Opinion ID: 2324699
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Common-law False Arrest

Text: The District next asserts that there was insufficient evidence for the jury to conclude that Officer Kelsey was liable for common law false arrest. To avoid liability for common law false arrest, a police officer may justify an arrest by demonstrating either (1) that he or she had probable cause to make the arrest or (2) that he or she believed in good faith that the arrest was lawful and that this belief was reasonable. District of Columbia v. Murphy, 631 A.2d 34, 36 (D.C.1993) (citations omitted). This standard resembles the section 1983 probable cause and qualified immunity standards discussed above (with the added clear articulation of the requirement of good faith), and the District's argument fails for essentially the same reasons already set forth. In any event, on this record, the jury was not required to credit Kelsey's good faith as mandated under the second standard of justification in Murphy.