Allegation: Harrisburg, Penn. detective misrepresents and omits key facts in order to get man charged with a bevy of serious and not-so-serious crimes after 2017 shooting. Some charges are dropped, and he's acquitted of all the rest after spending 18 months in jail. Can he sue Detective Jacob Pierce for malicious prosecution? District court: Oh yes, he can. Third Circuit: There was probable cause for the misdemeanor marijuana charge, so fibbing a little to get him charged with attempted homicide was fine. Or at least a reasonable officer could have thought so until SCOTUS said otherwise earlier this year—too late to help this plaintiff. Denial of QI reversed.
The case is Rivera-Guadalupe v. City of Harrisburg, No. 21-1246 (3d Cir. Dec. 24, 2024).