Burgess v. Goldstein, No. 19-1600 (4th Cir. 2021)
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After plaintiff's murder conviction was vacated when another person confessed to the murder, plaintiff filed suit against the City of Baltimore, the Baltimore Police Department, and others, alleging violations of his federal and state civil rights which led to his wrongful imprisonment for the murder. After a ten-day trial, the jury returned a $15 million verdict in favor of plaintiff. Defendant Goldstein, one of the officers at the scene of the murder, appealed.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of motions for judgment as a matter of law or a new trial under Rules 50 and 59 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, because there was evidence from which a reasonable jury could have found police misconduct. The court found no error in the district court's jury instructions, taken as a whole, because they complied with the law and the district court's earlier rulings. Finally, although the district court improperly admitted hearsay evidence, the error, in the context of the record as a whole, was harmless. Accordingly, the court affirmed the jury's verdict and the district court's denial of Rule 50 and 59 motions. However, the court reversed the district court's dismissal of plaintiff's claim against the Baltimore Police Department under Monell v. Department of Social Services of City of New York, 436 U.S. 658 (1978) where the district court did not explain why the allegations of the complaint that were sufficient earlier no longer were. Rather, the district court's dismissal seems to be based on the verdict issued against Defendant Goldstein. If the City does in fact indemnify Goldstein and the judgment is satisfied, the Monell claim would be moot.
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