Opinion ID: 1233935
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Characterization of Brooks's claims

Text: Brooks's complaint includes claims brought against all defendants based on 42 U.S.C. § 1983, which provides a cause of action where a person acting under the color of state law has deprived a plaintiff of a right secured by the Constitution or the laws of the United States. Dorsey v. Barber, 517 F.3d 389, 394 (6th Cir.2008). The district court construed Brooks's claim as a challenge to the constitutionality of Rothe and Weisenbach's warrantless search of SafePlace. Although we agree with the district court's ultimate conclusion that the defendants' entry into the shelter was justified based on exigent circumstances, we believe that Brooks's § 1983 claim is best characterized as an argument that the defendants violated her Fourth Amendment rights by arresting her without probable cause. Indeed, Brooks agreed with this characterization of her claims both in her supplemental briefing before the district court and during oral arguments before this court. We will therefore proceed to analyze the legality of Brooks's arrest.