Latest news with #ToiCliatt
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Supreme Court revives FBI 'wrong house' raid lawsuit
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday revived a lawsuit against the FBI in a damages claim arising from an incident in which agents raided the wrong house in Atlanta. The ruling marks a narrow win for Toi Cliatt, his former girlfriend Trina Martina and her son Gabe Watson, who were all present in the house during the October 2017 encounter. The unanimous decision written by Justice Neil Gorsuch means they can continue to press claims alleging assault, battery and false imprisonment under a law called the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), one of the few avenues to hold federal officials accountable. Litigation will now continue in the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. "We look forward to continuing this fight with the Martins in the Eleventh Circuit and making it easier for everyday people to hold the government accountable for its mistaken and intentional violations of individual rights," Patrick Jaicomo, a lawyer at the libertarian Institute for Justice who represents the plaintiffs, said in a statement. The case highlights the problem of law enforcement raiding the wrong house, which has happened in several high-profile cases. A district court judge and the appeals court ruled for the government. The legal question touched upon on whether a particular provision of the law, which allows claims concerning the actions of federal law enforcement officers, is trumped in this instance by another provision called 'the discretionary function exception,' which protects certain judgment calls from liability. The court did not resolve that question, but did remove a barrier to the plaintiffs being able to argue it in lower courts. "We readily acknowledge that different lower courts have taken different views of the discretionary function exception," Gorsuch wrote. "We acknowledge, too, that important questions surround whether and under what circumstances that exception may ever foreclose a suit like this one." In a separate concurring opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that "there is a reason to think" that the discretionary function exception should not bar the plaintiffs' claims. Her opinion was joined by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. During the raid in question the agents had guns drawn and used flash-bang grenades as they entered the house. Cliatt was handcuffed and thrown on the floor. Martin wanted to rush to her son but wasn't allowed to move. Watson, then 7, woke up to see agents with guns in his bedroom. The agents quickly left the house upon realizing their error and a supervisor returned later to apologize. The Justice Department in court papers said that a Garmin GPS device that FBI agent Lawrence Guerra used to lead the team to the house had indicated the agents had arrived at the correct location. The FBI was seeking to arrest a man named Joseph Riley, who lived nearby. After they left the wrong house, the agents raided the correct home. Riley was arrested and later convicted. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Supreme Court revives lawsuit from Atlanta family whose home was wrongly raided by the FBI
WASHINGTON (AP) — An Atlanta family whose home was wrongly raided by the FBI will get a new day in court, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Thursday. The opinion comes after a predawn 2017 raid in which an armed FBI SWAT team smashed in a front door and set off a flashbang grenade, pointing guns at a couple and terrifying a 7-year-old boy before realizing they were in the wrong house. The FBI team quickly apologized and left for the right place, with the team leader later saying that his personal GPS device had led him to the wrong address. But Trina Martin and her then-boyfriend, Toi Cliatt, and her son were left with trauma and a damaged home. Martin and Cliatt filed a lawsuit against the federal government accusing the agents of assault and battery, false arrest and other violations. But lower courts tossed out the case. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found they couldn't sue over what amounted to an honest mistake. The appeals court also found the lawsuit was barred under a provision of the Constitution known as the Supremacy Clause, which says federal laws take precedence over state laws. The family's lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that Congress clearly allowed for lawsuits like theirs after a pair of similar headline-making raids on wrong houses in 1974. The 11th Circuit was also ruling differently than other courts around the country, they said. Public interest groups from across the political spectrum urged the justices to overturn the ruling, saying its reasoning would severely narrow the legal path for people to sue the federal government in law-enforcement accountability cases. ___ Follow the AP's coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at Lindsay Whitehurst, The Associated Press
USA Today
2 days ago
- USA Today
Supreme Court sends Atlanta family's lawsuit against FBI back to lower court for more review
