Filed Date: Aug. 26, 1985
Closed Date: 1988
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A woman arrested for failure to license her dog in the City of Richmond Texas, who was strip searched, subjected to a cavity search, and jailed, filed this case in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in 1987. The Court (Judge H. Sanders, Jr.) found that the city's strip search policy violated the Fourth Amendment on its face and as applied to the plaintiff.
On appeal, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the lower court's decision, but held that while the city's policy was susceptible of constitutional scrutiny, strip search cases are best determined by case by case analysis.
Summary Authors
Denise Heberle (8/14/2012)
Black, Norman William (Texas)
Garwood, William Lockhart (Texas)
Jones, Edith Hollan (Texas)
Bartlett, M. Leigh (Texas)
Dickinson, D. Bradley (Texas)
Last updated March 27, 2024, 3:07 a.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: Texas
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: Aug. 26, 1985
Closing Date: 1988
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Lynda Watt was subjected to a strip search and a visual body cavity search after her arrest for failure to license her dog in the City of Richardson, Texas, while her friend was on the way to pay her bail.
Public Interest Lawyer: No
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
City of Richardson (Richardson), City
Facility Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Constitutional Clause(s):
Unreasonable search and seizure
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Source of Relief:
Issues
General/Misc.:
Affected Sex/Gender(s):
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions: