United States Third Circuit

In a procedural due process action involving an allegedly unconstitutional delay in holding a juvenile dependency hearing, district court judgment is reversed where defendants are entitled to qualified immunity, as it was objectively reasonable for defendants to have believed that their particular conduct in this case did not violate clearly established law, and they reasonably believe they had discharged their responsibilities with respect to plaintiffs' procedural due process rights by advancing the case to the point where a hearing could take place within the constitutionally prescribed time frame.

Appellate Information

• Argued 04/20/2009
• Decided 08/14/2009
• Published 08/14/2009

Judges

• Before SCIRICA, Chief Judge, SLOVITER and FISHER, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Third Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Gerard J. Geiger, Esquire (Argued), Newman, Williams, Mishkin, Corveleyn, Wolfe & Fareri, Stroudsburg, PA, Attorney for Appellants.


• For Appellees:
  
• Peter G. Loftus, Esquire (Argued), The Loftus Law Firm, Waverly, PA, Attorney for Appellees, Bruce Bayer and Angela Bayer.