False imprisonment/arrest.

16. False Imprisonment/Arrest

U.S. District Court   Barstow v. Shea, 196 F.Supp.2d 141 (D.Conn.
                      2002). A nurse brought a suit against her
  FALSE               supervisor at a locked nursing facility located
  IMPRISONMENT        in a correctional center. The nurse alleged that
                      the supervisor prevented her from leaving work,
                      despite her desire to seek medical treatment for
                      an illness. The district court granted summary
                      judgment, in part, in favor of the nurse. The
                      court held that the supervisor was not entitled
                      to qualified immunity for allegedly unreasonably
                      seizing the nurse and for allegedly arbitrarily
                      subjecting the nurse to differential treatment by
                      requiring the nurse to have a coworker complete a
                      medical incident report regarding her medical
                      condition. The court found that the supervisor
                      could be held liable for false imprisonment under
                      state law, for directing a correctional officer
                      not to unlock a door to permit the nurse to leave
                      the facility due to a claimed illness. (Osborn
                      Correctional Center, Connecticut)

U.S. District Court   Peacock v. Mayor and City Council of Baltimore,
                      199 F.Supp.2d 306 (D.Md. 2002). A detainee sued
  FALSE               local and county officials alleging false arrest
  IMPRISONMENT        and false imprisonment. The district court
                      granted summary judgment for the defendants. The
                      court held that members of the sheriff's office
                      could not be held liable for detaining the inmate
                      for 10 days without investigating his claim that
                      he had already completed his sentence for
                      violation of probation. It was eventually
                      confirmed that the detainee had served his
                      sentence, and he was released (Baltimore County
                      Detention Center, Maryland)

U.S. District Court   Wilson v. Zellner, 200 F. Supp.2d 1356 (M.D.Fla.
                      2002). The district court granted summary
  ARREST AND          judgment to a state trooper and a county prison
  DETENTION           official who had allegedly violated a prisoner's
                      rights by delaying his release from prison for
                      one day while arrangements were being made for
                      him to be held by state police. The county prison
                      official had delayed the prisoner's release,
                      based only on a telephone call from state
                      officials, without a valid arrest warrant in her
                      possession. The court noted that it was not
                      clearly established at the time of this incident
                      that it was unlawful to detain a prisoner for a
                      period of time based on an oral representation
                      of an outstanding arrest warrant. (Sumter County
                      Correctional Institution, Florida)