Topic
Every decision we've filed under Civil.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has issued an opinion in this civil rights appeal. Judgment has been entered in accordance with the court's decision.
The Third Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se plaintiff's federal civil rights claims arising from a state custody dispute, ruling that state officials and judges are protected by immunity doctrines. The court held that the plaintiff failed to plead an ongoing violation of federal law necessary to bypass sovereign immunity and did not allege that judicial actors acted outside their jurisdiction.
The Third Circuit denied a pro se petitioner's request for a writ of mandamus, ruling that he failed to meet the high burden required for such an extraordinary remedy. The court held that the District Court's decisions on default judgment, recusal, and dismissal were not subject to mandamus review under established legal standards.
The Third Circuit affirmed summary judgment for a prison psychologist but reversed the lower court's ruling against two medical defendants in an Eighth Amendment suicide prevention case. The court held that while the psychologist's actions were reasonable, the medical defendants' failure to personally evaluate a suicidal inmate created a genuine dispute of material fact regarding deliberate indifference.
The Supreme Court held that a pretrial order denying Yearsley protection is not immediately appealable because the doctrine provides a merits defense rather than an immunity from suit. Consequently, the denial fails the third prong of the collateral-order doctrine, as the issue remains effectively reviewable after a final judgment.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed summary judgment for prison medical providers, ruling that conservative treatment of reducible hernias did not constitute deliberate indifference under the Eighth Amendment. The court held that the Constitution guarantees adequate medical care, not the specific surgical treatment a prisoner desires.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a Section 1983 lawsuit alleging that a protective order and subsequent criminal convictions were obtained through fraud. The court held that the plaintiff's claims were barred by Heck v. Humphrey because a favorable ruling would necessarily imply the invalidity of his standing criminal convictions.
The Seventh Circuit dismissed David McNamara's appeal because he failed to file a brief containing legal arguments challenging the district court's decision. The underlying civil rights suit was properly dismissed by the lower court based on immunity doctrines, the statute of limitations, and federal abstention principles.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed the Board of Immigration Appeals' denial of asylum and withholding of removal for Guatemalan petitioners. The court held that the petitioners failed to exhaust claims regarding a pattern or practice against women in Guatemala and waived review of the agency's finding that the government could not control their ex-partner.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for a pest control company, holding that a customer provided prior express consent for pre-recorded calls by providing his phone number in a service contract. The court clarified that the TCPA statute requires only express consent for informational calls, rejecting the argument that written consent is mandatory for all pre-recorded calls.