Monell held that municipalities are not liable under respondeat superior for employee constitutional violations. Liability requires that municipal action itself caused the deprivation.
Supervisors likewise face no vicarious liability.
Alternative Names:
No Respondeat Superior|Vicarious Liability Bar (1983)
Why it Matters?
The bar extends to supervisory defendants, who are not liable merely for a subordinate's conduct and must have personally participated, directed, or been deliberately indifferent to known violations. That eliminates the reflexive practice of naming every officer in the chain of command. Iqbal reinforced the requirement of individual conduct meeting the applicable standard for each defendant separately.
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Frequently asked questions
Does the bar reach supervisors?
What does that eliminate?
