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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-1284 - Surat v. Klamser, et al - 010 - Response to Motion to Dismiss AppealUNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT MICHAELA LYNN SURAT, Plaintiff-Appellee/Appellee, v. RANDALL KLAMSER, in his individual capacity, Defendant-Appellant/Appellant, and CITY OF FORT COLLINS, COLORADO, a municipality, Defendant Case No. 21-1284 On appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Colorado District Court No. 19-CV-00901 The Honorable William J. Martinez, United States District Judge DEFENDANT-APPELLANT RANDALL KLAMSER’S RESPONSE TO PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE’S MOTION TO DISMISS APPEAL Defendant-Appellant RANDALL KLAMSER, in his individual capacity, by and through his attorneys, Andrew D. Ringel, Esq. and Mark S. Ratner, Esq. of Hall & Evans, L.L.C., and John R. Duval, Esq. of the Fort Collins City Attorney’s Office, Appellate Case: 21-1284 Document: 010110588756 Date Filed: 10/11/2021 Page: 1 2 hereby submit this Response in Opposition to Plaintiff-Appellee’s Motion To Dismiss Appeal as follows: INTRODUCTION AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY Plaintiff-Appellee Michaela Lynn Surat (“Plaintiff” or “Ms. Surat”) filed this action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 alleging Defendant-Appellant Randall Klamser violated her constitutional rights. Specifically, Plaintiff alleges Officer Klamser violated her Fourth Amendment rights for using a rowing arm take-down maneuver during her arrest on April 6, 2017. Ms. Surat was found guilty after a criminal jury trial of violating C.R.S. § 18-8-103 (1) (using or threatening to use physical force or violence against a peace officer or using any other means which creates a substantial risk of causing bodily injury to the peace officer or another) and C.R.S. § 18-8- 104(1)(a) (using or threatening to use violence, force, physical interference or an obstacle to knowingly obstruct, impair, or hinder the enforcement of the penal law or the preservation of the peace by a peace officer acting under color of his or her official authority). In addition, the criminal jury rejected Ms. Surat’s assertion of self-defense which in this context was premised on Ms. Surat’s allegation Officer Klamser used excessive force. See C.R.S. § 18-8-103(2). On June 7, 2019, Officer Klamser filed a Motion to Dismiss [the “2019 Motion to Dismiss”] arguing Plaintiff-Appellee’s excessive force claim was barred Appellate Case: 21-1284 Document: 010110588756 Date Filed: 10/11/2021 Page: 2 3 by Heck v. Humphrey, 512 U.S. 477 (1994), [ECF 23]1, based on Plaintiff’s convictions for resisting arrest and obstruction. Officer Klamser’s entitlement to qualified immunity was not argued in the 2019 Motion to Dismiss. On February 24, 2020, following briefing on the 2019 Motion to Dismiss [ECF 28 & 34], the District Court issued its Order granting in part and denying in part the Motion. As is pertinent to the request for qualified immunity and this appeal, the District Court held Plaintiff-Appellee’s claim of excessive force arising prior to Officer Klamser’s takedown of Ms. Surat was barred by Heck, and as a result the remaining claim was limited to the question of whether Officer Klamser used greater force than reasonably necessary to overcome Plaintiff’s resistance during the takedown [ECF 84, at 10-13 (“In this light, the Court deems Surat to confess Defendant’s Heck argument as to everything before the takedown, and Defendants’ motion will be granted with prejudice as to any claim of excessive force based on Klamser’s alleged pre-takedown actions”)]. In so holding, the District Court cautioned Plaintiff she faced a “formidable burden” under Heck, which burden would be even more formidable if Officer Klamser subsequently raised the defense of qualified immunity. [ECF 84, at 15 (“Finally, if Klamser ever asserts qualified 1 References to the record before the District Court are made to the Electronic Case File (“ECF”) document number in the District Court. Appellate Case: 21-1284 Document: 010110588756 Date Filed: 10/11/2021 Page: 3 4 immunity (he has not done so in the Motion to Dismiss), then Surat’s burden is even more formidable. She must prove that it was clearly established as of April 6, 2017, that a police officer attempting to effect a arrest and being subjected to or threatened with physical force or violence, or facing a substantial risk of bodily injury, and who has already tried lesser force to subdue the arrestee, cannot use the takedown maneuver used in this case to eliminate that actual or threatened risk of injury.”). Plaintiff subsequently