Veatch v. Bartels Lutheran Home, No. 09-3678

Action for False Arrest

In Veatch v. Bartels Lutheran Home, No. 09-3678, an action for false arrest based on an allegedly false accusation that plaintiff assaulted her mother, the court affirmed summary judgment for defendant where 1) the information gathered by defendant was sufficiently reliable to establish a reasonable ground for belief that plaintiff had committed a misdemeanor assault; and 2) plaintiff failed to satisfy the "rigorous standards of culpability and causation" required for municipal liability under section 1983.

As the court wrote:  "Maxine Gail Veatch was arrested and detained by Sergeant Jason Leonard of the City of Waverly, Iowa, Police Department for assaulting her mother, Agnes Bell. The alleged assault occurred at Woodland Terrace, a skilled care residential facility where Bell resided. Veatch and her sister, Chris Price, brought this action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and various state-law theories against Leonard, the City, Bartels Lutheran Home, which operates Woodland Terrace, and two Bartels employees."

Related Resources

• Read the Eighth Circuit's Decision in Veatch v. Bartels Lutheran Home, No. 09-3678