Pembaur v. City of Cincinnati
| Pembaur v. Cincinnati | |
|---|---|
| Argued December 2, 1985 Decided March 25, 1986 | |
| Full case name | Pembaur v. City of Cincinnati |
| Citations | 475 U.S. 469 (more) 106 S. Ct. 1292; 89 L. Ed. 2d 452 |
| Holding | |
| Following the "official policy" standard set forth in Monell establishing municipal liability under 42 U.S.C. §1983, municipal liability may be imposed for a single decision by municipal policymakers under appropriate circumstances; if the decision to adopt a particular course of action is directed by those who establish governmental policy, the municipality is equally responsible whether that action is to be taken only once or repeatedly. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Brennan (parts I, II-A, II-C), joined by White, Marshall, Blackmun, Stevens; O'Connor (except II-C) |
| Plurality | Brennan (II-B), joined by White, Marshall, Blackmun |
| Concurrence | White |
| Concurrence | Stevens (in part and in judgment) |
| Concurrence | O'Connor (in part and in judgment) |
| Dissent | Powell, joined by Burger, Rehnquist |
| Laws applied | |
| 42 U.S.C. § 1983 | |
Pembaur v. City of Cincinnati, 475 U.S. 469 (1986), is a United States Supreme Court case that clarified a previous case, Monell v. Department of Social Services (1978), and established that municipalities can be held liable even for a single decision that is improperly made.