By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a qualified immunity appeal involving a Michigan police officer, leaving intact a lower court ruling that allows a lawsuit over use of force to proceed.
• The case stems from an incident in which an officer deployed a restraint technique during an arrest that plaintiffs allege was excessive.
• The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals previously ruled that qualified immunity did not apply, permitting the civil action to move forward.
• Legal experts said the Supreme Court’s refusal leaves existing precedent undisturbed but does not establish new national standards.
WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal in a qualified immunity case involving a Michigan police officer, effectively allowing a civil lawsuit alleging excessive force to proceed in federal court, court records show.
The high court’s action on Monday left intact a 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision that a former officer could not claim qualified immunity for use of force during an arrest, meaning the plaintiff’s lawsuit may advance toward discovery and potential trial.
The underlying case arises from an arrest in Michigan when the officer applied a restraint technique that the plaintiff alleges inflicted unnecessary harm; lower courts have been divided on whether the conduct was clearly established as unlawful.
By refusing to review the case, the Supreme Court did not address broader questions about qualified immunity standards, leaving that issue to lower court precedent and future litigation rather than a new national test.
Attorneys on both sides of qualified immunity debates said the court’s decision to pass on the case provides limited guidance and maintains the status quo in similar civil rights lawsuits across federal circuits.