Kedra v. City of Philadelphia
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
454 F. Supp. 652 (1978)
Facts
In a series of events that took place over the course of a year and a half, police officers employed by the City of Philadelphia (defendants) allegedly committed various unconstitutional acts against members of the Kedra family, including arrests without probable cause, interrogations lasting some seventeen hours, violent beatings, illegal searches of their home, unlawful detentions, and other types of harassment. The Kedra family sued the police officers, the commissioner, the City of Philadelphia, and others (defendants) under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for violations of their civil rights. The named plaintiffs are Delores Kedra (Kedra); her children Elizabeth, Patricia, Teresa, Kenneth, and Joseph; and her son-in-law Richard Rozanski (plaintiffs). In addition, Kedra sued on behalf of her minor children, Michael, Robert, and James. The complaint alleged violations of the First, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, as well as articles of the Pennsylvania Constitution. The defendants moved to dismiss the claim on two grounds: (1) Kedra did not have standing to sue on behalf of her minor children and (2) the defendants were improperly joined.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Luongo, J.)
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