Innocent person killed in hostage standoff; officer granted qualified immunity
Facts (If you are new to 1983 actions, click here for help) On July 25, 2021, Angel Sanchez held Neida Tijerina, his former girlfriend, hostage in her apartment with three of her four minor children. Sanchez was armed with a shotgun and had a military style ballistic vest. One of Neida’s children later told detectives […]
Neither excessive force nor bystander liability found in this 18 wheeler incident
Facts (If you are new to 1983 actions, click here for help) On December 27, 2023, Houston Police Sergeant Carrizales encountered an 18-wheeler driving at about 5 mph on I-10 outside of Houston. After Carrizales failed to get the driver’s attention with his lights, siren, or verbal commands, officers used spike strips to immobilize the […]
Qualified Immunity for Tippah County Deputy
Facts (If you are new to 1983 actions, click here for help) James Hughey suffered from medical conditions that occasionally caused confusion and lack of awareness. In June of 2017, in a confused state, consistent with ammonia poisoning, he entered his ex girlfriend’s sister’s home. The sister called Mason, her ex-husband, who was on duty […]
Asking someone to sign ticket or be arrested is not a 1983 violation
Facts (If you are new to 1983 actions, click here for help) On September 12, 2025, Andrew Foulds, a City of Rosenberg police officer, stopped Shannan Soward’s vehicle, reasoning that she had violated the Texas Transportation Code by failing to signal a lane change and by not yielding to an emergency vehicle. Utilizing a pre-printed […]
Qualified immunity for Magnolia Police Chief and officer
Facts (If you are new to 1983 actions, click here for help) One morning, Stacey Bonds wanted to use a remote entry service to unlock her car. But for some reason, the service was unable to help. So Bonds was forced to unlock her car manually. She then drove to the school where she taught […]
Excessive force, false arrest, and malicious prosecution not found in this case
Facts (If you are new to 1983 actions, click here for help) In October 2021, Officer Charles Brown of the Town’s police department issued Maurice Williams a misdemeanor summons under the Town’s “dogs not to run at large” ordinance, with a court date of December 7, 2021. Though Williams did not attend because he claims […]