LaPlant

LaPlant v. United States

Good Law
183 F. App'x 677
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitJune 8, 2006No. 05-35113California305 words

Opinion

Lead Opinion

MEMORANDUM ***

The district court did not clearly err in finding that the accident was not caused by the presence or actions of the Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services (BLES) officers. Sufficient evidence supports the district court’s determination that the accident was caused by the minor driver’s intoxication and failure to properly operate and control the automobile. Similarly, sufficient evidence supports the district court’s finding that the officers were not engaged in hot pursuit at the time of the wreck and that negligence by the officers did not cause the accident.

The district court did not abuse its discretion in ruling that evidence of the alleged negligent hiring, training, and retention of BLES officers was irrelevant to the issue of causation. Nor did the district court err in limiting leading questions during cross-examination at the bench trial. Cfi Fed.R.Evid. 611(c).

Appellants, Patricia and Bradley La-Plant, parents of Marten LaPlant (La-Plant), have not demonstrated that a violation of the BLES’s policies and procedures concerning high-speed pursuits occurred *678 or that any action or omission by BLES officers or by the United States was the proximate cause…

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