Sorenson v. Sec'y of the Treasury, 472 U.S. 1016 (1985). · Go Syfert
Sorenson v. Sec'y of the Treasury, 472 U.S. 1016 (1985). Cases Citing This Book View Copy Cite
“actual or constructive knowledge of such custom must be attributable to the governing body of the municipality or to an official to whom that body had delegated policy-making authority.”
206 citation events (58 in the last 25 years) across 39 distinct courts.
Strongest positive: McGee v. City Of Austin (txwd, 2024-06-28)
Treatment trajectory · 1985 → 2026 · click a year to view as-of
1985 2005 2026
Top citers, strongest first. 25 distinct citers.
discussed Cited as authority (quoted) McGee v. City Of Austin
W.D. Tex. · 2024 · quote attribution · 1 verbatim quote · confidence low
isolated violations are not the persistent, often repeated, constant violations that constitute custom and policy
discussed Cited as authority (quoted) Jenkins v. City of Dallas
N.D. Tex. · 2022 · signal: see · quote attribution · 1 verbatim quote · confidence high
an isolated incident is insufficient to show a custom.
discussed Cited as authority (quoted) Abdeljalil v. City of Fort Worth
N.D. Tex. · 1999 · quote attribution · 1 verbatim quote · confidence low
actual or constructive knowledge of such custom must be attributable to the governing body of the municipality or to an official to whom that body had delegated policy-making authority.
discussed Cited "see" Hernandez v. Brown
N.D. Tex. · 2024 · signal: see · confidence high
To state a claim for municipal policy liability under § 1983, a “whose edicts or acts may fairly be said to represent official policy” for which the county may be held responsible under section 1983. 619 F.2d 391, 404 (5th Cir.1980) (quoting Monell, 436 U.S. at 694 , 98 S.Ct. at 2037 , citations omitted); see Bennett v. City of Slidell, 728 F.2d 762, 796 (5th Cir.1984) (en banc), cert. denied, 472 U.S. 1016 , 105 S.Ct. 3476 , 87 L.Ed.2d 612 (1985). 5 Hernandez argues, without factual allegation or legal citation, that the Dallas County Commissioner’s Court delegated policymaking authori…
discussed Cited "see" Self v. City of Mansfield
N.D. Tex. · 2019 · signal: see · confidence high
See Bennett v. City of Slidell , 728 F.2d 762 , 767 (5th Cir. 1984) (en banc), cert. denied , 472 U.S. 1016 , 105 S.Ct. 3476 , 87 L.Ed.2d 612 (1985). " 'Isolated violations are not the persistent, often repeated, constant violations that constitute custom and policy' as required for municipal section 1983 liability." Gates v. Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services , 537 F.3d 404 , 437 (5th Cir. 2008) (quoting Campbell v. City of San Antonio , 43 F.3d 973 , 977 (5th Cir. 1995) (quoting Bennett , 728 F.2d at 768 n.3 )); see also Piotrowski , 237 F.3d at 578 ("[T]he unconstitution…
discussed Cited "see" McIntosh Ex Rel. Estate of McIntosh v. Smith
S.D. Tex. · 2010 · signal: see · confidence high
See Monell v. Department of Social Services of City of New York, 436 U.S. 658 , 98 S.Ct. 2018 , 2022 & n. 7, 56 L.Ed.2d 611 (1978) (reaffirming that “the doctrine of respondeat superior is not a basis for rendering municipalities liable under § 1983”). “[Isolated unconstitutional actions by municipal employees will almost never trigger liability.” Piotrowski v. City of Houston, 237 F.3d 567, 578 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 534 U.S. 820 , 122 S.Ct. 53 , 151 L.Ed.2d 23 (2001) (citing Bennett v. City of Slidell, 728 F.2d 762 , 768 n. 3 (5th Cir.1984), cert. denied, 472 U.S. 1016 , 105 S.Ct…
cited Cited "see" Fritz v. City of Corrigan
E.D. Tex. · 2001 · signal: see · confidence high
See Bennett v. City of Slidell, 728 F.2d 762, 767 (5th Cir.) (en banc), cert. denied, 472 U.S. 1016 , 105 S.Ct. 3476 , 87 L.Ed.2d 612 (1985).
