Opinion ID: 2975223
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Qualified Immunity and Res Judicata

Text: In addition to arguing that the instant case is indistinguishable from Jones, the DefendantsAppellees say that they are entitled to judgment as a matter of law because (1) the defendant officers are entitled to qualified immunity; and (2) the doctrine of res judicata applies based upon the state court’s merits adjudication of the Plaintiffs-Appellants’ state law claims. With respect to qualified immunity, we must first determine whether the plaintiff has shown a violation of a constitutionally protected right. Hills v. Kentucky, 457 F.3d 583, 587-88 (6th Cir. 2006). Only if a constitutional violation has occurred should a reviewing court proceed to determine whether the constitutional right in question was so clearly established at the time of the alleged violation that a reasonable public official acting in the defendant’s position would have known that he or she was violating that right. Saucier v. Katz, 533 U.S. 194, 201 (2001); Wilson v. Layne, 526 U.S. 603, 609 (1999).; Cherrington v. Skeeter, 344 F.3d 148 631, 636 (6th Cir. 2003); accord Reynolds v. City of Anchorage, 379 F.3d 358, 361 (6th Cir. 2004). Here, the Court’s previous decision in Jones compels us to find that the defendant officers did not commit a constitutional violation. Accordingly, further inquiries concerning qualified immunity are inappropriate in the instant case. Summers v. Leis, 368 F.3d 881, 888 (6th Cir. 2004). Similar logic militates against the Court addressing the merits of the Defendants-Appellees’ res judicata argument. Stated succinctly, Defendants-Appellees say that the doctrine of res judicata bars the Plaintiffs-Appellants’ federal claim because their state court action – which could have included Plaintiffs-Appellants federal claim – was decided on the merits prior to the district court’s resolution of the instant case. However, the district court declined to address this argument after finding that the Plaintiffs-Appellants had failed to establish a constitutional violation. Because we affirm the district court’s determination that the defendant officers did not commit a constitutional violation, the Court finds it unnecessary to address the merits of the Defendants-Appellees res judicata argument.