Thomas stared at the frozen image.
“He warned you.”
“He cannot destroy private property.”
“He can use reasonable force to remove an occupant who refuses a lawful order to exit.”
Diane’s face changed.
“No.”
Thomas closed his eyes briefly.
“Diane.”
“No. I researched this.”
“What did you research?”
“The Constitution.”
Thomas leaned back.
“Which part?”
“The Fourth Amendment.”
“What specifically in the Fourth Amendment says a driver can refuse to exit a vehicle during a lawful traffic stop?”
Diane did not answer.
Thomas reopened the video.
“What exactly were you relying on?”
“My rights.”
“Which right?”
Diane felt her chest tighten.
“That’s what everyone keeps asking.”
“Because it matters.”
“The right against unlawful search and seizure.”
“He wasn’t searching the car.”
“He seized me.”
“A traffic stop is a seizure for Fourth Amendment purposes.”
Diane pointed.
“Exactly.”
Thomas nodded.
“And it can be lawful.”
She stared at him.
He continued.
“The Constitution prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures. It does not prohibit every seizure.”
Diane looked away.
Thomas opened another document.
“Pennsylvania v. Mimms.”
Diane looked back.
“I know that case.”
Thomas raised an eyebrow.
“What does it hold?”
She hesitated.
“That police can’t just…”
Her voice faded.
Thomas waited.
Diane said nothing.
“The Supreme Court held that after a lawful traffic stop, an officer may generally order the driver out of the vehicle.”
Diane stared at him.
“That’s not what people online say.”
Thomas gave her a tired look.
“People online say the earth is flat.”
“That’s not fair.”
“No. What happened to you wasn’t fair to yourself.”
Diane’s face hardened.
“You’re supposed to represent me.”
“I am.”
“You sound like his lawyer.”
“I’m telling you the strengths and weaknesses of your case.”
She crossed her arms.
“So there’s no case?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“What can we challenge?”
Thomas listed potential issues.
Whether each initial traffic observation could be established.
Whether the obstruction statute applied exactly as charged.
Whether her resistance qualified under the state statute.
Whether the force used was reasonable at each stage.
Whether procedures were followed.
Diane listened.
Then asked, “Can we sue?”
Thomas sighed.
“You can sue almost anyone.”
“That’s not what I’m asking.”
“Do I currently see a strong civil-rights case based on this footage?”
“Yes.”