Topic

Qualified Immunity

Every decision we've filed under Qualified Immunity.

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Civil 2084 Criminal 1218 Summary Judgment 466 Sentencing Guidelines 413 Civil Rights - Section 1983 395 Immigration (Civil) 354 Constitutional 350 Supervised Release 285 Drug Trafficking 272 Firearms 213 Civil Rights - Employment 204 Intellectual Property 159
Apr 29 2026
11th Cir. 8:25-cv-00444-WFJ-SPF Per Curiam

Blair Clark v. David Bell

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Blair Clark's malicious prosecution claim because his complaint failed to identify a specific legal process that was constitutionally infirm. The court held that an officer's probable cause affidavit submitted to a prosecutor does not constitute the legal process required to sustain a Fourth Amendment malicious prosecution claim.

Civil Civil Rights - Section 1983 Qualified Immunity
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Apr 29 2026
4th Cir. 25-1318 Panel Decision

Brittany Ruffin v. Kevin Davis

The Fourth Circuit affirmed the denial of qualified immunity for a police officer who shot and killed a fleeing, unarmed teenager who made no threatening movements with a weapon. The court held that under clearly established law, an officer cannot use deadly force against a suspect who is armed but poses no immediate threat to safety.

Civil Civil Rights - Section 1983 Fourth Amendment - Search & Seizure Qualified Immunity
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Apr 29 2026
9th Cir. 2:19-cv-09430-DOC-KES Unpublished

VIEN-PHUONG HO V. THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, PUBLIC WORKS, ET AL

The Ninth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for the City and officers, ruling that the plaintiff failed to establish a protected possessory interest in the neighbors' portion of an alleyway. The court further held that the officers were entitled to qualified immunity and that the district court committed no abuse of discretion regarding procedural rulings.

Civil Civil Rights - Section 1983 Qualified Immunity Summary Judgment
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Apr 28 2026
4th Cir. 24-2073 2-1

RICHARD P. HARROLD Plaintiff – v. LEWIS J. HAGEN

The Fourth Circuit vacated the district court's grant of qualified immunity, holding that a non-threatening, unarmed, and passively resisting suspect possesses a clearly established Fourth Amendment right to be free from unnecessary K-9 deployment. The court concluded that Officer Hagen's use of force was disproportionate under existing precedent, requiring the case to proceed to trial rather than being dismissed at this procedural stage.

Civil Civil Rights - Section 1983 Qualified Immunity
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Apr 28 2026
9th Cir. 2:21-cv-01681-DLR Unpublished

MARK ENTERPRISES CAR COMPANY, LLC, ET AL. V. ALI, ET AL.

The Ninth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for federal agents, ruling they retained qualified immunity because the warrant was not facially deficient and the agents did not deliberately deceive the magistrate. The court held that the affidavit provided a colorable argument for probable cause despite the Plaintiffs' allegations of overbreadth and misrepresentation.

Civil Rights - Section 1983 Criminal Embezzlement & Forgery Qualified Immunity
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Apr 28 2026
8th Cir. 24-3316 Panel Decision

Robert Ward v. City of Sherwood, Arkansas, an Arkansas municipality; Matt Harris

The Eighth Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of qualified immunity to Officer Harris, holding that no clearly established law prohibited his warning against using foul language in public near children during a noise complaint investigation. The court found that Ward's belligerent conduct provided arguable probable cause for a disorderly conduct arrest, defeating his constitutional claims.

Civil Civil Rights - Employment Civil Rights - Section 1983 Fourth Amendment - Search & Seizure
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Apr 28 2026
3rd Cir. 24-2260 Panel Decision

COREY R. KENDIG v. NICHOLAS STOLAR

The Third Circuit affirmed summary judgment for Trooper Nicholas Stolar, holding that while omitting self-defense evidence from a probable cause affidavit can violate the Fourth Amendment, the right was not clearly established at the time of the arrest. Consequently, Trooper Stolar retains qualified immunity despite the court's new rule requiring officers to disclose known facts that conclusively negate the mental state of a charged crime.

Civil Rights - Section 1983 Criminal Fourth Amendment - Search & Seizure Qualified Immunity
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Apr 24 2026
10th Cir. 2:24-CV-00245-ABJ Panel Decision

Jarvis v. County of Teton Wyoming, et al.

The Tenth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Ryan-Michael Jarvis's civil rights complaint, ruling that law enforcement officers had probable cause to arrest him based on witness reports of threats and aggression at a music festival. The court held that the officers' actions were reasonable under the Fourth Amendment and that the district court correctly applied absolute prosecutorial immunity and qualified immunity to the defendants.

Civil Civil Rights - Employment Civil Rights - Section 1983 Fourth Amendment - Search & Seizure
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Apr 24 2026
10th Cir. 1:23-CV-00843-GPG-NRN Panel Decision

Puller, et al. v. Greco, et al.

The Tenth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a § 1983 false arrest and malicious prosecution claim against Denver police officers, ruling that the officers were protected by qualified immunity. The court held that an ambiguous surveillance video did not clearly establish that the officers lacked arguable probable cause to arrest the plaintiffs.

Civil Rights - Section 1983 Criminal Fourth Amendment - Search & Seizure Qualified Immunity
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Apr 23 2026
10th Cir. 1:20-CV-00612-RB-DLM Panel Decision

Vasquez v. Jones, et al.

The Tenth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a prisoner's Eighth Amendment supervisory liability claim against the Secretary of Corrections. The court held that generalized allegations of understaffing and poor training were insufficient to prove the official knew or should have known these conditions would specifically cause the plaintiff's injuries.

Civil Rights - Section 1983 Criminal Prison Offenses Qualified Immunity
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