The Supreme Court rules police officers cannot be held liable for use-of-force consequences, even when they provoke a violent confrontation.

Via The War Files –  The Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that: “police officers cannot be held liable for use-of-force consequences, even when they provoke a violent confrontation.” This morning, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of LA County, CA, and two deputies with the county sheriff’s department, in case that involved a couple who was severely injured by two California officers searching for a suspect. The case originated from a lawsuit against LA County and the deputies by a couple who were shot repeatedly by the officers in 2010. At the time, the couple was living in a shack where the sheriff’s department believed a wanted parolee-at-large was hiding. The high court’s decision overturns a “provocation rule,” created by the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. The rule stated that a law enforcement officer can be held liable for an “otherwise defensive use of deadly force” in cases when an officer provokes a violent encounter, but only if the provocation is an “independent Fourth Amendment violation.”