City of Canton v. Harris, 489 U.S. 378 (1989)

E403308

City of Canton v. Harris, 489 U.S. 378 (1989), is a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that established when municipalities can be held liable under § 1983 for constitutional violations resulting from inadequate police training, adopting a “deliberate indifference” standard.

All labels observed (3)

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Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Section 1983 case
United States Supreme Court case
civil rights case
municipal liability case
appliesTo municipalities
police departments
training policies for law enforcement officers
areaOfLaw civil rights law
constitutional law
local government law
arguedDate 1988-11-07
citation 489 U.S. 378
citationStyle City of Canton v. Harris, 489 U.S. 378 (1989)
clarifies Monell v. Department of Social Services
concurrenceBy Justice Anthony M. Kennedy
linked to: Anthony M. Kennedy

Justice Antonin Scalia
linked to: Antonin Scalia
constitutionalProvisionInterpreted Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
country United States
court Supreme Court of the United States
decisionDate 1989-02-28
docketNumber 86-1088
factSummary The case involved a detainee, Geraldine Harris, who alleged that the City of Canton failed to provide adequate medical attention due to inadequate police training.
fullName City of Canton, Ohio v. Geraldine Harris
holding A municipality can be liable under § 1983 for constitutional violations resulting from its failure to train employees only where the failure amounts to deliberate indifference to the rights of persons with whom the employees come into contact.
importance Landmark decision defining when inadequate police training can give rise to municipal liability under § 1983.
joinedByInMajority Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist
Justice Antonin Scalia
linked to: Antonin Scalia

Justice Harry A. Blackmun
linked to: Harry A. Blackmun

Justice John Paul Stevens
linked to: John Paul Stevens

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor
Justice Thurgood Marshall
linked to: Thurgood Marshall

Justice William J. Brennan Jr.
jurisdiction federal question jurisdiction
keyConcept failure-to-train liability
policy or custom requirement for municipal liability
languageOfOpinion English
legalIssue Fourteenth Amendment due process rights
failure to train police officers
municipal liability under 42 U.S.C. § 1983
majorityOpinionBy Justice Byron R. White
linked to: Byron R. White
page 378
priorHistory Harris v. City of Canton, 725 F.2d 371 (6th Cir. 1984)
reporter United States Reports
requiresShowing that the need for more or different training is so obvious, and the inadequacy so likely to result in constitutional violations, that policymakers can reasonably be said to have been deliberately indifferent.
result Judgment of the Court of Appeals vacated and case remanded.
standardEstablished deliberate indifference
statuteInterpreted 42 U.S.C. § 1983
subsequentHistory Remanded to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
volume 489

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Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

42 U.S.C. § 1983 interpretedBy City of Canton v. Harris, 489 U.S. 378 (1989)
City of Canton v. Harris fullName City of Canton, Ohio v. Geraldine Harris
linked to: City of Canton v. Harris, 489 U.S. 378 (1989)
City of Canton v. Harris factSummary The case involved a detainee, Geraldine Harris, who alleged that the City of Canton failed to provide adequate medical attention due to inadequate police training.
linked to: City of Canton v. Harris, 489 U.S. 378 (1989)
City of Canton v. Harris citationStyle City of Canton v. Harris, 489 U.S. 378 (1989)