Pages v. Seliman-Tapia
Florida Court of Appeal
134 So. 3d 536 (2014)
After a parking-lot confrontation escalated, Dr. Pages (plaintiff) chest-bumped Tapia (defendant) and then aggressively rushed toward Tapia's wife, prompting Tapia to push Dr. Pages to the ground, causing injury; Tapia pled guilty to criminal battery, and the Pages then sued him civilly for assault and battery. Tapia claimed immunity under Florida's Stand Your Ground law for using non-deadly force to defend his wife, and the trial court agreed; the Pages appealed, arguing Tapia's own unlawful conduct (his battery conviction) should bar Stand Your Ground immunity.
Whether a person is justified in using non-deadly force against another if the person reasonably believes such force is necessary to defend himself, herself, or a third party against the other's imminent use of unlawful force.