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Constitutional Law Keyed to Choper
Sacramento v. Lewis
Citation:
523 U.S. 833 (1998)Facts
On May 22, 1990, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Deputies James Smith and Murray Stapp responded to a call to break up a fight. While returning to his patrol car, Stapp observed a motorcycle approaching at high speed, operated by 18-year-old Brian Willard with 16-year-old Philip Lewis as a passenger. When Stapp attempted to stop the motorcycle, Willard maneuvered between the police cars and sped away. Smith immediately pursued at high speed, reaching speeds up to 100 miles per hour through a residential area, following as close as 100 feet behind the motorcycle. The chase lasted 75 seconds over 1.3 miles, during which the motorcycle forced other vehicles off the road. When Willard attempted a sharp left turn, the motorcycle tipped over. Smith slammed on his brakes but skidded into Lewis at approximately 40 miles per hour, propelling him 70 feet and causing fatal injuries. Lewis’s parents brought a § 1983 action alleging that Smith’s actions violated their son’s substantive due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment.
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