October 03rd, 2020

Rountree v. Lopinto

Docket: 20-30111
Opinion Date: October 2, 2020
Judge: Jerry E. Smith
Areas of Law: Criminal Law

The Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of plaintiff's claim alleging that the seizure of his vehicle violated his clearly established constitutional rights under the Fourth Amendment. In this case, the officer investigating a hit-and-run incident came across one of the cars involved and seized it without obtaining a warrant. The court held that the warrantless seizure was constitutional, because there was probable cause to believe that the vehicle was an instrument or evidence of crime. Therefore, the officer is entitled to qualified immunity.

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