Alan S. Kostka v. David W. Hogg

COFFIN, Chief Judge.

The damages action authorized by 42 U.S.C. § 1983 is limited in several significant respects: (1) municipalities and other political subdivisions are not subject to suit, see Monroe v. Pape, 365 U.S. 167, 81 S.Ct. 473, 5 L.Ed.2d 492 (1961), (2) only persons who were directly involved in the wrongdoing may be held liable, see Rizzo v. Goode, 423 U.S. 362, 96 S.Ct. 598, 46 L.Ed.2d 561 (1976), and (3) officials enjoy either an absolute, see, e.g., Imbler v. Pachtman, 424 U.S. 409, 96 S.Ct. 984, 47 L.Ed.2d 128 (1976), or qualified, see, e.g., Wood v. Strickland, 420 U.S. 308,…