Summer Gorman v. State of Mississippi
Opinion
The circumstances that led to this lawsuit are unquestionably tragic-an accidental fatal shooting during an officer training session. But the Constitution does not afford a cure for every tragedy. And it does not here for one simple reason: Under established Supreme Court precedent, the Fourth Amendment concerns only intentional, not accidental, searches and seizures. Nor have the parties given any indication that the Supreme Court should revisit its precedent in light of the text or original understanding of the Fourth Amendment.
There is a pending tort action in state court arising out of this same tragedy. That state court action may very well provide a means of recovery-unlike the Fourth Amendment, state tort actions are often available in cases that involve unintentional but negligent conduct. But this suit is based on the Fourth Amendment, not state tort law. And there is no Fourth Amendment violation in the absence of intentional conduct. So the district court erred in denying qualified immunity. We have no choice but to reverse.
I.
During a preliminary safety briefing before a firearms training exercise hosted by *174 the Mississippi Gaming Commission, instructor and former Commission Special Agent Robert Sharp forgot to replace his real firearm with a "dummy" firearm. As a result, Sharp accidentally discharged his real firearm against fellow instructor and Mississippi Gaming Commission Special Agent John Gorman. Gorman subsequently died from the gunshot wound to his chest.
In this interlocutory appeal, Sharp appeals the district court's denial of his motion for judgment on the pleadings based on qualified immunity.
" 'Qualified immunity attaches when an official's conduct does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known.' "
Kisela v. Hughes
, --- U.S. ----,
The order in which a court should conduct these two inquiries is not "rigid."
Pearson v. Callahan
,
The Supreme Court has long held that "a Fourth Amendment seizure does not occur whenever there is a governmentally caused termination of an individual's freedom of movement ... but only when there is a governmental termination of freedom of movement
through means intentionally applied
."
Brower v. County of Inyo
,
This Court has faithfully applied this requirement.
See
,
e.g.
,
Blair v. City of Dallas
,
The order denying qualified immunity did not cite
Brower
-nor did it confront more generally with what constitutes a "seizure" under the Fourth Amendment. But
Brower
and subsequent precedents foreclose liability under the Fourth Amendment in the absence of intentional conduct. Under the plain facts of this case, the shooting here of Gorman-as tragic as it was-was not "willful[ly]" performed by Sharp.
Brower
,
Accordingly, we reverse the district court's denial of qualified immunity and remand with instructions that the district court dismiss the remaining Fourth Amendment claim against Sharp.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Summer GORMAN, Plaintiff-Appellee v. Robert SHARP, Defendant-Appellant
- Cited By
- 15 cases
- Status
- Published