, less than three minutes passed between the moment when
Donalson threw himself onto the ground and when Deputy McLeaish
stopped exerting force. During this time, the body-worn camera and hallway
recordings show that McLeaish placed her knee on Donalson’s back for
approximately two and a half minutes. Although minutes may feel longer in
the moment, McLeaish did not exert any more force than was needed to
secure Donalson’s handcuffs, don rubber gloves, and perform a pat down.
Finally, although the footage shows McLeaish used her knee to
restrain Donalson, it does not support Donalson’s contention that she “twice
lifted one of her knees and struck Donalson in the back injuring his spine and
small intestine.” In fact, the footage contradicts his claims. Thus, even
viewing the facts in the light most favorable to Donalson, his allegations are
refuted by the video evidence such that no reasonable jury could believe his
account.
Donalson bore the burden of demonstrating McLeaish’s use of force
was “clearly excessive.” He has not done so.
IV.
Law enforcement officers must use no more force than is necessary to
restrain individuals. The video evidence conclusively supports this Court’s
conclusions that Donalson presented a threat to himself and Deputies
McLeaish and Rule, McLeaish exerted a reasonable amount of force to
restrain Donalson, and she ceased doing so as soon as Donalson was secured.
Under these circumstances, McLeaish is entitled to qualified immunity.
Accordingly, the district court’s ruling is AFFIRMED.
15