Brandon v. Holt 469 U.S. 464 (1985)

Brandon v. Holt

No. 83-1622

Argued November 5, 1984
Decided January 21, 1985
469 U.S. 464

CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE SIXTH CIRCUIT

Syllabus

In petitioners’ action in Federal District Court under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, they alleged and proved that they had been assaulted by an officer of the Memphis Police Department who had a history of violent behavior that was well known within the Department. The court’s judgment for petitioners, in addition to awarding compensatory and punitive damages against the officer, also awarded compensatory damages against the then Director of the Police Department "in his official capacity," the court having found that, although the Director had no actual knowledge of the officer’s disciplinary record because of the Department’s administrative policies, he should have known of the officer’s dangerous propensities. The Court of Appeals reversed the judgment against the Director, holding that he had acted in good faith and was accordingly entitled to immunity. The court rejected petitioners’ contention that the action against the Director was tantamount to an action against the city of Memphis, which could not claim the qualified immunity that its agents could assert, and thus was liable for the damages awarded against the Director. The court concluded that the suit was against an individual, not the city.

Held:

1. The city was not named as a defendant in this case because the complaint was filed before Monroe v. Pape, 365 U.S. 167 -- which held that municipalities could not be held liable under § 1983 -- was overruled by Monell v. New York City Dept. of Social Services, 436 U.S. 658. The course of these proceedings after Monell was decided, however, made it abundantly clear that the action against the Director was in his official capacity and only in that capacity, and that petitioners claimed a right to recover damages from the city. Thus, petitioners would be entitled to amend their pleadings to conform to the proof and to the District Court’s findings of fact, and it is appropriate for this Court to decide the legal issues without first insisting that such a formal amendment be filed. Pp. 469-471.

2. In cases under § 1983, a judgment against a public servant "in his official capacity" imposes liability on the entity that he represents. This rule was plainly implied in Monell, supra;Hutto v. Finney, 437 U.S. 678; and Owen v. City of Independence, 445 U.S. 622. The Court of Appeals erred in failing to apply the distinction between suits against government officials "in their individual capacities" entitled to qualified immunity, and suits in which only the liability of the municipality itself was at issue. Pp. 471-473.

719 F.2d 151, reversed and remanded.

STEVENS, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which BRENNAN, WHITE, MARSHALL, BLACKMUN, POWELL, and O’CONNOR, JJ., joined. BURGER, C.J., filed an opinion concurring in the judgment, post, p. 473. REHNQUIST, J., filed a dissenting opinion, post, p. 474.