By: Derek Hawkins//May 26, 2020//
7th Circuit Court of Appeals
Case Name: William Lund v. City of Rockford, Illinois, et al.,
Case No.: 19-1945
Officials: EASTERBROOK, ROVNER, and SCUDDER, Circuit Judges.
Focus: Malicious Prosecution Claim
William Lund, a reporter, was arrested in Rockford, Illinois after discovering a police‐run prostitution sting operation in the course of his news‐gathering activities. He sued the City and several officers for retaliatory arrest, malicious prosecution and several other alleged invasions of his rights under federal and state law. The district court granted summary judgment for the defendants. While Lund’s case was pending, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Nieves v. Bartlett, 139 S. Ct. 1715 (2019), which instructs that, in most cases, probable cause to arrest defeats a claim of retaliatory arrest. Because the police had probable cause to arrest Lund, Nieves controls, and we affirm the grant of summary judgment for the defendants.
Affirmed