Opinion ID: 1391747
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Bad Faith, Intentional Torts, False Imprisonment and the Civil Rights Act

Text: At the outset, any classification of those deeds which are not immune from public employees' tort liability must first recognize acts done in bad faith, intentional torts, false imprisonment and violation of rights under the Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C.A. § 1983. Minge, supra, fn. 10, at pages 247-248, puts it this way: ... There is also probably no immunity for acts done in bad faith, intentional torts or false imprisonment. [Davis, Administrative Law §§ 26.03, 26.04 (Supp. 1970). See also Handler & Klein, The Defense of Privilege in Defamation Suits Against Government Executive Officials, 74 Harv.L.Rev. 44 (1960); Van Alstyne, A Study Relating to Sovereign Immunity 406-11 (Calif. Law Revision Comm'n 1963) (false imprisonment); Restatement (Second) of Torts §§ 35, 41 (1965) (false imprisonment).] Although no Wyoming cases have discussed liability in these last three areas, in one case a sheriff's surety was held liable for a 22 hour, illegal search of the plaintiff's premises. [ Lynch v. Burgess, 40 Wyo. 30, 273 P. 691 (1929).] Presumably the surety was only liable if the sheriff was liable and it would appear that the sheriff was guilty of false imprisonment. In another case the court said that a deputy-sheriff who effects an irregular and illegal abduction does so in his role as a private individual. [ Kingen v. Kelley, 3 Wyo. 566, 28 P. 36 (1891).] Presumably, acting as a private individual he would be liable. [Cf. Ellis v. Wyoming Game & Fish Comm'n, 74 Wyo. 226, 286 P.2d 597 (1955).] Finally, it should be noted that under the Federal civil rights statutes any state or local officer or employee, other than a judge or a legislator, who is responsible for depriving a person of a right, privilege or immunity secured by the Constitution and laws of the United States may be liable to that person in an action for damages. [42 U.S.C. § 1983 (1970). See also 42 U.S.C. §§ 1985, 1986 (1970) ... Monroe v. Pape, 365 U.S. 167, 81 S.Ct. 473, 5 L.Ed.2d 492 (1961) ... Tenney v. Brandhove, 341 U.S. 367, 71 S.Ct. 783, 95 L.Ed. 1019 (1951) and Pierson v. Ray, 386 U.S. 547, 87 S.Ct. 1213, 18 L.Ed.2d 288 (1967) ...] Litigation arising out of the notorious incident at the University of Wyoming involving the dismissal of fourteen Blacks from the football squad was based, in part, upon this Federal cause of action. [ Williams v. Eaton, 443 F.2d 422 (10th Cir.1971)]... . (Bracketed matter from author's footnotes.) The Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C.A. § 1983, provides: Every person who, under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or Territory, subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress. Other provisions of the Act created civil liability for denial of equal protection (42 U.S.C.A. § 1985) and created criminal liability for designated willful action (42 U.S.C.A. §§ 1987-1995). There is, of course, no allegation of the violation of the plaintiffs' civil rights present in their complaint in this case, but we take note of the civil-rights provision as one of many examples of areas where immunity is not available as a defense to an action where public employees are charged with tortious conduct. [11]