involving, inter alia, an individual who had not threatened suicide and who, evidence demonstrated, was following instructions when officers engaged in excessive force
How later courts described this case
- involving, inter alia, an individual who had not threatened suicide and who, evidence demonstrated, was following instructions when officers engaged in excessive force
- “Hanks did not turn his body or move his hands, which remained folded behind his back and plainly visible to Officer Rogers.”
- “Arguments raised for the first time in a reply brief are waived.”
- “All the specific instances, listed by plaintiffs as points at which Henderson and Banta failed to intervene, were not violations of clearly established constitutional law. That ends the inquiry.”
Written by the judges who cited it.
The opinion
Case: 25-50332 Document: 117-1 Page: 1 Date Filed: 05/15/2026
United States Court of Appeals
for the Fifth Circuit
____________ United States Court of Appeals
Fifth Circuit
No. 25-50332
FILED
May 15, 2026
____________
Lyle W. Cayce
James Edward Johnson, Clerk
Plaintiff—Appellant,
versus
Brandon Salter; Samuel Noble; Katherine Alzola; City
of Austin, Texas,
Defendants—Appellees.
______________________________
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Western District of Texas
USDC No. 1:22-CV-1050
______________________________
Before Haynes, Higginson, and Ho, Circuit Judges.
Per Curiam: *
James Edward Johnson told his mother, who lived far away, that he
was going to commit suicide, so she contacted the City of Austin’s 911
dispatching unit and asked if someone could go check on him. Three Austin
Police officers reached Johnson’s apartment a short time later. Johnson says
he suffered injuries to his jaw and head. He then sued the officers and the
_____________________
*
This opinion is not designated for publication. See 5th Cir. R. 47.5.
Case: 25-50332 Document: 117-1 Page: 2 Date Filed: 05/15/2026
No. 25-50332
City of Austin. The district court granted the defendants’ motions for
summary judgment, concluding that the officers were entitled to qualified
immunity and Johnson could not raise a fact issue regarding his claim for
municipal liability. Finding no error, we AFFIRM.
I. Background
Late one night in August 2021, Johnson’s mother called the City of
Austin’s 911 dispatching unit and explained that her son was “suicidal” and
“ha[d] a gun.” Johnson had texted his mother that night, saying “It’s done,
I’m gone for good. One hundred percent,” and sent a picture of his gun.
Johnson’s mother was in California and scared of what her son might do, so
she called the police to ask if they could send someone to her son’s apartment
to check on him. Johnson’s mother explained that Johnson “had a rough
night”—experiencing problems with his girlfriend, he had been
“humiliated.” Officers were immediately sent out to check on Johnson.
Shortly thereafter, three Austin Police Officers, Brandon Salter,
Samuel Noble, and Katherine Alzola (collectively, the “Officers”), arrived
at Johnson’s apartment complex. The Officers made their way to Johnson’s
apartment door, knocked, and announced “Police Department.” Johnson
quickly responded: “Don’t come in or I’m going to shoot myself in the
head.” After receiving the number from dispatch and attempting to call
Johnson’s cell phone, Noble went to prop open the apartment complex’s
doors.
At Noble’s direction, Salter began to talk to Johnson through the
apartment door. Salter asked Johnson what was going on and stated that he
“need[ed] to know that [Johnson] d[id not] have a gun.” Johnson, his voice
muffled through the door, explained that he did “have one,” but stated that
he was “not a threat to anybody.” Salter told Johnson to make sure that the
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No. 25-50332
gun was not anywhere near him, and Johnson explained that the gun was “on
the ground next to [him], but . . . [he was] going to come outside.”
Johnson opened his apartment door, showing one hand at a time.
Salter and Alzola held their firearms at low ready. Johnson exited his
apartment door but stood at the apartment’s threshold, propping the door
open. Johnson was shirtless, wearing only shorts and socks. After some
discussion, Johnson took a step into the hallway, turned toward Salter and
Alzola, put his hands up, and said that he was not a threat.
At this time, Noble was making his way back to Johnson’s apartment,
approaching down the hallway behind Johnson. The Officers told Johnson to
get on the ground, but he refused. Instead, he moved back inside his
apartment. As Johnson’s apartment door was closing, Noble reached the
doorway and deployed his taser. Salter followed behind, kicked open the
closing door, and Noble again deployed his taser. The Officers again ordered
Johnson to get on the ground. They sought to place him under emergency
detention, for both his and their safety.
