Opinion ID: 166819
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The City of Marietta

Text: 28 Plaintiff also appeals the district court's grant of summary judgment to the City. Plaintiff seeks to hold the City responsible for the actions of its officers, Poteet and Ducharme, and argues that the police officers' use of the backboard violated state law. 29 A municipality cannot, however, be held liable for the actions of its employees under the theory of respondeat superior. Instead, it must be shown that the unconstitutional actions of an employee were representative of an official policy or custom of the municipal institution, or were carried out by an official with final policy making authority with respect to the challenged action. 30 Seamons, 206 F.3d at 1029 (citation omitted). Plaintiff fails to identify any official policy or custom of the City which resulted in the deprivation of his constitutional rights. His conclusory allegation that the use of the backboard violated Oklahoma law is insufficient to state a constitutional claim against the City. Accordingly, the district court's grant of summary judgment to the City of Marietta is affirmed.