filed a First Amended Complaint on August 24, 2020, and on September 14, 2020, Officer Klamser [and Defendant, the City of Fort Collins] filed a Motion to Dismiss [“2020 Motion to Dismiss”]. Discovery concluded, and pursuant to the Scheduling Order, Officer Klamser filed a Motion for Summary Judgment seeking qualified immunity, while the Motion to Dismiss was still pending. Among the issues presented, Officer Klamser argued there was no clearly established law making his actions unconstitutional, given the Supreme Court’s ruling in Heck, and Plaintiff’s convictions for resisting arrest and obstruction, both of which contained elements of violence and physical force aimed at Officer Klamser as the arresting officer. Officer Klamser framed his qualified immunity argument in the terms outlined by the District Court and quoted above. On April 12, 2021, the District Court denied the 2020 Motion to Dismiss without prejudice, as moot. The denial was based on the determination the Motion Appellate Case: 21-1284 Document: 010110588756 Date Filed: 10/11/2021 Page: 4 5 for Summary Judgment raised the same arguments as the 2020 Motion to Dismiss, and therefore superseded the Motion [ECF 150]. On July 13, 2021, the District Court denied Officer Klamser’s Motion for Summary Judgment, including his request for qualified immunity, without addressing Appellant’s argument pursuant to Heck, or Appellee’s convictions [ECF 154]. ARGUMENT I. Officer Klamser’s Entitlement to Qualified Immunity from Plaintiff’s 42 U.S.C. § 1983 Claim is Immediately Appealable Pursuant to the Collateral Order Doctrine Initially, Plaintiff relies on the notion the District Court certified this appeal as frivolous. It is well-established, however, a decision by a District Court to certify an interlocutory appeal as frivolous does not impact an appellate court’s ability to continue to consider the appeal. “Once a district court so certifies that the Defendant’s appeal is frivolous and thus regains jurisdiction, that does not affect our jurisdiction. ‘Rather, both the district court and court of appeals shall have jurisdiction to proceed.’” Langley v. Adams Cty, 987 F.2d 1473, 1477 (10th Cir. 1993) [quoting United States v. Himes, 689 F.2d 934, 937 (10th Cir. 1982)]. “A district court’s denial of a claim of qualified immunity, to the extent that it turns on an issue of law, is an appealable ‘final decision’…notwithstanding the absence of a Appellate Case: 21-1284 Document: 010110588756 Date Filed: 10/11/2021 Page: 5 6 final judgment.” Mitchell v. Forsyth, 472 U.S. 511, 530 (1985). “The filing of a notice of appeal is an event of jurisdictional significance-it confers jurisdiction on the court of appeals and divests the district court of its control over those aspects of the case involved in the appeal.” Griggs v. Provident Consumer Discount Co., 459 U.S. 56, 58 (1982) (referring to United States v. Hitchman, 587 F.2d 1357 (5th Cir. 1979)). Thus, the District Court’s determination is neither binding nor determinative on the issue of this Court’s appellate jurisdiction. This Court, not the District Court, decides its own appellate jurisdiction. Amazon, Inc. v. Dirt Camp, Inc., 273 F.3d 1271, 1274 (10th Cir. 2001); Garrett v. Stratman, 254 F.3d 946, 951 (10th Cir. 2001). This Court has jurisdiction to hear this appeal of the District Court’s denial of Officer Klamser’s Motion for Summary Judgment raising the issue of qualified immunity because the appeal raises the legal issues of whether the undisputed facts and the facts taken in the light most favorable to the Plaintiff, are sufficient to state a cognizable claim for a violation of her constitutional rights, and whether a clearly established violation of Plaintiff’s constitutional rights occurred. Johnson v. Jones, 515 U.S. 304, 309-11 (1995); Behrens v. Pelletier, 516 U.S. 299, 300-305 (1996); Saucier v. Katz, 533 U.S. 194, 197 (2001).2 2 Plaintiff’s Motion fundamentally misframes the issue before this Court. The issue is not whether the appeal is frivolous. [See Motion, at 5]. Rather, the issue is Appellate Case: 21-1284 Document: 010110588756 Date Filed: 10/11/2021 Page: 6 7 Merely disagreeing with Officer Klamser’s position is insufficient to render this appeal frivolous and therefore subject to dismissal. “(A)n appeal on a matter of law is frivolous where ‘[none] of the legal points [are] arguable on their merits.” Neitzke v. Williams, 490 U.S. 319, 325 (1989) (brackets in original), [quoting Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738, 744 (1967)]. Here, Officer Klamser argued before the District Court he was entitled to summary judgment on the basis of qualified immunity given Plaintiff’s conviction for resisting