Johnson fell to the floor and crouched against the wall. The Officers
entered the dark apartment and ordered Johnson to get on his stomach.
Johnson was exclaiming: “I didn’t do anything.” Salter then kicked Johnson
in the side to knock him onto his stomach and again used his foot to force
Johnson’s chest to the ground. At that point, having holstered her weapon,
Alzola announced that she was “going hands.”
Alzola knelt down, placing one knee on Johnson, and the Officers
ordered Johnson to put his hands behind his back. Alzola began pulling
Johnson’s hands behind his back. Noble placed his taser on Johnson’s left
thigh, and Salter put one hand on Johnson’s head, pressing the side of his
face to the ground. Alzola got Johnson’s left wrist in her handcuffs and then
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grabbed his right wrist. Johnson continued to state that he was “not a threat”
and asked the Officers to “talk to” him.
Before Alzola could handcuff Johnson’s right wrist, he pulled his right
arm away from her and put his hand under the right side of his chest. Alzola
began struggling to pull Johnson’s right arm back. Salter then punched
Johnson in the jaw area four times, in rapid succession. While Salter was
striking Johnson, Noble was repeating “stand clear” and had his taser ready.
After Salter struck Johnson in the jaw, Alzola was able to pull
Johnson’s arm out from under him, but his arm was still to his side, not
behind his back. Noble announced: “Get back. I’m gonna [sic] tase him.”
Noble then tased Johnson in his right glute (i.e., a “drive stun”), and Alzola
was able to pull Johnson’s right arm behind him and handcuff his right wrist.
Once Johnson was handcuffed, he contended that he was “bleeding a
lot,” and Alzola explained that emergency medical services were on the way.
Salter explained: “We’re trying to help you man, but you, you had a gun; I
don’t know what you’re gonna [sic] do with that.” Noble then walked over
to Johnson, crouched down, and explained that Johnson was being put under
emergency detention. At that time, the Officers noticed Johnson’s gun on the
floor of his living room, approximately ten feet away from where he was
laying on the ground. Alzola picked up the firearm, unloaded it, and placed it
on Johnson’s coffee table.
Noble and Salter helped Johnson up and walked him out of the
apartment complex. An ambulance arrived and began treating Johnson.
Johnson contends that he was severely hurt. He received emergency surgery
to repair his jaw.
Johnson filed this lawsuit in October 2022, asserting claims under 42
U.S.C. § 1983. Johnson asserts claims against: (1) Salter and Noble for
excessive force under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United
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No. 25-50332
States Constitution for Salter’s strikes to Johnson’s head and Noble’s drive
stun; and (2) Salter, Noble, and Alzola for bystander liability under the
Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments for failing to intervene during the
alleged use of excessive force. He also asserts (3) a Monell 1 claim against the
City of Austin alleging, inter alia, a pattern and practice of failing to discipline
officers who fail to intervene and stop the use of excessive force and failing to
train that head strikes should be used only when deadly force is necessary.
In August 2024, the City moved for summary judgment. A few days
later, the Officers moved for summary judgment as well. The district court
granted the Officers’ motion because it determined that the Officers were
entitled to qualified immunity with respect to both Johnson’s excessive force
claim and bystander claim. The district court also granted the City’s motion
because it concluded that Johnson had failed to identify a fact issue regarding
any of his theories of municipal liability. Johnson timely appealed.
II. Jurisdiction & Standard of Review
We have jurisdiction to consider this appeal under 28 U.S.C. § 1291,
as the district court entered final judgment in this case.
We review de novo the district court’s grant of summary judgment.
Deville v. Marcantel, 567 F.3d 156, 163 (5th Cir. 2009) (per curiam). Summary
judgment is appropriate where “the movant shows that there is no genuine
dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a
matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). Though, of course, “we review
evidence in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party, we assign
greater weight, even at the summary judgment stage, to the facts evident
from video recordings taken at the scene.” Carnaby v. City of Houston, 636
_____________________
1
Monell v. Dep’t of Soc. Servs., 436 U.S. 658, 694 (1978).
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F.3d 183, 187 (5th Cir. 2011) (citing Scott v. Harris, 550 U.S. 372, 380–81
(2007)).
