Magayanes v. Terrance
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
739 F.2d 1131 (1983)
- Written by Kyli Cotten, JD
Facts
In 1979, Ramon Magayanes (plaintiff) was arrested for disorderly conduct by four police officers employed by the City of Chicago (city) (defendants). During the arrest, Magayanes was placed in a squadrol vehicle to be transported to the nearest police station. Upon arriving at the station, the officers found Magayanes on the floor of the squadrol with blood around his nose and lips. Magayanes was then taken to a hospital where he became more belligerent and refused treatment. Magayanes subsequently filed suit against the city under 42 U.S.C. §§ 1983, 1985, claiming that the city used a defectively designed squadrol vehicle. At trial, Magayanes sought to introduce testimony from a witness named Franklin. Franklin’s testimony was expected to be that Franklin was arrested by the city in 1980 and placed in a squadrol where he was shackled to the vehicle after being severely beaten by officers. The district court excluded Franklin’s testimony pursuant to a motion in limine, ruling that the evidence was both irrelevant and prejudicial. A jury returned a verdict in favor of the city, and Magayanes appealed, arguing that the district court had abused its discretion in excluding Franklin’s testimony.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Wyatt, J.)
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