The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday overturned district court and court of appeals rulings holding Simi Valley officers liable for handcuffing a resident for an extended period of time during a search of the place where she lived.
In a unanimous decision, the justices ruled that Iris Mena’s $60,000 verdict, including $40,000 in punitive damages, against two officers cannot stand. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, writing for a five-justice majority, said concerns for their safety supported the officers’ decision to detain Mena in handcuffs for the two to three hours needed to execute a search warrant.
The ruling sends the case back to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for further proceedings on Mena’s claim that the officers violated her civil rights by keeping her handcuffed even after they completed the search. The high court could not resolve that issue, Rehnquist explained, because the Ninth Circuit did not address it.
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