III. Discussion
Johnson contends that the district court erred by holding that the
Officers are entitled to qualified immunity in all respects—as to Salter’s head
strikes, Noble’s drive stun, and bystander liability. He then asserts that the
district court also erred by dismissing his claims against the City because, in
his view, material fact disputes remain regarding whether his constitutional
rights were violated. In the end, we disagree on both counts. The district
court properly granted both the Officers’ and the City’s motions for
summary judgment. We address (A) Johnson’s claims against the Officers
and then (B) his claim against the City.
A. Claims against the Officers
With respect to Johnson’s excessive force and bystander claims
against the Officers, the district court concluded that the Officers were
entitled to qualified immunity. We agree.
“Qualified immunity protects government officials from civil liability
in their individual capacity to the extent that their conduct does not violate
clearly established statutory or constitutional rights.” Cass v. City of Abilene,
814 F.3d 721, 728 (5th Cir. 2016) (per curiam) (citation omitted). Once a
defendant makes a good-faith assertion of qualified immunity, the ordinary
summary judgment burden of proof is altered; the burden shifts to the
plaintiff to demonstrate that the defense is unavailable. Id.
There are two steps in our qualified-immunity inquiry. “A plaintiff
seeking to defeat qualified immunity must show: (1) that the official violated
a statutory or constitutional right, and (2) that the right was clearly
established at the time of the challenged conduct.” Trent v. Wade, 776 F.3d
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368, 377 (5th Cir. 2015) (citation modified). We have discretion to address
both or only one of these steps. Morrow v. Meachum, 917 F.3d 870, 874 (5th
Cir. 2019). Here, when it comes to Johnson’s claims against the Officers, we
begin and end with the second step.
At the second step, the plaintiff’s burden is quite heavy. Id. To satisfy
step two, the plaintiff must demonstrate that the law “is ‘sufficiently clear
that every reasonable official would have understood that what he is doing
violates that right.’” Mullenix v. Luna, 577 U.S. 7, 11 (2015) (per curiam)
(quoting Reichle v. Howards, 566 U.S. 658, 664 (2012)). Although the plaintiff
need not cite “a case directly on point, . . . existing precedent must have
placed the statutory or constitutional question beyond debate.” Id. at 12
(quoting Ashcroft v. al-Kidd, 563 U.S. 731, 741 (2011)).
What is more, in this context, “we must frame the constitutional
question with specificity and granularity.” Morrow, 917 F.3d at 874–75. That
is, “clearly established law should not be defined at a high level of
generality,” but instead it “must be particularized to the facts of the case.”
White v. Pauly, 580 U.S. 73, 79 (2017) (per curiam) (citation modified). “In
other words, outside of an obvious case, the law is only clearly established if
a prior case exists where an officer acting under similar circumstances was
held to have violated the Fourth Amendment.” Hanks v. Rogers, 853 F.3d
738, 747 (5th Cir. 2017) (citation modified).
Without needing to decide whether the Officers’ conduct constituted
a constitutional violation, we conclude below that the law was not clearly
established at the time of the Officers’ conduct. We address below
(1) Salter’s head strikes, (2) Noble’s drive stun, and (3) bystander liability.
1. Salter’s head strikes
When it comes to Salter’s head strikes, Johnson contends that his
“right to be free from the excessive force of Salter’s head strikes was clearly
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established,” and he points to multiple of our prior cases 2 that, in his view,
place this issue beyond debate. 3 The Officers, however, argue that the district
court properly distinguished the authorities Johnson relies on because these
cases primarily involved facts where there were no allegations that the
suspect posed an immediate threat to officers’ safety. The question here is
whether the authority Johnson relies on accounts for these circumstances, as
it “must be particularized to the facts of the case.” White, 580 U.S. at 79
(citation modified). We agree with the Officers. Johnson’s cited authority is
readily distinguishable.
We start with Johnson’s chief authority. The primary case on which
Johnson relies is Joseph ex rel. Estate of Joseph v. Bartlett, 981 F.3d 319 (5th
Cir. 2020). In Joseph, officers physically struck Joseph twenty-six times all
over his body and tased him twice. Id. at 326–27. During the use of force, the
plaintiff was not actively resisting and was lying in the fetal position. Id. at
336. Furthermore, the plaintiff did not make any threatening movements, and
_____________________
2
Johnson also points to a few of our cases that are unpublished. See Scott v. White,
810 F. App’x 297, 299 (5th Cir. 2020) (per curiam); Chacon v. Copeland, 577 F. App’x 355,
362 (5th Cir. 2014) (per curiam); Brown v. Lynch, 524 F. App’x 69, 81 (5th Cir. 2013) (per
curiam). But “[b]ecause nonprecedential opinions do not establish any binding law for the
circuit, they cannot be the source of clearly established law for qualified immunity
analysis.” Salazar v. Molina, 37 F.4th 278, 286 (5th Cir. 2022) (citation omitted).
