No. 24-573

Coleman County, Texas v. Patsy K. Cope, et al.

Lower Court: Fifth Circuit
Docketed: 2024-11-22
Status: Denied
Type: Paid
Response Waived
Tags: bell-v-wolfish detainee-suicide fifth-circuit monell-standard municipal-liability qualified-immunity
Key Terms:
SocialSecurity DueProcess Privacy JusticiabilityDoctri
Latest Conference: 2025-01-10
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Does a Bell v. Wolfish claim for detainee suicide allow a plaintiff to bypass the traditional Monell test for imposing municipal liability, and does such a claim require a demonstration of causation and deliberate indifference?

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

QUESTIONS PRESENTED Petitioner Coleman County is a small, rural county in the State of Texas. In 2017, a pretrial detainee committed suicide in the Coleman County jail. In ensuing litigation, the Fifth Circuit ordered qualified immunity for all individual officers, and this Court denied certiorari. On remand, the only remaining claim was for municipal liability against Coleman County. A split panel of the Fifth Circuit held that a claim derived from the Bell v. Wolfish line of cases could proceed against Coleman County, even though the County was not liable under Monell because (1) there was no constitutional violation caused by a policy of the County; and, (2) no deliberate indifference by jail officials. The panel majority did not explain how the County could be liable under Bell while at the same time not be liable under the traditional Monell framework. The questions presented are: 1. Does a Bell v. Wolfish claim for detainee suicide allow a plaintiff to bypass the traditional Monell test for imposing liability on a municipality? 2. Does a Bell v. Wolfish claim for detainee suicide against a municipality require a demonstration of causation and deliberate indifference?

Docket Entries

2025-01-13
Petition DENIED.
2024-12-04
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/10/2025.
2024-12-02
Waiver of right of respondent Patsy K. Cope, et al. to respond filed.
2024-11-20
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due December 23, 2024)
2024-10-16
Application (24A352) granted by Justice Alito extending the time to file until November 20, 2024.
2024-10-09
Application (24A352) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from October 21, 2024 to December 5, 2024, submitted to Justice Alito.

Attorneys

Coleman County, Texas
Jon Mark HoggJon Mark Hogg PLLC, Petitioner
Patsy K. Cope, et al.
Thomas Dean MaloneLaw Offices of Dean Malone, P.C., Respondent