Opinion ID: 883122
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Did the District Court err in granting defendants' motion for a directed verdict on Buhr's civil rights claims against Flathead County and Sheriff Rhodes?

Text: Buhr's civil rights claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 asserted that Flathead County and Rhodes denied Joshua a broad range of constitutional rights. In essence, the civil rights claims alleged that Flathead County and Rhodes failed to provide Joshua with appropriate medical care during his detention and that excessive force was used against him. At the close of Buhr's case-in-chief, Flathead County and Rhodes moved for a directed verdict on the civil rights claims. The District Court granted the motion. It concluded that Buhr established the existence of the detention center's policy for providing medical care, but failed to offer any evidence that either Flathead County or Rhodes was deliberately indifferent to Joshua's medical needs. The court also concluded that no evidence supported Buhr's excessive force claim under the deliberate indifference standard.