Officer may be liable for excessive use of Taser
A police officer may be liable for repeatedly shooting a domestic violence suspect with a taser after it appeared that he had stopped resisting arrest, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled...
View ArticleHeroin use evidence admissible in excessive force case
Police officers sued for using excessive force could introduce evidence of the victim’s heroin use before an arrest, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in affirming a defense verdict. The...
View ArticleOfficer couldn’t read letter found in search of car
A police officer violated the Fourth Amendment when he read a letter discovered during the consent search of a motor vehicle, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled. The plaintiff gave the...
View ArticleBenchmarks: Officer fired after arresting mayor’s son can sue
An Illinois police officer claimed he lost his job because he complained that his department had a bad habit of looking the other way when politically-connected drivers were caught committing traffic...
View ArticleCan age discrimination claim proceed under §1983?
The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether state and local government employees can avoid the limitations of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act by bringing age discrimination claims directly...
View ArticleBenchmarks: NYC escapes $2M Taser verdict
New York City will not have to pay $2 million to a Bronx man who alleged he was tased by police while undergoing a medical emergency. Carlos Pacheco’s unfortunate confrontation with members of the NYPD...
View ArticleL.A. may be liable for jailhouse informant policies
Los Angeles County may be liable for the wrongful conviction of a man for murder based on the perjured testimony of a jailhouse informant, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in reversing a...
View ArticleParent can’t bring §1983 action over jail suicide
A parent did not have standing to pursue a §1983 cause of action for the suicide of her adult child while in county jail, the Idaho Supreme Court has ruled in reversing judgment. The plaintiff’s son...
View ArticleCoaches aren’t liable for ‘outing’ lesbian student
High school coaches had no liability for violating a constitutional right of privacy based on an allegation that they disclosed a student’s sexual orientation to her mother, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court...
View ArticleSchool didn’t have constitutional duty to stop bullying
A public school did not have a constitutional duty to protect two sisters from bullying by fellow students, the en banc 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in affirming a dismissal. The...
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