Erwine Laverne and Estelle Laverne v. Howard J. Corning, Jr., Mayor

MOORE, Circuit Judge:

The principal issue presented by this appeal is whether the defendants — the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Building Inspector and other officials of the Village of Laurel Hollow, Nassau County, Long Island — are entitled to assert good faith as a defense in this civil rights suit brought under 42 U.S.C. §§ 1981 — 88 seeking damages for violations of the plaintiffs’ Fourth Amendment rights. A brief outline of the facts and the procedural history of this litigation is required.

The plaintiffs Erwine and Estelle Laverne are artists and designers. In 1949 they purchased the Tiffany…