Barkley v. City of Detroit

This is an action for declaratory judgment1 concerning the duty of defendant, the City of Detroit, to provide legal counsel to police officers being sued for injuries allegedly inflicted by the officers during the performance of their official duties. Plaintiffs, who are all police officers and members of the Detroit Police Officers Association (dpoa), and the City of Detroit were named as defendants in nine separate civil suits that alleged various acts of police misconduct. At issue is whether ethical considerations prevent attorneys from the city’s law department from fulfilling the city’s…