|
Leatherman v. Tarrant County
507 U.S. 163 (1993)
Author: Jim
Facts: Two Ps brought actions
against the county for violations of their civil rights. Ps
claimed that police officers violated their civil rights by
improperly serving search warrants of their homes.
Procedure: The 5th
Circuit Court of Appeals had adopted a heightened pleading
standard when it came to lawsuits involving municipality
liability. The district court dismissed Ps’ complaints
and the Court of Appeals affirmed.
Issue: Can a court adopt special
heightened standards of pleading for certain categories of cases?
Holding: No
Rationale: Federal Rules of Civil
Procedure follow the notice pleading standard. A complaint
need only put the court and the defendant on notice of the causes
of action. For proper notice, a complaint only need to
present a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the
pleader is entitled to relief. A court may not adopt
heightened standards of pleading for certain cases when under
FRCP, no such standard is implemented. Reversed.
**Special matters (e.g. fraud,
mistake or special damages) must be pleaded with more
specificity.
|
