DISCLAIMER: Any unofficial case summaries below are prepared by the clerk's office
as a courtesy to the reader. They are not part of the opinion of the court.
073110P.pdf 11/14/2008 Trinity Cross v. Joseph J. Mokwa, etc
U.S. Court of Appeals Case No: 07-3110
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri - St. Louis
[PUBLISHED] [Chief Judge Loken, Author, with Bye and Colloton,
Circuit Judges]
Civil Rights - qualified immunity. Denial of qualified immunity to police
chief and six officers for actions in enforcing a Building Code Violation
Enforcement Plan enacted to confront anticipated protests at a counter-
conference to World Agricultural Forum is affirmed in part and reversed
in part. Denial of qualified immunity to officers for their forced entry
into condemned property and search and seizure of property was error, as
officers had authority to enter without a warrant and their entry was not
constitutionally unreasonable. Denial of qualified immunity for First
Amendment claim that Plan was enacted as a prior restraint on protester
activities is reversed, as it is not clearly established that police officers
could be liable on prior restraint theory for making arrests supported by
probable cause and conducting reasonable search and seizure of a
condemned building. Strip-search claim is remanded for consideration by
district court in the first instance. Denial of qualified immunity is
affirmed as to claims relating to events at 3022 Cherokee. Judge Bye
dissents in part relating to the Fourth Amendment claim from search of
3308 Illinois property and concurs in judgment relating to the selective
prosecution claim.