Bodine v. Warwick

OPINION OF THE COURÍ

ALITO, Circuit Judge:

Harry W. Bodine, Jr. filed this action, seeking, among other things, to recover under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 on claims that certain Delaware State Troopers violated his Fourth Amendment rights by illegally entering his house without first knocking and requesting admission, by arresting him without probable cause, and by using excessive force to effect his arrest. At the close of the evidence, the district court awarded judgment as a matter of law in favor of Bodine on the issue of liability with respect to the illegal entry claim. The court later instructed…