S.M. v. Lincoln County, Missouri

Plaintiffs, former participants in the Drug Court, filed suit under 42 U.S.C. 1983 against the County and others, alleging that Scott Edwards, the former lieutenant of the sheriff's department, violated their substantive due process rights by committing repeated acts of sexual abuse while serving in his position as the "tracker" (monitor) of Drug Court participants. The Eighth Circuit affirmed the denial of the county's post-verdict motion. The court held that there was sufficient evidence to support the jury's finding that the county was deliberately indifferent to the obvious risk that its failure to supervise Edwards would result in violation of plaintiffs' rights. The court also held that the district court did not abuse its discretion by denying the county's motion for a new trial based on the jury's damage awards. View "S.M. v. Lincoln County, Missouri" on Justia Law