Bisignano v. Harrison Central School District
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
113 F. Supp. 2d 591 (2000)
- Written by Alexander Hager-DeMyer, JD
Facts
Amanda Bisignano (plaintiff) was an eighth-grade student at Louis M. Klein Middle School (school). Bisignano was in gym class with her teacher, Vincent Nicita (defendant), when she found a $20 bill on the ground. Nicita told Bisignano that the bill was his. Bisignano refused to give the bill to Nicita and ran away. Nicita then pushed Bisignano into a closet and held the door shut. After a few moments, Nicita let Bisignano out but grabbed and twisted Bisignano’s left wrist to restrain her. The restraint left red marks on Bisignano’s arm. Nicita had several prior complaints lodged against him for his treatment of students at the school, for which the administration had mildly reprimanded him. Bisignano filed suit against Nicita and the Harrison Central School District (school district) (defendant) in federal district court under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Bisignano claimed that Nicita violated her constitutional rights under the Fourth Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Bisignano further alleged that the school district was responsible for Nicita violating those rights. Nicita and the school district filed motions for summary judgment on the claims, and Nicita filed a separate summary-judgment motion on qualified-immunity grounds.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Conner, J.)
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