discussed Cited "see" Casanova v. City of Brookshire
S.D. Tex. · 2000 · signal: accord · confidence high
See Fraire, 957 F.2d at 1278 (citing Rodriguez, 871 F.2d at 554 ); accord Thompson v. City of Los Angeles, 885 F.2d 1439, 1443-44 (9th Cir.1989). “ ‘Isolated violations are not the persistent, often repeated constant violations that constitute custom and policy-’ as required for municipal section 1983 liability.” Campbell, 43 F.3d at 977 (quoting Bennett v. City of Slidell, 728 F.2d 762 , 768 n. 3 (5th Cir.1984), cert denied, 472 U.S. 1016 , 105 S.Ct. 3476 , 87 L.Ed.2d 612 (1985)).
discussed Cited "see" Casanova v. City of Brookshire
S.D. Tex. · 2000 · signal: accord · confidence high
See Fraire, 957 F.2d at 1278 (citing Rodriguez, 871 F.2d at 554 ); accord Thompson v. City of Los Angeles, 885 F.2d 1439, 1443-44 (9th Cir.1989). "`Isolated violations are not the persistent, often repeated constant violations that constitute custom and policy' as required for municipal section 1983 liability." Campbell, 43 F.3d at 977 (quoting Bennett v. City of Slidell, 728 F.2d 762 , 768 n. 3 (5th Cir.1984), cert. denied, 472 U.S. 1016 , 105 S.Ct. 3476 , 87 L.Ed.2d 612 (1985)).
discussed Cited "see" Holland Ex Rel. Holland v. City of Houston
S.D. Tex. · 1999 · signal: see · confidence high
Dist. v. Doyle, 429 U.S. 274, 280 , 97 S.Ct. 568 , 50 L.Ed.2d 471 (1977))); see Van Ooteghem v. Gray, 584 F.Supp. 897, 898 (S.D.Tex.1984), aff'd as modified, 774 F.2d 1332 (5th Cir.1985) (citing Bennett v. City of Slidell, 728 F.2d 762 , 765 n. 1 (5th Cir.1984), cert. denied, 472 U.S. 1016 , 105 S.Ct. 3476 , 87 L.Ed.2d 612 (1985)).
cited Cited "see" Boone v. City of Burleson
N.D. Tex. · 1997 · signal: see · confidence high
See Bennett v. City of Slidell, 728 F.2d 762, 767 (5th Cir.1984) (en banc), cert. denied, 472 U.S. 1016 , 105 S.Ct. 3476 , 87 L.Ed.2d 612 (1985).
discussed Cited "see" Sharp v. City of Houston
S.D. Tex. · 1997 · signal: accord · confidence high
Dist., 996 F.2d 745 , 754 (5th Cir.1993)). *1174 With respect to official policy or custom, “[a]llegations of an isolated incident are not sufficient to show the existence of a custom or policy.” Fraire v. City of Arlington, 957 F.2d 1268, 1278 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 506 U.S. 973 , 113 S.Ct. 462 , 121 L.Ed.2d 371 (1992) (citing Rodriguez, 871 F.2d at 554 ); accord Palmer v. City of San Antonio, 810 F.2d 514, 516 (5th Cir.1987). “ ‘Isolated violations are not the persistent, often repeated constant violations that constitute custom and policy’ as required for municipal section 1983…
discussed Cited "see" Comfort v. Town of Pittsfield
D. Me. · 1996 · signal: see · confidence high
A policymaker, however, need not have “official” authority to make final decisions, such authority can be “implied from a continued course of knowing acquiescence by the governing body in the exercising of policymaking authority by an agency or official.” Spell, 824 F.2d at 1387 ; see Bennett v. Slidell, 728 F.2d 762, 769 (5th Cir.1984) (en banc) (governing body may delegate policymaking authority by “its conduct or practice, [thus] eneourag[ing] or acknowledg[ing] the agent in a policymaking role.”), cert. denied, 472 U.S. 1016 , 105 S.Ct. 3476 , 87 L.Ed.2d 612 (1985).
