No. 20-422

Sarah R. Lee v. Ohio Education Association, et al.

Lower Court: Sixth Circuit
Docketed: 2020-10-02
Status: Denied
Type: Paid
Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (3) Experienced Counsel
Tags: 42-usc-1983 civil-rights constitutional-rights good-faith-defense private-entities qualified-immunity restitution restitutionary-remedies retroactivity section-1983
Key Terms:
SocialSecurity DueProcess
Latest Conference: 2021-01-22 (distributed 3 times)
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Does 42 U.S.C. § 1983 provide a 'good-faith defense' to private entities who violate another's constitutional rights before the courts have clearly established the illegality of their conduct?

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

question presented is: Does 42 U.S.C. § 1983 provide a “good-faith defense” to private entities who violate another’s constitutional rights before the courts have (i) clearly established the illegality of their conduct? 2. Assuming that 42 U.S.C. § 1983 establishes a “good-faith defense” for private defendants, the parties disagree over its scope. The union believes that its goodfaith reliance on pre-Janus statutes and court rulings should shield it not only from liability for damages, but also from restitutionary remedies that merely require the return of property that was taken in good faith but in violation of another’s constitutional rights. Ms. Lee acknowledges that defenses such as qualified immunity or “good faith” can shield a defendant from liability for damages, but these defenses never allow defendants to enrich themselves by keeping money or property that they took in violation of the Constitution. The issue presented is: Do the defenses of qualified immunity or “good faith” allow a defendant who takes another person’s money or property in violation of the Constitution—but in reliance on a statute or court ruling that purported to authorize its conduct and is only later declared unconstitutional—to keep that money or property when the owner sues for its return? (ii)

Docket Entries

2021-01-25
Petition DENIED.
2021-01-19
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/22/2021.
2021-01-14
Rescheduled.
2020-12-30
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/15/2021.
2020-12-10
Brief of respondents Ohio Education Association, et al. in opposition filed.
2020-11-10
Response Requested. (Due December 10, 2020)
2020-11-04
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 11/20/2020.
2020-11-02
Waiver of right of respondent Ohio Education Association, et al. to respond filed.
2020-09-28
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due November 2, 2020)

Attorneys

Ohio Education Association, et al.
Jacob Raffel KarabellBredhoff & Kaiser, P.L.L.C., Respondent
Jacob Raffel KarabellBredhoff & Kaiser, P.L.L.C., Respondent
Sarah Lee
Jonathan F. MitchellMitchell Law PLLC, Petitioner
Jonathan F. MitchellMitchell Law PLLC, Petitioner