Henry Lee Bryan v. Clarence Jones, Sheriff, Henry Wade, District Attorney, Fidelity & Deposit Co.& Lena Giddens

I am in substantial agreement with the part of the Court’s opinion that ap*1218plies the Supreme Court’s teachings in Scheuer v. Rhodes and Wood v. Strickland to the issue of a sheriff’s immunity for false imprisonment of a § 1983 plaintiff. The “reasonable good faith” defense was set up in a context of discretionary actions of state officials. Here, the defendant Jones plays a much greater ministerial role. The same defense is available to him, however, because it is basically unfair, as Scheuer pointed out, to subject a state official to liability when that official acts reasonably and in good…