What is the test for qualified immunity for an officer who makes an arrest without probable cause?

MultiRegion, United States of America

The following excerpt is from Arias v. Amador, 61 F.Supp.3d 960 (E.D. Cal. 2014):

It is well established that an arrest without probable cause violates the Fourth Amendment and gives rise to a claim for damages under 1983. Borunda v. Richmond, 885 F.2d 1384, 1391 (9th Cir.1988). An officer who makes an arrest without probable cause, however, may still be entitled to qualified immunity if he reasonably believed there to have been probable cause. See Ramirez v. City of Buena Park, 560 F.3d 1012, 1024 (9th Cir.2009).

In the context of an unlawful arrest, then, the two prongs of the qualified immunity analysis can be summarized as: (1) whether there was probable cause for the arrest; and (2) whether it is reasonably arguable that there was probable cause for arrestthat is, whether reasonable officers could disagree as to the legality of the arrest such that the arresting officer is entitled to qualified immunity. Rosenbaum v. Washoe Cnty., 663 F.3d 1071, 1076 (9th Cir.2011) Framing the reasonableness question somewhat differently, the question in determining whether qualified immunity applies is whether all reasonable officers would agree that there was no probable cause in this instance. Id. at 1078.

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