Robyne Mahaney James Mahaney, Individually and on Behalf of Their Children and as Representatives of the Class v. Warren County Mike Baker, Individually and in His Official Capacity as Warren County Sheriff North East Community Action Corp. Donald Patrick Lynn Miller Nelva Owens Fern Goodfellow Leon Stonebarger Pat Spoonster Gil Groeper James Vaccaro Shelly Vaccaro Craig Costello, Jackie Morton, as Representative of the Class Kingmont Corp. v. Warren County Mike Baker, Individually and in His Official Capacity as Warren County Sheriff North East Community Action Corp. Donald Patrick Lynn Miller Nelva Owens Fern Goodfellow Leon Stonebarger Pat Spoonster Gil Groeper James Vaccaro Shelly Vaccaro Craig Costello
Docket: 99-1965
Court: Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit; March 12, 2000; Federal Appellate Court
Robyne Mahaney, James Mahaney, and Jackie Morton, former residents of a low-income housing project in Warren County, Missouri, appealed a district court's grant of summary judgment in favor of multiple defendants, including Warren County officials and representatives of the North East Community Action Corporation. The plaintiffs alleged a conspiracy to violate their civil rights under 42 U.S.C. § 1985(3), citing actions such as constructing a wall, digging a ditch, racial steering, inadequate police protection, and other retaliatory measures against the housing project.
The district court, after extensive hearings, determined that the plaintiffs did not present sufficient evidence to establish a genuine issue of material fact regarding their claims, leading to judgments in favor of the defendants. The Eighth Circuit reviewed the summary judgment de novo and found that the plaintiffs' claims were based on unsubstantiated allegations and speculation, which do not meet the legal standard for proving a conspiracy.
Additionally, the plaintiffs raised claims of violations of other federal statutes and constitutional amendments but failed to include these in their initial brief, resulting in waiver of those claims. The court also addressed and dismissed challenges to the district court's decisions on class certification, consolidation, protective orders, and attorney disqualification, finding these challenges lacked merit.
Ultimately, the Eighth Circuit affirmed the district court's judgments, concluding that the plaintiffs had not demonstrated a viable case.
