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Kim R. Helper v. Patrick H. Stockdale, et al.

Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, No. 20-5269 · judgment October 30, 2020


Certiorari denied · October 4, 2021
Pre-decision estimate: 1% cert probability

Before the decision, well below the 4.1% base rate, with no standout signals pointing toward a grant.

Question presented

Patrick Stockdale and Shane Dunning, two city police officers, sued Kim Helper, a state district attorney, for First Amendment retaliation when they were terminated from the city police department by the city manager after Helper communicated to the city manager her decision regarding them under Giglio v. United States. In their pending petition for a writ of certiorari (Case No. 20-1632), the former officers challenge the Sixth Circuit’s grant of qualified immunity to Helper. Helper, as Cross-Petitioner, conditionally presents the following additional question for review should the pending petition of the officers be granted: Did the Sixth Circuit err in denying Helper absolute immunity for communicating to the officers’ employer her decision regarding them under Giglio v. United States?

Counsel of record

For petitioner
Joseph F. Whalen III
Attorney general's Office

For respondent

Case

Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference

Related
Vide, 20-1632

Proceedings

  1. Oct 04 2021
    Petition DENIED.
  2. Aug 11 2021
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/27/2021.
  3. Jun 21 2021
    Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due July 26, 2021)