Christopher Davis, 21, was shot and killed by a Walworth County sheriff’s deputy during a drug bust gone wrong. Davis’ mother, Doretha Lock, brought a lawsuit against several defendants in 2018 for a violation of Davis’ civil rights.
The defendants claimed that the Walworth County deputy who shot Davis was protected by qualified immunity – a doctrine that insulates officers from liability unless it is shown that their conduct violated someone’s clearly established constitutional rights. United States District Judge J.P Stadtmueller denied the Deputy’s claim for qualified immunity a few weeks before the trial was to begin. Defendants appealed that decision to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and Cade Law Group fought to ensure the trial court’s decision was affirmed on appeal.
The Seventh Circuit’s decision to affirm the denial of qualified immunity led to a nearly $2 million dollar settlement in honor of Davis’ life.