police officers’ qualified immunity News

Virginia Police Deny Excessive Force Claim by Son of Man Who Died After Traffic Stop

FRONT ROYAL, Va. (AP) –The son of a 77-year-old man who died after sustaining injuries during a traffic stop in Virginia earlier this year has filed a $6 million lawsuit that alleges the deputies involved in his father’s arrest used …

Police Officer’s Immunity Does Not Extend to New York County Employer: U.S. Court

A municipality in New York may be held liable for wrongful action by an employee even though the employee was granted individual immunity. A police detective found liable by a jury for a false arrest was entitled to qualified immunity …

GOP Opposes Weakening Liability Shield for Police Officers

The Senate’s top Republican on Tuesday linked Democrats’ efforts to make it easier to sue police officers to problems many law enforcement agencies are having recruiting and retaining personnel, drawing a hard line on the thorniest divide between bargainers seeking …

Judge Blocks Trump ‘Secretive’ Commission Report on Police and Civil Justice

Before a U.S. federal judge on Thursday halted the work of a Trump administration law enforcement commission – saying it had violated public meetings laws – the panel had been warned about shutting out public input by several of its …

Federal Judge in Mississippi Calls On Supreme Court to Examine Qualified Immunity

A federal judge in Mississippi has issued a sharply worded ruling that calls on the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the principle of qualified immunity, which protects law enforcement officers from being sued for some of their actions. U.S. District …

Louisiana Lawmakers Block Bill Allowing Lawsuits Against Officers

A Louisiana lawmaker’s effort to eliminate police officers’ wide immunity from lawsuits and allow people injured by law enforcement to sue for damages in civil court was shelved by Republicans on a state House committee. The House civil law committee …

Supreme Court Rejects Appeals Over Police ‘Qualified Immunity’

The U.S. Supreme Court this week refused to take up a new test of “qualified immunity,” rejecting several appeals that challenged the legal doctrine that has become a broad liability shield for police officers accused of civil rights violations. Qualified …