arrest and obstruction pursuant to C.R.S. §§ 18-8-103(1) and 18-8-104(1)(a), respectively, the Supreme Court’s rulings in Heck, and the notion there was no clearly established law within these parameters putting him on notice his actions were unconstitutional. In particular, as recognized by the District Court in ruling on the 2019 Motion to Dismiss, “Heck nonetheless imposes a formidable burden on Surat, even before taking the jury’s rejection of her self-defense argument into account” [ECF 84 at 14], as the statutes under which Surat was convicted, contain elements of physical force, violence, and a substantial risk of causing injury to the peace officer. [See C.R.S. § 18-8-103(1), and §18-8-104(1)(a) and; [ECF 84 at 14-15]]. As recognized by the District Court, it was imperative Ms. Surat establish Officer Klamser’s whether this Court possesses appellate jurisdiction. This Response focuses on the actual issue before this Court. Appellate Case: 21-1284 Document: 010110588756 Date Filed: 10/11/2021 Page: 7 8 takedown was objectively unreasonable, while taking as given he was “attempting to effect an arrest and, in the process, the arrestee’s actions were subjecting him to, or threatening him with, physical force or violence, or putting him at substantial risk of bodily injury.” [ECF 84 at 14-15] [comparing Martinez v. City of Albuquerque, 184 F.3d 1123, 1127 (10th Cir. 1999) (“the [district] court [on remand] must instruct the jury that Martinez’ state arrest was lawful per se”)]. The District Court also concluded that, “(m)oreover, if one accounts for the failure of the self-defense argument, Surat must prove that Klamser’s takedown was objectively unreasonable while taking as given all of the foregoing and the fact that Klamser had first attempted to subdue Surat through lawful lesser force.” [ECF 84 at 14-15 (emphases in original)]. Taking the District Court’s previous rulings into account as the law of the case, Officer Klamser argued no clearly established law existed which, as of April 6, 2017, made it a constitutional violation to use a rowing arm takedown on a belligerent, uncooperative, and intoxicated arrestee, who attempts to interfere with another officer’s interview of a suspect and refused Officer Klamser’s directions to stay away, struck him multiple times, subjected him to physical force or violence, and put him at substantial risk of bodily injury. [See ECF 84, at 15 (“Finally, if Klamser ever asserts qualified immunity … then Surat’s burden is even more Appellate Case: 21-1284 Document: 010110588756 Date Filed: 10/11/2021 Page: 8 9 formidable. She must prove that it was clearly established as of April 6, 2017, that a police officer attempting to effect an arrest and being subjected to or threatened with physical force or violence, or facing a substantial risk of bodily injury, and who has already tried lawful lesser force to subdue the arrestee, cannot use a takedown maneuver used in this case to eliminate that actual or threatened force or risk of injury.”)]. In her Motion to Dismiss this appeal, Plaintiff Appellee argues any appeal by Officer Klamser “is inherently premised on disputed issues of fact given the clearly established law that exists governing the claim at issue” [Plaintiff-Appellee’s Motion, at 7]. Plaintiff’s conclusory statement is without basis and simply incorrect, as Officer Klamser’s appeal rests on the notion there is no clearly established law, given the legal parameters present in this matter as already determined by the District Court based on the application of Heck as articulated in the District Court’s Order granting in part the 2019 Motion to Dismiss. Under applicable precedent, this Court possesses appellate jurisdiction to review the District Court’s qualified immunity determination. Specifically, Officer Klamser is arguing on appeal the following legal, not factual propositions. First, Heck as determined by the District Court in its Order on the 2019 Motion to Dismiss changes as a matter of law what Plaintiff’s evidence and arguments must be for her Appellate Case: 21-1284 Document: 010110588756 Date Filed: 10/11/2021 Page: 9 10 42 U.S.C. § 1983 claim. Second, the remaining facts after the impact of Heck is taken into consideration taken in the light most favorable to the Plaintiff do not equate to a violation of her Fourth Amendment rights. Third, after taking Heck into account, the factual circumstances taken in the light most favorable to the Plaintiff do not demonstrate the constitutional right at issue was clearly established for qualified immunity when considered at the appropriate level of specificity required by the Supreme Court of the United States’ qualified immunity