Court Opinion

ID: 9473572
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 04:33:17.334966+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:43:36.349725
License: Public Domain

CUMMINGS, Chief Judge,
concurring in part and dissenting in part.
Having closely reviewed the facts of this case, I am compelled to agree with Judge Wood that plaintiffs’ motion for a directed verdict on the issue of probable cause should have been granted and therefore join his vigorous dissent. I also believe that serious trial errors, particularly involving the jury instructions, occurred below, and that such errors alone do not permit a verdict for the police officers to stand in a Section 1983 case. Although in my view the probable cause issue never should have reached the jury, I cannot disagree with the position expressed in Judge Posner’s opinion that, assuming a valid jury question was presented on that issue, plaintiffs are entitled to a new trial, and therefore join in his discussion of trial errors and concur in his decision to remand for a new trial. I also concur in his disposition of Count VII.