Copeny v. Kyle et al

On September 20, 2018, DeAngelo Copeny, an inmate at a Wisconsin correctional institution, was allegedly subjected to excessive force by Correctional Officer Kyle and other staff. Copeny claimed he was assaulted while handcuffed, suffering injuries in violation of his Eighth Amendment rights. Proceeding pro se, he filed a federal civil rights lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against Kyle and additional defendants. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of the defendants, finding that the force used was de minimis and that the officers were entitled to qualified immunity. Copeny appealed, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal, concluding that no reasonable jury could find an Eighth Amendment violation.

Summary judgment granted in favor of defendants; affirmed on appeal. Qualified immunity protected the officers.

Whether the force used against Copeny constituted cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment, and whether the correctional officers were entitled to qualified immunity.

The case highlights the challenges inmates face in proving excessive force claims and illustrates the broad protection qualified immunity offers to correctional officers, often preventing constitutional violations from being vindicated in court.