Opinion ID: 794277
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners

Text: 34 Reasonover challenges the district court's grant of summary judgment on her claim brought under Monell v. Department of Social Services of New York, 436 U.S. 658, 98 S.Ct. 2018, 56 L.Ed.2d 611 (1978), contending the St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners (Board) failed to train officers properly who were members of the MCS. See City of Canton v. Harris, 489 U.S. 378, 109 S.Ct. 1197, 103 L.Ed.2d 412 (1989). Reasonover offers expert testimony opining the MCS and its constituent police departments offered little or no training or supervision with regard to the documentation or disclosure of exculpatory evidence. 35 Under Monell, a municipality may be held liable for the unconstitutional acts of its officials or employees when those acts implement or execute an unconstitutional municipal policy or custom. Mettler v. Whitledge, 165 F.3d 1197, 1204 (8th Cir.1999) (citing Monell, 436 U.S. at 694, 98 S.Ct. 2018). To establish liability, Reasonover must prove a Board custom or policy was the moving force behind the constitutional violation. Id. Before a municipality can be held liable ... there must be an unconstitutional act by a municipal employee. Russell v. Hennepin County, 420 F.3d 841, 846 (8th Cir.2005). 36 Reasonover bases her Monell claim on the alleged unlawful acts by Detective Eichelberger, Officer Banaszek, and Detective Tillman. Her argument fails because she has not shown an unconstitutional act by any Board employee. As discussed above, neither the evidence nor reasonable inferences therefrom demonstrate any of the officers intentionally acted or conspired to act to withhold or plant evidence or to convict Reasonover wrongfully. 4 We therefore affirm the district court's grant of summary judgment to the Board on Reasonover's section 1983 claim.