3
Johnson asserts that his right to be free from the excessive force of Salter’s head
strikes was also clearly established because this is an obvious case. “‘[I]n an obvious case,’
the Graham [v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386, 397 (1989)] excessive-force factors themselves ‘can
clearly establish the answer [to whether the right was clearly established], even without a
body of relevant case law.’” Newman v. Guedry, 703 F.3d 757, 764 (5th Cir. 2012) (quoting
Brosseau v. Haugen, 543 U.S. 194, 199 (2004)). That is the case where “[n]one of the
Graham factors justifies” the force used. Id. But this is far from an obvious case. Just to
name one of the Graham factors, Johnson is unable to demonstrate that he “did not resist”
or complied with all of the Officers’ commands. Id. Rather, the record demonstrates that
Johnson was on the floor and did not comply with the Officers’ repeated instruction to keep
his hands behind his back while Alzola attempted to place handcuffs on him for the purpose
of emergency detention.
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there was no indication that he possessed a firearm or that there was one near
him. Id. at 326. Here, Johnson had retreated into his dark apartment,
disobeyed numerous of the Officers’ commands, and pulled his arm away
while being handcuffed, all while the location of Johnson’s firearm was
unknown. Our decision in Joseph is not sufficiently analogous to have put
Salter on notice that his conduct was unlawful.
The other cases Johnson cites also present distinct factual situations
and do not demonstrate that Salter’s conduct violated clearly established law.
See, e.g., Darden v. City of Fort Worth, 880 F.3d 722, 725, 730–33 (5th Cir.
2018) (involving, inter alia, an individual who had not threatened suicide and
who, evidence demonstrated, was following instructions when officers
engaged in excessive force); Bush v. Strain, 513 F.3d 492, 502 (5th Cir. 2008)
(similar); see also Bailey v. Ramos, 125 F.4th 667, 682–83 (5th Cir. 2025)
(distinguishing Darden and noting that “Bush does not clearly establish that
use of takedown procedures is unlawful when law enforcement hasn’t yet
gained control of the suspect”), reh’g denied, No. 23-50185 (5th Cir. Feb. 10,
2025). For example, in Newman v. Guedry, after a passenger in a stopped car
made an off-color joke during a pat-down, officers severely beat and tased the
passenger. 703 F.3d 757, 760 (5th Cir. 2012). There was no evidence that the
passenger failed to comply with the officers’ commands before officers began
to strike and tase him. Id. That is not the case here. Further, in Hanks, we
held “that an officer violates the Fourth Amendment if he abruptly resorts to
overwhelming physical force rather than continuing verbal negotiations with
an individual who poses no immediate threat or flight risk, who engages in, at
most, passive resistance, and whom the officer stopped for a minor traffic
violation.” 853 F.3d at 747; see also id. at 746 (“Hanks did not turn his body
or move his hands, which remained folded behind his back and plainly visible
to Officer Rogers.”). Like Newman, Hanks does not closely resemble the
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circumstances at issue here. 4 Then, in Trammell v. Fruge, we held that it was
“clearly established that it was objectively unreasonable for several officers
to tackle an individual who was not fleeing, not violent, not aggressive, and
only resisted by pulling his arm away from an officer’s grasp.” 868 F.3d 332,
343 (5th Cir. 2017). But, unlike this case, there was no indication that the
plaintiff was suicidal and had a gun somewhere near him.
All told, the circumstances presented in the cases Johnson relies on,
“unlike an attempt to restrain . . . a suicidal individual, do[] not carry with
[them] the same inherent danger or risk to human life.” Cambre v. Gottardi,
No. 19-30715, 2025 WL 1304592, at *8 (5th Cir. May 6, 2025)
(unpublished). 5 Johnson has failed to satisfy his burden to show that it was
clearly established at the time of his arrest that Salter’s head strikes were an
unlawful use of force. The district court was thus correct to conclude that
Salter is entitled to qualified immunity on this claim.
2. Noble’s drive stun
As for Noble’s drive stun, Johnson argues that our binding precedent
put Noble on notice that his final use of the taser was excessive. The Officers,
on the other hand, say that the district court correctly held that each of
Johnson’s cases is distinguishable. We again conclude that Johnson has failed
to demonstrate that Noble’s conduct violated clearly established law.