Supreme Court sends Atlanta family's lawsuit against FBI back to lower court for more review Show Caption Hide Caption Can FBI be sued if agents raid wrong house? Supreme Court to weigh in. Trina Martin, son Gabe Watson and partner Toi Cliatt seek compensation after their house was mistakenly raided by the FBI. WASHINGTON − The Supreme Court sent a case involving an Atlanta family seeking to sue the FBI for raiding their house back to a lower court for more consideration, but left unresolved the broader question of how much protection from lawsuits the courts should give law enforcement officers mistakes on the job. Trina Martin, her son Gabe and her partner Toi Cliatt awoke one morning in October 2017 to what she called the 'monstrous noise' of a half-dozen FBI agents barging into their home with guns drawn. But the Special Weapons and Tactics team was at the wrong home, 436 feet from a similar beige, split-level house where a suspected gang member lived. Federal courts dismissed the family's lawsuit for compensation over the mistake by ruling courts shouldn't second-guess law enforcement officers. The Supreme Court unanimously overturned the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissal of the case on June 12. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the court that there are several exceptions to whether law enforcement officers can be sued under the Federal Tort Claims Act and the appeals court should review them again. Martin, her son who was 7 years old at the time of the raid, and Cliatt each feared they could be killed when the SWAT team burst noisily into their house. The ordeal lasted about five minutes before the FBI agents realized their mistake and headed out to the correct house. The FBI agents described their meticulous planning to search the house by locating it with GPS during daylight, taking pictures and drawing up a tactical plan. Congress changed the Federal Tort Claims Act in 1974 to allow lawsuits against law enforcement after two wrong-house raids the year before. But the government argued that judges shouldn't second-guess agents doing their jobs. A District Court and the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the case by finding the agents were immune.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Supreme Court revives lawsuit from Atlanta family whose home was wrongly raided by the FBI
WASHINGTON (AP) — An Atlanta family whose home was wrongly raided by the FBI will get a new day in court, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Thursday. The opinion comes after a predawn 2017 raid in which an armed FBI SWAT team smashed in a front door and set off a flashbang grenade, pointing guns at a couple and terrifying a 7-year-old boy before realizing they were in the wrong house. The FBI team quickly apologized and left for the right place, with the team leader later saying that his personal GPS device had led him to the wrong address. The couple, Trina Martin and Toi Cliatt, filed a lawsuit against the federal government accusing the agents of assault and battery, false arrest and other violations. But lower courts tossed out the case. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found they couldn't sue over what amounted to an honest mistake. The appeals court also found the lawsuit was barred under a provision of the Constitution known as the Supremacy Clause, which says federal laws take precedence over state laws. The family's lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that Congress clearly allowed for lawsuits like theirs after a pair of similar headline-making raids on wrong houses in 1974. The 11th Circuit was also ruling differently than other courts around the country, they said. Public interest groups from across the political spectrum urged the justices to overturn the ruling, saying its reasoning would severely narrow the legal path for people to sue the federal government in law-enforcement accountability cases. ___ Follow the AP's coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Supreme Court revives lawsuit from Atlanta family whose home was wrongly raided by the FBI
WASHINGTON (AP) — An Atlanta family whose home was wrongly raided by the FBI will get a new day in court, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Thursday. The opinion comes after a predawn 2017 raid in which an armed FBI SWAT team smashed in a front door and set off a flashbang grenade, pointing guns at a couple and terrifying a 7-year-old boy before realizing they were in the wrong house. The FBI team quickly apologized and left for the right place, with the team leader later saying that his personal GPS device had led him to the wrong address. The couple, Trina Martin and Toi Cliatt, filed a lawsuit against the federal government accusing the agents of assault and battery, false arrest and other violations. But lower courts tossed out the case. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found they couldn't sue over what amounted to an honest mistake. The appeals court also found the lawsuit was barred under a provision of the Constitution known as the Supremacy Clause, which says federal laws take precedence over state laws. The family's lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that Congress clearly allowed for lawsuits like theirs after a pair of similar headline-making raids on wrong houses in 1974. The 11th Circuit was also ruling differently than other courts around the country, they said. Public interest groups from across the political spectrum urged the justices to overturn the ruling, saying its reasoning would severely narrow the legal path for people to sue the federal government in law-enforcement accountability cases . ___ Follow the AP's coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