discussed Cited "see" Jordan ex rel. Jordan v. Jackson
4th Cir. · 1994 · signal: see · confidence high
See 810 F.2d at 516-17 (“the assertion of a single incident is not sufficient to show that a policy or custom exists on the part of a municipality”) (citing Bennett v. City of Slidell, 728 F.2d 762 , 768 n. 3 (5th Cir.1984) (en banc), cert. denied, 472 U.S. 1016 , 105 S.Ct. 3476 , 87 L.Ed.2d 612 (1985)).
discussed Cited "see" Jordan v. Jackson
4th Cir. · 1994 · signal: see · confidence high
See 810 F.2d at 516-17 ("the assertion of a single incident is not sufficient to show that a policy or custom exists on the part of a municipality") (citing Bennett v. City of Slidell, 728 F.2d 762 , 768 n. 3 (5th Cir.1984) (en banc ), cert. denied, 472 U.S. 1016 , 105 S.Ct. 3476 , 87 L.Ed.2d 612 (1985)). 16 We thus conclude that, after Leatherman, a section 1983 plaintiff seeking to impose municipal liability must satisfy only the usual requirements of notice pleading specified by the Federal Rules. 5 He is required under Rule 8(a)(2) to provide nothing more than " 'a short and plain statemen…
discussed Cited "see" Ellis v. Coffee County Board of Registrars
11th Cir. · 1993 · signal: see · confidence high
Healy v. Town of Pembroke Park, 831 F.2d 989, 993 (11th Cir.1987); see Bennett v. City of Slidell, 697 F.2d 657 , 660 n. 8 (5th Cir.1983) (Speculation and conjecture that city council members voted to deny a liquor license until receipt of an occupancy permit because of personal bias and familial ties were insufficient to present a jury question, when the record showed that the council members were acting according to requisite procedure.), modified on other grounds en banc, 728 F.2d 762 (5th Cir.1984), cert. denied, 472 U.S. 1016 , 105 S.Ct. 3476 , 87 L.Ed.2d 612 (1985).
discussed Cited "see" Ellis v. Coffee County Board Of Registrars
11th Cir. · 1993 · signal: see · confidence high
Healy v. Town of Pembroke Park, 831 F.2d 989, 993 (11th Cir.1987); see Bennett v. City of Slidell, 697 F.2d 657 , 660 n. 8 (5th Cir.1983) (Speculation and conjecture that city council members voted to deny a liquor license until receipt of an occupancy permit because of personal bias and familial ties were insufficient to present a jury question, when the record showed that the council members were acting according to requisite procedure.), modified on other grounds en banc, 728 F.2d 762 (5th Cir.1984), cert. denied, 472 U.S. 1016 , 105 S.Ct. 3476 , 87 L.Ed.2d 612 (1985). 22 Because we find th…
cited Cited "see" Hammond v. Katy Independent School District
Tex. App. · 1991 · signal: see · confidence high
See Jett, 798 F.2d at 759 (citing Bennett v. City of Slidell, 735 F.2d 861, 862 (5th Cir.1984) (per curiam), cert. denied, 472 U.S. 1016 , 105 S.Ct. 3476 , 87 L.Ed.2d 612 (1985)).
discussed Cited "see" Mary Turner, A/K/A Mary Turner Hind, a Feme Sole v. Upton County, Texas
5th Cir. · 1990 · signal: see · confidence high
Familias Unidas v. Briscoe, 619 F.2d 391, 404 (5th Cir.1980) (quoting Monell, 436 U.S. at 694 , 98 S.Ct. at 2037 , citations omitted); see Bennett v. City of Slidell, 728 F.2d 762, 796 (5th Cir.1984) (en banc), cert. denied, 472 U.S. 1016 , 105 S.Ct. 3476 , 87 L.Ed.2d 612 (1985).
