Topic
Every decision we've filed under Civil Rights - Section 1983.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed a jury verdict holding the City of Denver liable for unconstitutional force against peaceful protesters due to inadequate officer training. The court found sufficient evidence that the City acted with deliberate indifference by failing to train officers on proportional force during known protest scenarios.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed a jury verdict finding a Denver police officer liable for excessive force, rejecting his qualified immunity claim because clearly established law prohibited using pepperballs on peaceful, unarmed protesters without warning. The court also upheld the denial of a bifurcation motion and the punitive damages award, confirming that the officer acted with reckless indifference to the plaintiff's constitutional rights.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the denial of a preliminary injunction against an Indiana law restricting human sexuality instruction in early elementary grades. The court held that the statute is not unconstitutionally overbroad or vague because it targets official teacher speech and contains an ascertainable core of meaning.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit dismissed an appeal in part as moot and affirmed the dismissal of federal civil rights claims against state court officials and legal aid attorneys. The court held that the legal aid defendants were not state actors and that the judicial defendants were immune from injunctive relief under Section nineteen eighty-three.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a federal inmate's Bivens action alleging inadequate medical care and excessive force, holding that no implied private right of action exists for these claims against federal prison officials. The court ruled that the plaintiff's allegations presented a new context distinct from Supreme Court precedent and that special factors counseled against extending Bivens remedies in this domain.
The Seventh Circuit dismissed an appeal from a denial of qualified immunity because the case turned on genuine disputes over material facts. Appellate courts lack jurisdiction to resolve factual contests at the summary judgment stage, even when video evidence exists.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed the denial of qualified immunity for a police officer who used deadly force against a man holding a hatchet, ruling that the force was objectively unreasonable under the totality of the circumstances. The court held that the officer violated clearly established Fourth Amendment rights because the suspect posed no immediate threat and was fleeing when shot in the back.
The D.C. Circuit vacated preliminary injunctions blocking the transfer of transgender women inmates to men's facilities, ruling that the district court failed to make necessary individualized findings of fact. The court held that while the Eighth Amendment claim was not barred by jurisdictional or exhaustion statutes, the plaintiffs did not demonstrate a likelihood of success on the merits without specific evidence of their unique vulnerabilities.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Robert Walker's civil suit against judges, a law firm, and the Florida Bar for failure to state a claim. However, the court remanded the case to correct the procedural record, ordering that dismissals based on sovereign immunity be entered without prejudice to allow for potential refiling.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of David Anthony Babb's civil rights complaint, ruling that his allegations failed to plausibly establish that private defendants acted as state actors. The court held that mere licensing, regulation, or state approval of private conduct is insufficient to transform private behavior into state action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983.