precedent. Plaintiff’s argument and the District Court’s conclusion Officer Klamser’s appeal is of the District Court’s “evidence sufficiency” determination are fundamentally incorrect. Instead, on appeal, Officer Klamser takes the facts in the light most favorable to the Plaintiff—minus those facts that cannot be part of the equation due to Heck—and based on those facts argues on appeal there is no constitutional violation and no violation of clearly established law for qualified immunity purposes. Both inquires present issues of law for which this Court possesses appellate jurisdiction. See, e.g., Vette v. Sanders, 989 F.3d 1154, 1168 (10th Cir. 2021) (appellate jurisdiction based on assuming the facts in the light most favorable to plaintiff); Walton v. Powell, 821 F.3d 1204, 1208-10 (10th Cir. 2016) (same); Esparza v. Brown, 523 Fed. Appx. 530, 532-3 (10th Cir. 2013) (same); Estate v. Ceballos v. Husk, 919 F.3d 1204, 1213 (10th Cir. 2019) (appellate Appellate Case: 21-1284 Document: 010110588756 Date Filed: 10/11/2021 Page: 10 11 jurisdiction over clearly established inquiry in excessive force claim on summary judgment); Henderson v. Glanz, 813 F.3d 938, 947-48 (10th Cir. 2015) (same and summarizing in detail the basis of this Court’s appellate jurisdiction over summary judgment qualified immunity interlocutory appeals). II. Plaintiff’s Argument Relies on Factually Dissimilar Precedent to Argue the Law was Clearly Established on April 6, 20173 Plaintiff’s erroneous argument is evidenced by her reliance on case law also cited by the District Court, in which she claims establishes the unconstitutional nature of Defendant-Appellant’s rowing arm takedown, but which are factually dissimilar, particularly because the precedent does not account for the impact of Heck on the remaining facts available for Plaintiff to prove her excessive force claim against Officer Klamser. For example, Plaintiff cites to Long v. Fulmer, 545 F. App’x 757 (10th Cir. 2013). [See Motion, at 9]. In Long, the plaintiff’s charge for misdemeanor theft was subsequently dismissed, Long, 545 F. App’x at 759, and therefore no 3 As a threshold matter, Plaintiff’s Motion does not recognize the important distinct between this Court’s determination of its appellate jurisdiction and the merits of Officer Klamser’s qualified immunity arguments. Whether this Court ultimately agrees with Officer Klamser or the Plaintiff and the District Court as to whether precedent exists clearly establishing the constitutional right at issue presents an altogether different inquiry than whether this Court possesses appellate jurisdiction to do so. Appellate Case: 21-1284 Document: 010110588756 Date Filed: 10/11/2021 Page: 11 12 conviction existed conclusively establishing the Plaintiff used violence or the threat of bodily injury against the officer, unlike here. Plaintiff’s citation to Roe v. City of Cushing, 1993 U.S. App. LEXIS 31404 (10th Cir. 1993). [See Motion, at 9], fares no better. As with Long, Roe does not address a rowing arm takedown and instead notes the Defendant “grabbed Roe's right arm, and put him on the hood of the police car. He handcuffed Mr. Roe's right hand, then grabbed his shoulder and took him to the ground. When they landed, Officer Brannon had one knee in the lower part of Mr. Roe's back and one knee in his upper back or neck, causing Roe's head to strike the concrete and cutting his eye.” Roe, 1993 U.S. App. LEXIS 31404 at *5 [citations to the record omitted]. In denying qualified immunity, Roe focused on the officer’s use of his knees as the proximate cause of the Plaintiff striking the ground. “Given Roe's version of the facts, we are unable to say that the officer's actions of throwing him down and landing on him with both knees, causing his head to strike the concrete, was objectively reasonable.” Roe, 1993 U.S. App. LEXIS 31404 at *8 (emphasis added). Morris v. Noe, 672 F.3d 1185 (10th Cir. 2012) [see Motion, at 6], is also inapplicable, as the decedent was essentially tackled by the officer. Morris, 672 F.3d at 1190 [“(T)he police officers lunge[d] towards [Morris] and put their hands on his shoulders, twisted him around and ran him into the bushes . . . throwing him Appellate Case: 21-1284 Document: 010110588756 Date Filed: 10/11/2021 Page: 12 13 to the ground.”]