Everett v. Pitt County Board of Ed. Parents’ groups that oppose a county school board’s 2011-2012 student assignment plan win their appeal in the 4th Circuit, which says the district court erred by failing to apply, and requiring the school board to rebut, a presumption that racial disparities in the assignment plan resulted from the school board’s prior unconstitutional operation of a racially segregated school district.
Gregg v. Ham A bail bondsman pursuing a fugitive in his home neighborhood must pay $100,000 to a disabled woman whose home the bondsman surveilled and searched; the 4th Circuit says the bail bondsman is not entitled to qualified immunity from the woman’s § 1983 claim and the district court did not err in submitting the immunity issue to the jury.
Merchant v. Bauer A Fairfax County police officer could not objectively and reasonably have believed plaintiff was impersonating a police officer in violation of a Virginia statute when plaintiff, a psychologist who served as deputy director of a Maryland county correctional department, had a badge in her pocket, used air quotes to refer to her county-provided “police car,” and told the officer he should show her professional courtesy; the 4th Circuit upholds a denial of qualified immunity to the officer.
Singletary v. Department of Health & Human Services Where the waiver of Eleventh Amendment immunity in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) closely resembles the waiver in the Rehabilitation Act, which the U.S. Supreme Court has found to be valid and unequivocal, the court holds that the IDEA’s waiver of sovereign immunity is valid and unequivocal.
Lisenby v. Lear A federal district court could not remand to state court a prisoner’s pro se filing based in part of plaintiff’s status as a “three-strikes” prisoner due to his frequent legal filings, and the 4th Circuit reverses the remand order and reinstates plaintiff’s complaint for further proceedings.
Seremeth v. Board of County Commissioners Frederick County, Md. Police responded reasonably to a domestic call involving a family whose members were deaf by handcuffing the father behind his back, which impeded his ability to write notes or sign, and by calling in an American Sign Language trainee, and the county is entitled to summary judgment on the father’s claim that police violated his rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Lefemine, d/b/a Columbia Christians for Life v. Wideman The 4th Circuit upholds a judgment that a local sheriff’s department violated a pro-life group’s First Amendment rights when officers asked group members not to display “large, graphic signs” with aborted fetuses as part of a roadside demonstration, but the appellate court also upholds qualified immunity for defendants.
Halpern v. Wake Forest University Health Sciences A medical student with ADHD and anxiety disorder can’t sue Wake Forest medical school for disability discrimination after his dismissal due to a pattern of unprofessional conduct with staff; with or without “reasonable accommodation,” the student is unqualified for the medical program, the 4th Circuit says.
McBurney v. Young Non-Virginia citizens who were denied access under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act to certain public records from Virginia state agencies, including information related to a child support matter and county real estate assessments, lose their suit alleging the Virginia Freedom of Information violated the Privileges & Immunities Clause of the U.S. Constitution Clause, in this 4th Circuit d
Bullock v. Napolitano The 4th Circuit upholds dismissal of this Title VII race discrimination suit filed by an African-American who was dismissed from the federal air marshal training program; the U.S. did not consent to be sued in North Carolina state court and removal of the suit to federal court, under the doctrine of derivative jurisdiction, did not cure that jurisdictional defect.