discussed Cited "see" United States v. Santoro
E.D.N.Y · 1986 · signal: see · confidence high
The Court recognizes that there is something of a “Catch 22 implicit in [the] rule [that the defendant must] make a showing that grand jury proceedings were marred by irregularity ...” Morvillo, Prosecutorial Power and The Grand Jury, N.Y.L.J., April 1, 1986; see United States v. Mechanic 472 U.S. 1016 , 106 S.Ct. 938, 947 , 89 L.Ed.2d 50 (1986) (Marshall, J., dissenting) (“[A] defendant often can make the necessary showing only with the aid of the materials he seeks to discover.”).
discussed Cited "see, e.g." Barnett v. Texas Wrestling Ass'n
N.D. Tex. · 1998 · signal: see also · confidence low
It must, however, be so permanent and well settled “ ‘as to constitute a “custom or usage” with the force of law,’ ” id. (quoting Adickes, 398 U.S. at 167-68 , 90 S.Ct. 1598 ); see also Johnson v. Moore, 958 F.2d 92, 94 (5th Cir.1992), and must result from the decisions of a “duly constituted legislative body or of those officials whose acts may fairly be said to be those of the municipality,” Brown, 117 S.Ct. at 1388 , 117 S.Ct. 1382 ; see also Bennett v. City of Slidell, 728 F.2d 762, 767 (5th Cir.1984) (en banc), cert. denied, 472 U.S. 1016 , 105 S.Ct. 3476 , 87 L.Ed.2d 612 …
discussed Cited "see, e.g." Barnett v. Texas Wrestling Ass'n
N.D. Tex. · 1998 · signal: see also · confidence low
It must, however, be so permanent and well settled "`as to constitute a "custom or usage" with the force of law,'" id. (quoting Adickes, 398 U.S. at 167-68 , 90 S.Ct. 1598 ); see also Johnson v. Moore, 958 F.2d 92, 94 (5th Cir.1992), and must result from the decisions of a "duly constituted legislative body or of those officials whose acts may fairly be said to be those of the municipality," Brown, 117 S.Ct. at 1388 , 117 S.Ct. 1382 ; see also Bennett v. City of Slidell, 728 F.2d 762, 767 (5th Cir. 1984) (en banc), cert. denied, 472 U.S. 1016 , 105 S.Ct. 3476 , 87 L.Ed.2d 612 (1985). 1.
discussed Cited "see, e.g." Brown v. Bryan County
5th Cir. · 1995 · signal: see, e.g. · confidence low
See, e.g., Bennett v. City of Slidell, 728 F.2d 762 , 768 n. 3 (5th Cir.1984), cert. denied, 472 U.S. 1016 , 105 S.Ct. 3476 , 87 L.Ed.2d 612 (1985); Fraire v. City of Arlington, 957 F.2d 1268 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, — U.S. -, 113 S.Ct. 462 , 121 L.Ed.2d 371 (1992).
discussed Cited "see, e.g." Bockes v. Fields
W.D. Va. · 1992 · signal: see, e.g. · confidence low
A county is subject to municipal liability “when execution of a government’s policy or custom, whether made by its lawmakers or by those whose edicts or acts may fairly be said to represent official policy, inflicts the injury.” Spell v. McDaniel, 824 F.2d 1380, 1385 (4th Cir.1987) (quoting Monell v. Department of Social Services, 436 U.S. 658, 694 , 98 S.Ct. 2018, 2037 , 56 L.Ed.2d 611 (1978)), cert. denied, 484 U.S. 1027 , 108 S.Ct. 752 , 98 L.Ed.2d 765 (1988). “ ‘[Pjolicymaking authority’ implies authority to set and implement general goals and programs of municipal government, …
discussed Cited "see, e.g." Jackson Court Condominiums, Inc. v. City of New Orleans (2×)
5th Cir. · 1989 · signal: see also · confidence low
See also Bennett v. City of Slidell, 697 F.2d 657 , (5th Cir.1983), rev’d in part on other grounds, 728 F.2d 762 (5th Cir.1984) (en banc), cert. denied, 472 U.S. 1016 , 105 S.Ct. 3476 , 87 L.Ed.2d 612 (1985).
Sorenson
v.
Secretary of the Treasury
No. 84-1686.
Supreme Court of the United States.
Jun 17, 1985.
472 U.S. 1016

C. A. 9th Cir. Certiorari granted.