Carrie Gregory v. State of Montana
Opinion
Opinion
COLLINS, J.
FOR PUBLICATION
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT
CARRIE GREGORY, No. 22-35674
Plaintiff-Appellee, D.C. No. 4:20-cv-00051- v. BMM
STATE OF MONTANA and TOMEKA WILLIAMS, Probation OPINION Officer,
Defendants-Appellants.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Montana Brian M. Morris, District Judge, Presiding
Argued and Submitted September 12, 2023 Seattle, Washington
Filed September 27, 2024
Before: Michael Daly Hawkins, Ryan D. Nelson, and Daniel P. Collins, Circuit Judges.
Opinion by Judge Collins SUMMARY*
42 U.S.C. § 1983 / Sanctions
The panel reversed the district court’s sanctions orders, reversed the verdict and judgment against Montana Probation Officer Tomeka Williams on Carrie Gergory’s 42 U.S.C. § 1983 claim that Williams used excessive force during an encounter in a parking lot, vacated the award of attorneys’ fees to Gregory, and remanded for a new trial on Gregory’s excessive-force claim. The relevant surveillance footage of the parking lot was auto-deleted. The district court found that the State…