Williams v. Butler

802 F.2d 296, 1986 U.S. App. LEXIS 31234
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
DecidedSeptember 26, 1986
DocketNos. 83-2534, 83-2641
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 802 F.2d 296 (Williams v. Butler) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Williams v. Butler, 802 F.2d 296, 1986 U.S. App. LEXIS 31234 (8th Cir. 1986).

Opinions

FLOYD R. GIBSON, Senior Circuit Judge.

This case is before the court on remand from the United States Supreme Court for further consideration in light of Pembaur v. City of Cincinnati, — U.S.-, 106 S.Ct. 1292, 89 L.Ed.2d 452 (1986). The issue we must decide is whether, in light of Pembaur, municipal liability may be imposed upon the City of Little Rock under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for the single unconstitutional discharge of a municipal court clerk by the municipal judge to whom the city had delegated final authority concerning employment matters involving municipal court personnel. We hold that municipal liability may be imposed upon the city in these circumstances.

I.

William R. Butler was an elected municipal judge for the traffic court of the City of Little Rock, Arkansas. The municipal traffic court was under investigation by a grand jury for possible corruption. Both Debbie Williams and Linda Stanley, municipal court clerks, had witnessed Butler deliberately destroy traffic tickets. After Butler learned that Williams told the police what she had witnessed, he fired her. After testifying before the grand jury as to what she had witnessed, Stanley allegedly was harassed until she resigned. Williams and Stanley filed suit in federal district court against Butler seeking damages and equitable relief pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for violations of their first amendment rights. Although the plaintiffs named Butler as defendant in his official capacity, which in essence was a suit against the city, Butler filed a third-party complaint against the city alleging that it was responsible for any judgment against him. At the close of the evidence and in response to motions by the city, the district court found as a matter of law that Butler acted in his official capacity and within the authority delegated to him by the city if he, in fact, had discharged Williams or Stanley. [298]*298The court specifically found that the undisputed evidence demonstrated that Butler had been delegated policy-making authority by the city and that he was acting pursuant to that authority. The jury returned a verdict in favor of Williams on her claim against Butler, awarding her damages. The jury returned a verdict in favor of Butler, however, on Stanley’s claim. Consistent with its ruling at the close of the evidence, the court entered judgment in favor of Butler on his third-party complaint against the city, and the city appealed.

On appeal, a panel of this court affirmed the district court’s judgment that the city was liable for Butler’s unconstitutional discharge of Williams. Williams v. Butler, 746 F.2d 431 (8th Cir.1984) (Judge McMillian dissenting). The panel held that:

(1) if, according to a policy or custom established by a governing body, an official is delegated the authority, either directly or indirectly, to act on behalf of a governing body; and (2) if a decision made within the scope of the official’s authority ends the matter, then the acts of the official may fairly be said to be those of the local governing body.

Id. at 438. The panel decision was vacated, however, when a rehearing en banc was granted. On rehearing, the district court’s decision was affirmed by an equally divided court. Williams v. Butler, 762 F.2d 73 (8th Cir.1985). The Supreme Court granted the city’s petition for a writ of certiorari and vacated the judgment of the en banc court, remanding the case to us for further consideration in light of Pembaur v. City of Cincinnati, supra. City of Little Rock v. Williams, — U.S.-, 106 S.Ct. 1508, 89 L.Ed.2d 909 (1986).

II.

In Pembaur the plaintiff, an Ohio physician and proprietor of a medical clinic located in Cincinnati, Ohio, filed suit in federal district court against, among others, the City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, seeking damages pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for violations of his Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights. Doctor Pembaur alleged that his rights were violated when police forcibly entered his clinic to serve capiases on two of his employees. After meeting with resistance from Doctor Pembaur, the Deputy Sheriffs called the County Sheriff's office and were directed to call the County Prosecutor’s office for instructions. Upon the prosecutor’s instructions to “go in and get” the employees, the Deputy Sheriffs and city police obtained an axe and chopped down the door of the clinic. The Deputy Sheriffs searched unsuccessfully for the employees. Doctor Pembaur alleged that absent exigent circumstances the Fourth Amendment prohibited the officials from searching his place of business without a search warrant in an attempt to execute a capias on a third person.1 The district court dismissed the complaint against both the county and the city, ruling that the county and city were not liable because the individual officers were not acting pursuant to “official policy” necessary to impose municipal liability. On appeal, the Sixth Circuit reversed the district court’s decision with respect to city policy,2 and affirmed the court’s decision concerning county policy, but for different reasons. The court of appeals held that, although pursuant to Ohio law the Hamilton County Sheriff and Prosecutor were authorized to establish official county policy, Pembaur had failed to prove the existence of county policy in this case. Pemb[299]*299aur failed to show “anything more than that, on this one occasion, the Prosecutor and the Sheriff decided to force entry into his office. That single, discrete decision is insufficient, by itself, to establish that the Prosecutor, the Sheriff, or both were implementing a governmental policy.” Pembaur v. City of Cincinnati, 746 F.2d 337, 341 (6th Cir.1984) (citation and footnote omitted) (emphasis in original).

The Supreme Court granted Pembaur’s petition for writ of certiorari and reversed the Sixth Circuit’s decision. The majority concluded that in the appropriate circumstances municipal liability may be imposed for a single decision made by municipal policymakers. The majority described four of those circumstances as follows: (1) when the single decision is made by the properly constituted legislative body — “because even a single decision by such a body unquestionably constitutes an act of official government policy.” (citing Owen v. City of Independence, 445 U.S. 622, 100 S.Ct. 1398, 63 L.Ed.2d 673 (1980); Newport v. Fact Concerts, Inc., 453 U.S. 247, 101 S.Ct. 2748, 69 L.Ed.2d 616 (1981)); (2) when the single decision is made pursuant to formal rules or understandings (citing the written rule in Monell v. Department of Social Services, 436 U.S. 658, 98 S.Ct.

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Bluebook (online)
802 F.2d 296, 1986 U.S. App. LEXIS 31234, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/williams-v-butler-ca8-1986.