Meier v. St. Louis, No. 18-1597 (8th Cir. 2019)
Annotate this CasePlaintiff filed suit against the City and Doc's Towing, alleging that defendants violated her rights under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments when her car was towed and stored without her consent or a warrant. The Eighth Circuit reversed the district court's grant of summary judgment in favor of defendants, holding that plaintiff has presented sufficient evidence to establish defendants' liability. In this case, a reasonable jury could find that plaintiff's truck was towed and held under the City's unwritten but widespread and persistent policy of reporting vehicles as wanted for the purpose of detaining them without a warrant. Furthermore, plaintiff has adduced evidence from which a reasonable juror could find that Doc's Towing was acting under color of law when it refused to allow her access to her truck.
Court Description: Kelly, Author, with Smith, Chief Judge, and Arnold, Circuit Judge] Civil case - Civil rights. In action against the City and a towing company for damages incurred when her truck was towed, plaintiff established sufficient evidence that the City had an unwritten or unofficial policy of reporting vehicles as wanted on the regional justice network in hopes of detaining the vehicle against the owner's wishes and without a warrant; a jury could also find that this policy resulted in the towing company's retention of plaintiff's truck; a jury could find the towing company understood the City's intent to hold the truck and willfully participated in the policy; a reasonable juror could find on plaintiff's evidence that the towing agency was acting under color of law when it refused to allow plaintiff access to her truck.
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