Tracy Watson v. City of San Jose

Tracy Watson, Renee Stalker, and their three minor children appeal the district court’s decision to grant a new jury trial on compensatory and punitive damages arising from their claims against San Jose police officers William Hoyt and Craig Blank. The officers took the children into protective custody without a warrant or court order, violating the constitutional rights of the family members. After the jury in the first trial awarded over $3 million in damages, the district court granted a new trial with respect to damages based on its inference that the jury may have impermissibly awarded damages for injuries that would have been suffered absent the constitutional violation. Plaintiffs argue that the district court abused its discretion by granting a new trial and that the initial award of damages should be reinstated. We conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in ordering the new trial. Accordingly, we affirm the judgment entered by the district court following the second trial.

1. Backgroúnd

Plaintiffs Tracy Watson and Renee Stalker were married and had three children, who will be identified by their first initials: 0 (an eight-year-old girl),…