222872P.pdf   07/24/2023  Benedda Cotten  v.  Ryan Miller
   U.S. Court of Appeals Case No:  22-2872
   U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota   
   [PUBLISHED] [Colloton, Author, with Melloy and Gruender, Circuit Judges] 
   Civil case - Civil rights. Plaintiffs claimed the defendant police 
   officers violated their Fourth Amendment rights by making a warrantless 
   search of plaintiffs' apartment, and the district court granted summary 
   judgment for plaintiffs. Reversed, as the officers had probable cause, 
   based on a 911 call and information gathered from plaintiffs' neighbors, 
   to believe than domestic violence had occurred in the plaintiffs' 
   apartment; further the circumstances created an exigency which justified 
   warrantless entry; plaintiffs' denial through a closed door that anything 
   had happened was not sufficient to dispel the officer's concern that a 
   potential victim was injured or threatened with future harm; additionally, 
   the officers had reasonable grounds to believe that the domestic violence 
   suspect was still in the home with the putative victim; under the totality 
   of the circumstances a reasonable officer in defendants' position could 
   have concluded that that entry was necessary to provide assistance or 
   prevent future harm; the entry did not violate plaintiffs' Fourth 
   Amendment rights, and the officers were entitled to summary judgment.