_____________________
4
Throughout his briefing, Johnson characterizes his resistance as “at most”
passive, as opposed to active resistance. See generally Cambre v. Gottardi, No. 19-30715,
2025 WL 1304592 (5th Cir. May 6, 2025) (unpublished). However, Johnson “has not
identified a case that accounts for the unique circumstances present here,” notably, a free
arm and an unknown gun, to support his claim that his resistance was merely passive. Id. at
*8.
5
Although Cambre is not “controlling precedent,” it “may be [cited as] persuasive
authority.” Ballard v. Burton, 444 F.3d 391, 401 n.7 (5th Cir. 2006) (citing 5th Cir. R.
47.5.4).
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To start, Johnson again relies on Joseph, Darden, and Newman. Again,
those cases are different from this one. Johnson’s other cited authority
likewise fails to clearly establish that Noble’s conduct was unlawful. 6 For
example, in Ramirez v. Martinez, we denied qualified immunity where
officers tased the plaintiff twice, once while he was handcuffed, subdued, and
lying face down on the ground, even though he posed no threat to the officers.
716 F.3d 369, 379–80 (5th Cir. 2013). But Ramirez is distinct. “Unlike here,
Ramirez found deputies at his business and questioned them,” and officers
did not seek to detain him based on a threat that he would commit suicide.
Salazar v. Molina, 37 F.4th 278, 287 (5th Cir. 2022) (identifying material
distinctions). Further, “unlike here, the officers tased Ramirez even after he
was restrained with handcuffs.” Id.
None of these cases demonstrates that Noble’s conduct was clearly
unlawful. Indeed, when looking at some of these cases and others like them,
the district court acknowledged that a key distinction in those cases is that
none of the officers had reason to believe the detainees were unstable, armed,
or posed a significant threat. Noble deployed his taser immediately after
Salter struck Johnson, while Johnson was still failing to comply with
commands and his hand was near his shoulder. All of this occurred within
seconds of Johnson pulling his arm away from Alzola. Johnson was suicidal,
_____________________
6
Yet again, Johnson’s citations to our unpublished cases do not provide clearly
established law. See Chacon, 577 F. App’x at 362; Cobbins v. Sollie, No. 22-30692, 2023 WL
4015303, at *6 (5th Cir. June 14, 2023) (per curiam) (unpublished); Autin v. City of Baytown,
174 F. App’x 183, 186 (5th Cir. 2005) (per curiam); Clark v. Massengill, 641 F. App’x 418,
421 (5th Cir. 2016); Anderson v. McCaleb, 480 F. App’x 768, 773 (5th Cir. 2012) (per
curiam). See Salazar, 37 F.4th at 286. On a related note, Johnson’s citation to Peña v. City
of Rio Grande City, 879 F.3d 613, 619–20 (5th Cir. 2018), is futile. Not only are its
circumstances quite different, but we also decided that case at the pleading stage and
remanded to the district court without resolving issues related to qualified immunity. Id. at
621.
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repeatedly refused the Officers’ commands, and the Officers remained in
Johnson’s dark apartment all the while knowing that Johnson’s gun was
somewhere around them. At all times, Noble “faced a ‘tense, uncertain, and
rapidly evolving’ situation.” 7 Ramirez v. Escajeda, 44 F.4th 287, 294 (5th Cir.
2022) (quoting Plumhoff v. Rickard, 572 U.S. 765, 775 (2014)).
Johnson has again failed to satisfy his burden to show that it was clearly
established at the time of his arrest that Noble’s drive stun constituted an
unlawful use of force. The district court correctly concluded that Noble is
entitled to qualified immunity on this claim.
3. Bystander liability
Johnson next contends that the district court erred by dismissing his
bystander claim against Salter and Alzola. 8 The Officers maintain that they
are entitled to qualified immunity. Once again, we agree with the Officers.
