Opinion ID: 739142
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: McPeak's Custom of Seeking Advice

Text: 48 Next, Ms. Hollingsworth contends that the County is liable because Sheriff McPeak's custom of seeking legal advice and opinion from the District Attorney caused the violation of her constitutional right to due process. Plaintiff must show that there is a direct causal link between the official policy and the injury alleged. Jenkins, 81 F.3d at 993-94 (citing Harris, 489 U.S. at 385, 109 S.Ct. at 1202-03). [T]he official policy must be the moving force for the constitutional violation in order to establish local government liability. Haines v. Fisher, 82 F.3d 1503, 1507 (10th Cir.1996) (citing Monell, 436 U.S. at 694, 98 S.Ct. at 2037-38). Therefore, [i]t is only when the execution of the government's policy or custom ... inflicts the injury that the municipality may be held liable under § 1983. Harris, 489 U.S. at 385, 109 S.Ct. at 1203 (quoting Springfield v. Kibbe, 480 U.S. 257, 267, 107 S.Ct. 1114, 1119, 94 L.Ed.2d 293 (1987) (O'Connor, J., dissenting)) (internal quotations omitted) (omission in original). 49 In this case, the record contains no evidence to indicate a direct causal link between the Sheriff's Department custom of seeking legal advice from the District Attorney and the unconstitutional removal of Ms. Hollingsworth's children. The execution of the custom itself did not inflict Hollingsworth's injury. Deputy Hill's decision to seek Driesel's opinion caused injury to no one. Rather, Hill's independent decision to remove Ms. Hollingsworth's children inflicted her injury. [M]unicipal liability is limited to 'acts that are, properly speaking, acts of the municipality--that is, acts which the municipality has officially sanctioned or ordered.'  Starrett v. Wadley, 876 F.2d 808, 818 (10th Cir.1989) (quoting Pembaur, 475 U.S. at 480, 106 S.Ct. at 1298). McCurtain County did not officially sanction the decision to remove Ms. Hollingsworth's children through the Sheriff's Department custom of seeking legal advice from the District Attorney. Therefore, Hollingsworth may not base her claim of local government liability upon that custom. 50