The 10th Circuit affirmed the denial of qualified immunity for a Denver deputy sheriff who struck a pretrial detainee for spitting, finding the alleged constitutional violation was clearly established.
The court vacated a lower court ruling that applied a moment-of-threat rule to an excessive force case, which the higher court said made the time leading up to the incident irrelevant.
The 10th Circuit issued rulings in three Denver cases July 18 including reversing the grant of qualified immunity to Adams County deputies in an excessive force lawsuit.
