No. 23-644

City of Charlotte, North Carolina, et al. v. Azucena Zamorano Aleman, Individually and as Administrator of the Estate of Rubin Galindo Chavez

Lower Court: Fourth Circuit
Docketed: 2023-12-14
Status: Denied
Type: Paid
Amici (1)
Tags: 42-usc-1983 civil-rights constitutional-rights deadly-force fourth-amendment law-enforcement precedent qualified-immunity use-of-force
Key Terms:
SocialSecurity FourthAmendment
Latest Conference: 2024-03-01
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether the Fourth Circuit erred in the process it used to find a 'clearly established' Fourth Amendment right

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

QUESTIONS PRESENTED The Fourth Circuit ruled that Charlotte police officer David Guerra is not entitled to qualified immunity in a 42 U.S.C. § 1983 deadly force case. It held that Ruben Galindo (a man who was armed, delusional, and intoxicated) had a “clearly established right” to be free from deadly force, even after he refused Officer Guerra’s repeated commands to drop his gun. The Fourth Circuit engineered this “clearly established right” from eight precedents. Two precedents were decided after the shooting in this case. Of the remaining six, five cases did not find a constitutional violation at all. And the one case that found a violation is distinct on its facts. Against that backdrop, the issue is: Whether the Fourth Circuit erred in the process it used to find a “clearly established” Fourth Amendment right because it used cases: (1) decided after the shooting; (2) where no violation was found; and (8) that involved different facts.

Docket Entries

2024-03-04
Petition DENIED.
2024-02-14
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 3/1/2024.
2024-02-14
Reply of petitioners City of Charlotte, North Carolina, et al. filed. (Distributed)
2024-01-31
2024-01-16
Brief amicus curiae of International Municipal Lawyers Association filed.
2023-12-19
Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including January 31, 2024.
2023-12-18
Motion to extend the time to file a response from January 16, 2024 to January 31, 2024, submitted to The Clerk.
2023-12-08
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due January 16, 2024)

Attorneys

Azucena Zamorano Aleman
Stephen Luke LargessTin, Fulton, Walker & Owen, Respondent
Stephen Luke LargessTin, Fulton, Walker & Owen, Respondent
City of Charlotte, et al.
Steven Andrew BaderCranfill Sumner , Petitioner
Steven Andrew BaderCranfill Sumner , Petitioner
International Municipal Lawyers Association
Patrick Michael KaneFox Rothschild LLP, Amicus
Patrick Michael KaneFox Rothschild LLP, Amicus