On March 17, 2017, plaintiff Robert Mitchell, a black man in his 20s, was a passenger in a vehicle with three other black passengers, when they were stopped by Bakersfield police officers Ronnie Jeffries and John Bishop. Mitchell recorded the events on his cellphone and refused to answer any of the officers’ questions. The officers eventually ordered Mitchell to get out of the car, twisted his arm behind his back and handcuffed him. Mitchell was arrested and taken to the Kern County Sheriff´s Office’s Central Receiving Facility, in Bakersfield, where he was jailed. Ultimately, no criminal charges were filed against Mitchell. Mitchell sued Jeffries; Bishop; the officers’ supervising officer, Sergeant Sherman; and the officers’ employer, the city of Bakersfield. Mitchell alleged that the defendants violated his First and Fourth Amendments rights. Mitchell claimed that the officers stated that they stopped his vehicle because the driver of the vehicle contacted the dividing line of a turning lane when stopping; the vehicle’s tries were wearing thin; and the air fresheners that were attached to the rear-view mirror were protruding, swinging and causing a problem. He also claimed that the officers unlawfully prolonged the traffic stop, and erroneously instructed him that he must identify himself or face arrest., Mitchell was separated from his family for more than 12 hours as a result of the arrest. He claimed the incident caused him to suffer emotional distress.