Case law

Perry, Rixson M. v. Sheahan, Michael

Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · Aug 2, 2000

Our analysis begins with the well-established proposition that government officials performing discretionary functions are entitled to qualified immunity from liability for civil damages unless their conduct violates clearly … Because the conduct alleged in the complaint would violate the clearly-established right against unreasonable seizures, we reverse the district court’s dismissal of the damages claims on the grounds of qualified immunity.

Richard Doermer v. Kathryn Callen

847 F.3d 522 · Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · Feb 1, 2017

Other government offi- cials who do not enjoy absolute immunity are nonetheless shielded by qualified immunity, a robust doctrine that “pro- tects government officials ‘from liability for civil damages in- sofar as their … conduct does not violate clearly established stat- utory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known.’”

Billie Thompson v. Lance Cope

Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · Aug 14, 2018

Step 2: Clearly Established Law We have appellate jurisdiction to review the legal issue at the second step of qualified immunity analysis: whether the constitutional right that Heishman’s estate asserts was clearly established … In Hope, the Court denied qualified immunity and held that handcuffing a prisoner to a hitching post violated clearly established law. Hope teaches that a case directly on point is not required.

Alvin Marks v. Larry Carmody and Anthony Cinquegrani

234 F.3d 1006 · Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · Dec 12, 2000

As the district court recognized, qualified immunity protects arresting police officers from suit if a reasonable officer would have believed the arrest to be lawful, in light of clearly established law and the information … The district court’s judgment dismissing the case against them on qualified immunity grounds is therefore Affirmed.

Valance v. Gaylon Wisel, Mike Reneau, Ed Pearce

110 F.3d 1269 · Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · Apr 7, 1997

Alternatively, the court believed that even if Valance could establish a violation of his constitutional rights, the officers would be entitled to qualified immunity from his claim to money damages. … The doctrine of qualified immunity shields government officials who perform discretionary functions from liability for civil damages “insofar as their conduct does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional

Dana Ault v. Leslie Speicher

Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · Mar 3, 2011

“The doctrine of qualified immunity protects govern- ment officials from liability for civil damages when their conduct does not clearly violate established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person … On a qualified immunity claim the court confronts two questions: (1) whether the plain- tiff’s allegations make out a deprivation of a constitu- tional right; and (2) whether that right was clearly estab- lished at the time

Larry Kemp v. David Liebel

Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · Dec 11, 2017

The Doctrine of Qualified Immunity  “The doctrine of qualified immunity protects government  officials ‘from liability for civil damages insofar as their con‐ duct does not violate clearly established statutory or constitu … Liebel Did Not Violate Clearly Established Law  Under this framework, it is clear that Liebel is protected  by qualified immunity. 

Robert Taylor v. Ricky Hughes

26 F.4th 419 · Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · Feb 16, 2022

The bottom line there was not that the search was reasonable, but only that the executing officer acted in good faith and was entitled to qualified immunity: no case clearly established that he “could not proceed to search … An officer who makes an arrest is entitled to qualified immun- ity if “a reasonable officer could have believed [the] arrest to be lawful, in light of clearly established law and the 24

Donald Vance v. Donald Rumsfeld

701 F.3d 193 · Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · Nov 7, 2012

Gilley, 500 U.S. 226, 232 , 111 S.Ct. 1789 , 114 L.Ed.2d 277 (1991), that when evaluating an argument that a right is not “clearly established” — the essential ingredient in any invocation of qualified immunity — a court … may conclude that the right has not been “clearly” established because it has not been established at all.

Daniel Engel v. Robert Buchan

Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · Mar 5, 2013

We also held that the agents were not protected by qualified immunity because the constitutional right in question was clearly established at the time of the events at issue in the case. … Qualified immunity “pro- tects government officials ‘from liability for civil damages insofar as their conduct does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have

Robert N. Kissell and Beverly J. Kissell v. Sheldon A. Breskow

579 F.2d 425 · Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · Jul 18, 1978

grievance against Terry. 4 *429 Though this court has not heretofore considered whether an officer of a state body charged with disciplining attorneys is clothed with either quasi-judicial or qualified immunity, guidance … Our holding that quasi-judicial immunity applies to Breskow’s actions herein, makes it unnecessary to consider the Kissells’ arguments respecting qualified immunity.

William Hawkins v. Rodney Mitchell

756 F.3d 983 · Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · Jun 23, 2014

established”). … But qualified immunity is not available to the officers as a defense, here or on remand.

Elias Villalobos v. Louis Picicco

Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · Mar 6, 2026

Clearly Established Law There are two prongs to the qualified immunity analysis. Doe, 75 F.4th at 716. First, courts ask whether officials violated a federal right. Id. … That means courts must not “define clearly established law at too high a level of generality.”

John A. Reed, Gerald G. Kaluzny, and Rbk, Ltd. v. Village of Shorewood

704 F.2d 943 · Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · Jul 7, 1983

The decision that established the absolute immunity of judges from suits for damages under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 , Pierson v. … result here just because these officers’ immunity is absolute rather than qualified.

John Doe v. Purdue University

928 F.3d 652 · Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · Jun 28, 2019

But because the defendants have as- serted qualified immunity, John can recover damages from them only if his right to receive procedural due process in the disciplinary proceeding was clearly established. … Qualified immunity is a high standard.

John Sabo v. Megan Erickson

Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · Apr 30, 2024

“The doctrine of qualified immunity protects gov- ernment officials from liability for civil damages insofar as their conduct does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person … We held that the record- keeper was not entitled to qualified immunity because “closely analogous” cases, including Sample and Haygood, had clearly established the obligation of corrections officials—and recordkeepers in

William Rainsberger v. Charles Benner

Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · Jan 15, 2019

 established Fourth Amendment law, it denied Benner  qualified immunity.  … We held that the of‐ ficer was entitled to qualified immunity. 

William Rainsberger v. Charles Benner

Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · Jan 15, 2019

 established Fourth Amendment law, it denied Benner  qualified immunity.  … We held that the of‐ ficer was entitled to qualified immunity. 

Micah Uetricht v. Chicago Parking Meters, LLC

64 F.4th 827 · Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · Apr 7, 2023

Although the state obviously cannot obtain Parker protection simply by declaring that its system meets the Supreme Court’s criteria for immunity, the state may take whatever steps it wishes to clarify that it is “clearly … If that were true, then just as in the Seattle case, the defendants would not qualify for state-action immunity, and we would need to reverse for further proceedings.

Richard Greenberg v. Thomas Kmetko and Bruce Weflen

922 F.2d 382 · Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · Feb 15, 1991

That right was established in 1791 but is too general to be useful. … Anderson does “not ... say that an official action is protected by qualified immunity unless the very action in question has previously been held unlawful”, 483 U.S. at 640, 107 S.Ct. at 3039.