A Washington state House committee held a hearing on a bill that would create a process to sue police officers in state court for using excessive force or taking other actions that violate individual rights without the possibility of “qualified immunity” as a defense.
OLYMPIA, Wash. (Feb. 24, 2021) – Last week, a second Washington state House committee passed a bill that would create a process to sue police officers in state court for using excessive force or taking other actions that violate individual rights without the possibility of “qualified immunity” as a defense.
A coalition of 23 Democrats introduced House Bill 1202 (HB1202) on Jan. 14. The legislation would create a cause of action for “any person injured in person or property by a peace officer acting under color of authority” to sue the offending officer and the department he works for in state court. Actions that would give cause include “conduct that under civil law constitutes an assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment, false arrest, malicious prosecution, intentional trespass, or conversion.” It would also cover “a detention, traffic stop, search, seizure, or entry into a home that is unlawful under the state Constitution,
OLYMPIA, Wash. (Feb. 8, 2021) – On Friday, a Washington state House committee passed a bill that would create a process to sue police officers in state court for using excessive force or taking other actions that violate individual rights without the possibility of “qualified immunity” as a defense.
A coalition of 23 Democrats introduced House Bill 1202 (HB1202) on Jan. 14. The legislation would create a cause of action for “any person injured in person or property by a peace officer acting under color of authority” to sue the offending officer and the department he works for in state court. Actions that would give cause include “conduct that under civil law constitutes an assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment, false arrest, malicious prosecution, intentional trespass, or conversion.” It would also cover “a detention, traffic stop, search, seizure, or entry into a home that is unlawful under the state Constitution” along
A bill introduced in the Washington state House would create a process to sue police officers in state court for using excessive force or taking other actions that violate individual rights without the possibility of “qualified immunity” as a defense.