Faulkenberry v. Austin

**Police Officer's Excessive Force Lawsuit Gets Mixed Results** This case involved a police officer named Faulkenberry who sued the city of Austin and the Glasgow Police Department, claiming he was the victim of excessive force, assault, and battery by other officers or officials. The court made a split decision. The judge allowed part of Faulkenberry's lawsuit to continue, specifically his excessive force claims under federal law. The court found there were still factual questions about when the alleged excessive force occurred that needed to be resolved at trial. However, the judge dismissed Faulkenberry's state law claims for assault and battery, ruling that these had already been decided in a previous legal proceeding and couldn't be brought up again. **What this means for workers:** This case shows that government employees, including police officers, can potentially sue their own agencies for workplace mistreatment under federal civil rights laws. However, workers need to be aware that if similar claims have already been decided in other courts, they may be barred from pursuing them again. The case also demonstrates that even when some claims are dismissed, others may still proceed to trial if important facts remain in dispute.