Page 32 - May June 2020 TPA Journal
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Paige pulled Forbes over after Forbes accelerated    “[t]here is . . . a presumption of validity with
        away from the deputy at a high rate of speed;        respect to the affidavit supporting [a] search
        Forbes claimed to have “pretty much” been eating     warrant.” To overcome this presumption, “the
        dinner until 2:00 a.m., after the bars, and long after  challenger’s attack must be more than conclusory
        most restaurants, had closed. Forbes also refused    and must be supported by more than a mere desire
        to answer how many drinks he had consumed that       to cross-examine.” Forbes therefore is required to
        evening, instead holding his arms out as if          not only allege that Deputy Paige deliberately, or
        surrendering to handcuffs. From these facts a        with reckless disregard for the truth, attested to
        reasonable officer would believe that Forbes was     falsehoods, but Forbes is also required to offer
        committing a crime—specifically, driving while       proof  of deliberate falsities.  Even a proven
        intoxicated.  We, therefore, affirm the district     misstatement, if made negligently instead of
        court’s grant of summary judgment on this issue.     intentionally or recklessly, will not be vitiated if
        Deputy Paige likewise did not violate Forbes’s       Forbes does not provide evidence “directly
        constitutional rights in securing the blood-draw     illuminating the state of mind of [Deputy Paige].”
        warrant. Forbes alleges that Deputy Paige falsified  Aside from the admitted misstatement regarding
        the affidavit supporting the warrant, flouting       field-sobriety testing, Forbes has not offered any
        Forbes’s Fourth and Fourteenth  Amendment            evidence to support a finding that Deputy Paige
        rights. Forbes first notes that the affidavit claims  made false statements in the first instance, let
        Deputy Paige conducted field-sobriety tests,         alone that he did so intentionally or recklessly.
        though he did not. He is correct on this point, and  Forbes relies on conclusory allegations and
        Deputy Paige admits that this detail was included    speculation to support his claims of falsity, to
        in the affidavit erroneously.  When an affidavit     which we give no credence when reviewing a
        contains faults, such as this one, we review the     summary-judgment order. We therefore review
        affidavit as if the faulty statements were removed   the corrected affidavit with the enumerated facts
        and independently assess whether the corrected       above, which, as noted, sufficiently established
        attestation still supports the issuance of the       probable cause to obtain a blood sample. Because
        warrant.                                             Forbes has not raised a genuine dispute of
                                                             material fact regarding whether the corrected
        So, we now consider Deputy Paige’s affidavit as      affidavit was tainted, and the corrected affidavit
        though it only contains the following facts: Forbes  provided probable cause to issue the blood-draw
        (1) was weaving inside his traffic lane; (2) rapidly  warrant, summary judgment was proper.
        accelerated away from the officer; (3) slurred his
        speech; (4) had glossy, red eyes; (5) smelled        Although we review the facts in the light most
        mildly of alcohol; and (6) refused to provide a      favorable to the nonmoving party on summary-
        blood or breath sample. These facts, exclusive of    judgment review, Forbes was required to provide
        Deputy Paige’s misstatements, would support          more than conclusory allegations of wrongdoing.
        probable cause for a blood-draw warrant.             Because he has failed to meet his burden, and no
        But that is not the end of our inquiry. Forbes       genuine disputes of material fact remain for trial,
        argues that Deputy Paige’s affidavit was             we AFFIRM the district court’s grant of summary
        falsified—beyond Deputy Paige’s admitted             judgment.
        misstatements—because Forbes, in his belief, was
        not swerving, was not slurring his speech, did not   Forbes v. Harris Co., et. al., No. 19-20431, 5th
        have glossy or reddened eyes, and did not smell of   Circuit, March 04th, 2020.
        alcohol.7 Despite Forbes’s claims of dishonesty,




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