United States Ninth Circuit

Reinstated a state prison inmate's Section 1983 lawsuit alleging that a prison official used excessive force by repeatedly slamming his head against a steel door and concrete floor. The inmate argued that his Eighth Amendment excessive-force claim did not require proof that his alleged abuser derived pleasure from extreme cruelty while beating him. Agreeing that the jury instruction was plainly erroneous, the Ninth Circuit vacated and remanded for a new trial.

Appellate Information

• Published 2018/09/13

Judges

• Paez

Court

• United States Ninth Circuit

Counsel