Early in the morning, before Martin and her family had awakened, a heavily-armed FBI SWAT team broke down the front door and deployed flashbang grenades. Martin and her at-the-time boyfriend, Toi Cliatt, were then held at gunpoint along with Martin’s 7-year-old son.
The Supreme Court has determined that a Georgia family whose home was raided in error by the FBI can refile their lawsuit against the agency.
According to The Associated Press, the courts’ unanimous decision revives the lawsuit, which relates to a predawn raid on Trina Martin’s Atlanta home on October 18, 2017.
Early in the morning, before Martin and her family had awakened, a heavily-armed FBI SWAT team broke down the front door and deployed flashbang grenades. Martin and her at-the-time boyfriend, Toi Cliatt, were then held at gunpoint along with Martin’s 7-year-old son.
After several minutes, the agents realized that they had entered the wrong house, with the team leader blaming his personal GPS device for the confusion.
Martin then filed a lawsuit against the federal government in 2019, in which she accused the agents of assault, battery, false arrest, and other violations. Her claims were quickly quashed by an Atlanta-based district court; this decision was later upheld by a higher court of appeals.
However, the Supreme Court took issue with these rulings, determining that the lower courts erred in dismissing Martin’s lawsuit.
In their written decision, the justices said that the 11th Circuit Court should consider, upon the case’s return, whether a Federal Tort Claims Act exception could bar two of Martin’s claims.
“It is enough for the day to answer the questions we took this case to resolve, clear away the two faulty assumptions on which that court has relied in the past and redirect it to the proper inquiry,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote on behalf of the court.
The Hill notes that Martin’s attorney, Patrick Jaicomo, told the justices that “innocent victims” of government misconduct and negligence should be entitled to some form of accountability.
Jaicomo also emphasized that Federal Tort Claims Act was amended in 1974 after two wrong-house raids made national headlines. This amendment, Jaicomo said, indicates that claims like Martin’s can’t and shouldn’t be barred on grounds of governmental immunity.
In general, the federal government is entitled to immunity from most civil claims, except for those arising out of negligence. Frederick Liu, a Justice Department attorney representing the government, argued that Martin shouldn’t be permitted to sue an agency simply because an officer, while in the field, exercised his discretion. Liu further said that the SWAT team made a “reasonable mistake” and is an example of the “policy trade-offs” that officers must make when facing potential danger.
Gorsuch acknowledged that lower courts have, at times, taken differing approaches to the FTCA and its exceptions, saying that “import questions” have yet to be answered.
“But those questions lie well beyond the two we granted certiorari to address,” he wrote. “And before addressing them, we would benefit from the Eleventh Circuit’s careful reexamination of this case in the first instance.”
In a concurring opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that amendments to the FTCA are proof enough that Martin’s lawsuit shouldn’t be dismissed outright.
“Whatever else is true of that exception, any interpretation should allow for liability in the very cases Congress amended the FTCA to remedy,” she wrote.
Jaicomo and the Martin family released a statement following the decision, saying that they are ready to keep fighting.
“The Court’s decision today acknowledged how far the circuit courts have strayed from the purpose of the Federal Tort Claims Act, which is to ensure remedies to the victims of federal harms—intentional and negligence alike,” Jaicomo said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing this fight with the Martins in the Eleventh Circuit and making it easier for everyday people to hold the government accountable for its mistaken and intentional violations of individual rights.”
Sources
Supreme Court revives FBI ‘wrong house’ raid lawsuit
Supreme Court revives lawsuit from Atlanta family whose home was wrongly raided by the FBI
Supreme Court revives lawsuit over mistaken FBI raid
The FBI mistakenly raided their Atlanta home. Now the Supreme Court will hear their lawsuit
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