Topic
Every decision we've filed under Qualified Immunity.
The Fourth Circuit reversed a district court ruling that allowed a civil rights lawsuit to proceed against detention officers. The appellate court held that the complaint failed to plausibly allege that any specific officer acted with deliberate indifference to the plaintiff's medical needs.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a substantive due process claim against law enforcement officers who shared child pornography images with an untrained auxiliary officer. The court held that no fundamental liberty interest exists in preventing the sharing of such images during an investigation, even when the recipient retains them without authority.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a summary judgment ruling that prison officials were protected by qualified immunity in a wrongful death suit. The court held that the officials lacked the subjective awareness required to establish deliberate indifference under the Eighth Amendment.
The Seventh Circuit dismissed an appeal challenging a district court's denial of qualified immunity because the lower court's ruling was not a final adjudication. The appellate court held that the district court's decision to deny immunity without prejudice and invite further arguments at summary judgment did not satisfy the collateral order doctrine.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for police officers, holding that their seizure of unlisted electronics fell within the Fourth Amendment's plain view doctrine. The court found that specific tips regarding stolen goods, combined with the items' suspicious packaging and location, provided probable cause to believe the property was contraband.
The Fourth Circuit vacated summary judgment in a Fourth Amendment excessive force case, holding that genuine disputes of material fact exist regarding the reasonableness of a vehicle ramming and shooting. The court ruled that a reasonable jury could find the force used was not objectively justified given the suspect was unarmed and the circumstances did not pose an immediate threat.
The Sixth Circuit reversed the denial of qualified immunity for a jail mental-health official who ordered a compromise placement for a suicidal detainee. The court held that no clearly established law prohibited her decision to balance suicide prevention with the need to reduce the detainee's mental distress.
The Third Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Paul Cononie's second amended complaint without leave to amend. The court held that Cononie failed to state a plausible claim for relief and did not follow the district court's specific directives to cure pleading deficiencies.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for jail officers in an excessive force claim where the plaintiff failed to prove a specific officer caused a non-de minimis injury. The court also upheld the dismissal of a second lawsuit because the plaintiff failed to serve defendants within the time limits required by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
The Tenth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Barry Morphew's civil rights lawsuit, ruling that he failed to plausibly allege a lack of probable cause for his arrest and prosecution. The court held that the arrest affidavit contained sufficient evidence of motive, means, and opportunity to support the murder charges, regardless of the alleged misconduct by investigators.