. Again, no rowing arm takedown. Additionally, the decedent pled guilty to “public intoxication,” a crime for which no element of physical force or violence is factually present in the opinion. See Morris, 672 F.3d at 1190 [“Plaintiff- Appellee appeared in court for him and paid the fine, although she could not remember whether she entered a guilty plea. The court records reflect a guilty plea being entered on Morris's behalf.”] In Shannon v. Koehler, 616 F.3d 855 (8th Cir. 2010) [see Motion, at 9] the officer used a “leg sweep” as the take-down maneuver, again making the matter factually distinguishable from this incident. Shannon, 616 F.3d at 859 [“With respect to the initial confrontation, which culminated in Officer Koehler using a so- called ‘leg sweep’ to take Shannon to the ground, the court identified genuine issues of fact ‘concerning whether Shannon made contact with Koehler prior to the takedown, whether the takedown was appropriate and administered in accordance with police procedures, and the extent of Shannon's injuries resulting from the takedown.’”] Shannon recognized established law addressing the officer’s use of force in effectuating an arrest “is least justified against nonviolent misdemeanants who do not flee or actively resist arrest and pose little or no threat to the security of the officers or the public.” Shannon, 616 F.3d at 859 (emphasis added) [quoting Brown v. City of Golden Valley, 574 F.3d 491 (8th Cir. 2009)]. Here, again, Plaintiff Appellate Case: 21-1284 Document: 010110588756 Date Filed: 10/11/2021 Page: 13 14 was convicted of crimes involving the use of physical force and violence against Officer Klamser. But no such elements exist for the crime for which Shannon was ultimately convicted. Furthermore, the Eighth Circuit states in a footnote, Shannon was convicted of a misdemeanor offense entitled “interfering with official acts.” Shannon, 616 F.3d at 863, n. 4, referring to Iowa Code, § 719.1. The pertinent section of the Iowa Code, however, does not contain the elements of violence and physical injury, except if there was a conviction for a “serious misdemeanor” or an “aggravated misdemeanor” [Iowa Code, § 791.1(c)-(e) (referring to bodily or serious injury)]. The Eighth Circuit in Shannon noted the plaintiff there was convicted for a “misdemeanor” not a “serious” or “aggravated” misdemeanor so no determination was made in the criminal proceedings whether Shannon used violence or physically injured the officer, thereby making the matter inapplicable to this lawsuit.4 In Blankenhorn v. City of Orange, 485 F.3d 463 (9th Cir. 2007) [see Motion, at 9], the issues surrounding the preclusive effect of a conviction do not exist, as the charges were dismissed without any substantive determination respecting the Plaintiff’s guilt. Blankenhorn, 485 F.3d at 467 [“After Blankenhorn had spent three 4 Shannon also noted the lower court could not give preclusive effect to the plaintiff’s claims based on his conviction, as the argument was not made by the defendant officer before the Eighth Circuit. Shannon, 616 F.3d at 863, n. 4. Here, Officer Klamser is clearly arguing (and did argue in the Motion for Summary Judgment) that Plaintiff’s claim is precluded based on the impact of Heck. Appellate Case: 21-1284 Document: 010110588756 Date Filed: 10/11/2021 Page: 14 15 months in jail, all charges were dropped and he was released.”] In addition, Blakenhorn is not “clearly established law” as it is factually distinct. In particular, the arresting officers punched the plaintiff in the head three-times, punched him two- times in his side, including blows while he was on the ground. Blankenhorn, 485 F.3d at 469-70 [“Blankenhorn claims that, during the struggle, Nguyen punched him several times, and another officer or officers placed a knee behind his neck and pressed his face to the ground. The video clearly shows Nguyen punch Blankenhorn in the head and twice more in the side. Nguyen landed at least one punch to Blankenhorn's body after Blankenhorn was already on the ground.”] In Smith v. City of Troy, Ohio, 874 F.3d 938 (6th Cir. 2017) [see Motion, at 9], the officer utilized a leg sweep to take the plaintiff to the ground, deployed a taser eight times, and ultimately did not charge the plaintiff with a crime. Smith, 874 F.3d at 942. None of these actions are present in this matter, and none of the cited matters involve a rowing arm takedown on a belligerent, uncooperative, and intoxicated arrestee who was attempting to interfere with an officer’s interview of a suspect and refused another officer’s lawful directions to stay away, struck him multiple times, subjected him to physical force or violence and put him at substantial risk of bodily injury. Furthermore, none of the cited matters address the notion where an officer attempts to make an arrest, while first using lawful lesser force, [See ECF 84 at 14- Appellate Case: 21-1284 Document: 010110588756 Date Filed: 10/11/2021 Page: 15 16 15], and therefore, none of these matters are clearly established law rendering Officer Klamser’s actions unconstitutional. For the law to be “clearly established,” generally there must be a Supreme Court or Tenth Circuit decision on point, or the clearly established weight of authority from other courts must have found the law to be as the Plaintiff maintains. Medina v. City & Cnty. of Denver, 960 F.2d 1493, 1498 (10th Cir. 1992). “Because the focus is on whether the officer had fair notice that her conduct was unlawful, reasonableness is judged against the backdrop of the law at the time of the conduct.” Brosseau v. Haugen, 543 U. S. 194, 198, (2004) (per curiam). Although the Supreme Court does not require a case directly on point, existing precedent must have placed the constitutional question beyond debate. Ashcroft v. al-Kidd, 563 U.S. 731, 741 (2011). “In other words, immunity protects all but the plainly incompetent or those who knowingly violate the law.” White v. Pauly, 137 S. Ct. 548, 551 (2017) [citation and internal quotation marks omitted]. The Supreme Court has repeatedly told courts not to define clearly established law at a high level of generality. Kisela v. Hughes, 138 S. Ct. 1148, 1152 (2018) (per curiam) (citations omitted). “The dispositive question is whether the violative nature of particular conduct is clearly established,” in light of the specific context of the case, and not as a broad general proposition. Mullenix v. Luna, 136 S. Ct. Appellate Case: 21-1284 Document: 010110588756 Date Filed: 10/11/2021 Page: 16 17 305, 308 (2015) (per curiam) (citations and internal quotations omitted) (emphasis in original). “Such specificity is especially important in the Fourth Amendment context, where the Court has recognized that it is sometimes difficult for an officer to determine how the relevant legal doctrine, here excessive force, will apply to the factual situation the officer confronts.” Mullenix, 136 S. Ct. at 308. (citations and internal quotations omitted). “Use of excessive force is an area of the law ‘in which the result depends very much on the facts of each case,’ and thus police officers are entitled to qualified immunity unless existing precedent ‘squarely governs’ the specific facts at issue.” Kisela, 138 S. Ct. at 1153, (quoting Mullenix, 136 S. Ct. at 309). “Precedent involving similar facts can help move a case beyond the otherwise ‘hazy border between excessive and acceptable force’ and thereby provide an officer notice that a specific use of force is unlawful.” Kisela, 138 S. Ct. at 1153, (quoting Mullenix, 136 S. Ct. at 312). Given the impact of Heck due to Plaintiff’s criminal convictions and failure of her self-defense argument at her criminal trial, all of the aforementioned precedent relied on by Plaintiff and the District Court fail to support the notion of “clearly established law” sufficient to put Officer Klamser on notice and deprive him of qualified immunity. All of these points are arguable on their merits, given Heck and Plaintiff’s criminal convictions. Neitzke, 490 U.S. at 325 (1989). Appellate Case: 21-1284 Document: 010110588756 Date Filed: 10/11/2021 Page: 17 18 Ultimately, once Officer Klamser’s argument is properly framed and understood, this Court does possess appellate jurisdiction over his qualified immunity interlocutory appeal. Neither the District Court nor Plaintiff engage with Officer Klamser’s actual intended appellate arguments. When this Court does so, it is clear Officer Klamser’s appeal lies within this Court’s appellate jurisdiction. CONCLUSION In conclusion, for all of the foregoing reasons, Defendant-Appellant Randall Klamser respectfully requests this Court deny Plaintiff-Appellee’s Motion. Appellate Case: 21-1284 Document: 010110588756 Date Filed: 10/11/2021 Page: 18 19 Dated: October 11, 2021. Respectfully submitted, s/ Andrew D. Ringel Andrew D. Ringel, Esq. Mark S. Ratner, Esq. Hall & Evans, L.L.C. 1001 17th Street, Suite 300, Denver, CO 80202 303-628-3300 /Fax: 303-628-3368 ringela@hallevans.com ratnerm@hallevans.com s/ John R. Duval John R. Duval, Esq. Deputy City Attorney City of Fort Collins P.O. Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 (970) 221-6520 jduval@fcgov.com Attorneys for Defendant-Appellant Randall Klamser Appellate Case: 21-1284 Document: 010110588756 Date Filed: 10/11/2021 Page: 19 20 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE (CM/ECF) I HEREBY CERTIFY that on the 11th day of October 2021, I electronically filed the foregoing with the Clerk of Court using the CM/ECF system which will send notification of such filing to the following e-mail addresses: David A. Lane, Esq. dlane@kln-law.com Andrew McNulty, Esq. amcnulty@kln-law.com s/ Nicole Marion . Nicole Marion Hall & Evans, L.L.C. Appellate Case: 21-1284 Document: 010110588756 Date Filed: 10/11/2021 Page: 20