Friday, October 01, 2021

Vegetarian Leafleter Loses Suit Against Police and City

In a Sept. 24, 2021 Order, a Louisiana federal district court accepted the recommendation set out in the magistrate judge's opinion in Hershey v. City of Bossier City, (WD LA, Aug. 23, 2021), and dismissed a suit against the city and two police officers. At issue was police conduct in ordering plaintiff to stop distributing leaflets on a public sidewalk outside an arena at which a Christian rock concert was being held. Plaintiff was distributing literature from the Christian Vegetarian Association. The court held that plaintiff had adequately alleged that the police were given unbridled discretion and engaged in viewpoint discrimination. However the court dismissed plaintiff's claims, summarizing its reasons in part:

[T]he city police officers are entitled to dismissal based on qualified immunity because Plaintiff has not made an adequate showing of clearly established law in the context of this case. The City of Bossier City is entitled to dismissal because the amended complaint does not allege sufficient facts to plead an actionable Monell claim of municipal liability.