“An officer may be liable under § 1983 under a theory of bystander
liability where the officer (1) knows that a fellow officer is violating an
_____________________
7
Johnson also makes references to a few other cases. In Roque v. Harvel, we held
that it was clearly established “that an officer violates the Fourth Amendment if he shoots
an unarmed, incapacitated suspect who is moving away from everyone present at the
scene.” 993 F.3d 325, 339 (5th Cir. 2021). In Cooper v. Brown, an officer deployed a dog
rather than a taser, the plaintiff was “not actively resisting arrest or attempting to flee,”
and the officer did not order the dog to release the bite until after the plaintiff was
handcuffed. 844 F.3d 517, 521, 523–24 (5th Cir. 2016). Then, in Mason v. Lafayette City-
Parish Consolidated Government, after an officer had shot a suspect five times and the
suspect was face down on the ground, the officer—claiming that the suspect made a
threatening movement—fired two more shots into the suspect’s back. 806 F.3d 268, 273–
74 (5th Cir. 2015). But each of these cases present factual circumstances that are wholly
distinct from the circumstances surrounding Noble’s use of his taser, and, as a result, these
cases did not put Noble on notice that his conduct was unlawful.
8
In his briefing on appeal, Johnson only presses this claim against Salter and Alzola,
though he also asserts this claim against Noble in his complaint. Nonetheless, for the same
reasons discussed herein, Johnson’s bystander claim fails against all the Officers.
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individual’s constitutional rights; (2) has a reasonable opportunity to prevent
the harm; and (3) chooses not to act.” Whitley v. Hanna, 726 F.3d 631, 646
(5th Cir. 2013) (citation modified). Then, because the Officers have asserted
qualified immunity, Johnson is also required to “identify clearly established
law requiring an officer” to intervene under similar circumstances. Id. at 647
n.13. In other words, Johnson bears the burden to demonstrate that, at the
time the conduct at issue took place, “any reasonable officer would have
known that the Constitution required them to intervene in this
circumstance.” Timpa v. Dillard, 20 F.4th 1020, 1038–39 (5th Cir. 2021)
(citation modified).
Johnson’s bystander claim must fail. Where each specific instance of
claimed excessive force did not violate clearly established law at the time of
its occurrence, a plaintiff is unable to maintain a bystander claim rooted in
the same conduct. Terrell v. Allgrunn, 114 F.4th 428, 440 (5th Cir. 2024)
(“All the specific instances, listed by plaintiffs as points at which Henderson
and Banta failed to intervene, were not violations of clearly established
constitutional law. That ends the inquiry.”), reh’g denied, No. 23-30723 (5th
Cir. Jan. 7, 2025). That is, because Noble’s use of force did not violate clearly
established law, Johnson’s bystander claim relating to this instance cannot
survive.
B. Claim against the City
Last, we reach Johnson’s claim against the City. The district court
concluded that Johnson’s Monell claim must fail for two reasons. For one, his
claim failed because the Officers’ force was reasonable. But for another, the
district court held that its review of the parties’ evidence revealed that
Johnson failed to establish municipal liability against the City in any event.
Specifically, the district court held that Johnson failed to establish that the
City: had a policy or custom of excessive force; inadequately trained its
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officers; had a policy of failing to enforce its intervention policy that was also
the moving force behind the Officers’ conduct; could be liable for its alleged
failure to discipline; and was deliberately indifferent in its post-incident
conduct.
Because Johnson fails to challenge the district court’s alternative
justifications for dismissing his claim against the City, we must affirm.
Indeed, Johnson addresses none of the district court’s alternative grounds for
dismissal on appeal. He simply asserts that there are fact issues as to whether
his constitutional rights were violated, and, as a result, the district court could
not evaluate his Monell claim. Not so. The district court addressed the merits
of Johnson’s Monell claim even though it found no underlying constitutional
violation.
Johnson has forfeited any arguments regarding this analysis. “A party
forfeits a claim or argument by failing to raise it at the appropriate time. For
example, forfeiture occurs when the party fails . . . to adequately brief it on
appeal.” Indigenous Peoples of Coastal Bend v. U. S. Army Corps of Eng’rs, 132
F.4th 872, 882 (5th Cir. 2025); United States v. Ogle, 415 F.3d 382, 383 (5th
Cir. 2005) (per curiam) (“[A]n argument not raised in appellant’s original
brief as required by Fed. R. App. P. 28 is waived.”). That is the case here.
Further, and in any event, even if we were to consider Johnson’s belated
arguments on this point, he has failed to demonstrate that the district court’s
analysis of his Monell claim was erroneous. Dixon v. Toyota Motor Credit
Corp., 794 F.3d 507, 508 (5th Cir. 2015) (“Arguments raised for the first time
in a reply brief are waived.”).
IV. Conclusion
For the foregoing reasons, we AFFIRM the district court’s grant of
the Officers’ and the City’s motions for summary judgment.
14