No. 20-226

Kenneth Ratliff v. Aransas County, Texas, et al.

Lower Court: Fifth Circuit
Docketed: 2020-08-26
Status: Denied
Type: Paid
Response Waived
Tags: civil-procedure civil-rights due-process excessive-force municipal-liability pleading-standard qualified-immunity summary-judgment
Key Terms:
SecondAmendment
Latest Conference: 2020-09-29
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Should lower federal courts demand a heightened pleading standard for municipal liability claims?

Question Presented (from Petition)

QUESTIONS PRESENTED FOR REVIEW 1. Instead of relying on discovery control and summary judgments to weed out frivolous claims, should the lower federal courts nonetheless be allowed to demand a “heightened” pleading standard for municipal liability claims that violates this Court’s guidance and the rules of procedure, thereby only allowing such claims to proceed to discovery when such discovery is already known? 2. When the facts, viewed in the light most favorable to Kenneth Ratliff, show that as he was lawfully armed on the porch of his home, with his weapon at his side, telling unknown persons in the pitchdark nearly 90 feet away to leave his property, he was shot five times by Deputy Scudder who identified himself only by shouting “I’m gonna shoot your ass, motherf|[***]er,” should that officer be entitled to summary judgment on qualified immunity grounds?

Docket Entries

2020-10-05
Petition DENIED.
2020-09-02
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/29/2020.
2020-08-27
Waiver of right of respondent Aransas County, Texas, et al. to respond filed.
2020-08-21
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due September 25, 2020)

Attorneys

Aransas County, Texas, et al.
Kevin D. CullenCullen, Carsner, Seerden and Cullen, LLP, Respondent
Kevin D. CullenCullen, Carsner, Seerden and Cullen, LLP, Respondent
Kenneth Ratliff
Christopher John GaleGale Law Group, Petitioner
Christopher John GaleGale Law Group, Petitioner