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Civil rights Keyed to Jeffries, 5th Ed.
Felder v. Casey
Citation:
487 U.S. 131 (1988)Facts
On July 4, 1981, Milwaukee police officers stopped Bobby Felder, who is Black, while searching his neighborhood for an armed suspect. Although the officers eventually determined Felder was not the suspect they sought, they claim he continued to argue and pushed an officer, leading to his arrest for disorderly conduct. Felder alleges that during this arrest, the officers beat him about the head and face with batons, dragged him across the ground, and threw him, partially unconscious, into a police wagon face first—all in full view of his family and neighbors. Three days after the incident, a local alderman wrote to the police chief requesting a full investigation. Felder claims that police department members conspired to cover up the misconduct of the arresting officers, all of whom were white. No disciplinary action was taken against any officers, and the disorderly conduct charge against Felder was eventually dropped. Nine months after the incident, Felder filed a § 1983 action in Wisconsin state court, but had not complied with the state’s notice-of-claim statute requiring written notice within 120 days of the injury and a subsequent 120-day waiting period before filing suit.
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