The Supreme Court unanimously upheld the Constitution’s promise of accountability, ruling in favor of an American family whose home was wrongfully raided by FBI agents.
The decision enables Curtrina Martin and her family to proceed with their lawsuit against the federal agency after armed agents stormed their Atlanta home in 2017.
This raid was mistaken for a gang hideout while wielding guns and flash-bang grenades.
Despite nearly eight years having passed since the traumatic violation, the family has yet to receive any compensation.
The case originated when FBI agents executed a raid on the wrong house in suburban Atlanta, targeting the home of Hilliard Toi Cliatt and Curtrina Martin instead of the intended residence of Joseph Riley, a suspected gang member who lived nearby.
During the mistaken raid, agents entered with guns drawn, deployed flash-bang grenades, handcuffed Cliatt, and prevented Martin from moving.
This caused significant trauma to the family, including Martin’s son Gabe Watson, who was present.
In writing for the Court, Justice Neil Gorsuch highlighted the agents’ negligence in failing to perform basic verification steps before storming the home.
“The agents failed to verify the street sign, house number, and the car in the driveway before the raid,” Gorsuch noted in his opinion.
This suggests the federal government should be held accountable for such serious errors by its law enforcement personnel.
Moreover, the family filed their lawsuit under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), which waives government immunity for certain claims.
However, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals had previously sided with the government, citing the “discretionary-function exception” to block the lawsuit.
The Supreme Court rejected this interpretation, sending the case back to the appeals court for reconsideration using the proper legal test.
The raid lasted approximately five minutes before agents discovered a piece of mail indicating they were at the wrong address.
They left contact information for their supervisor, who later returned to apologize for the mistake.
In addition, the DOJ blamed the error on a GPS device used by FBI agent Lawrence Guerra that allegedly indicated the wrong house as the correct location.
In their concurring opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, suggested that the discretionary-function exception might not apply in this case.
This could potentially open the door for greater accountability when federal agents make such egregious mistakes.
Patrick Jaicomo, the plaintiff’s lawyer, stated:
“We look forward to continuing this fight with the Martins in the Eleventh Circuit and making it easier for everyday people to hold the government accountable for its mistaken and intentional violations of individual rights.”
The Institute for Justice, representing the Martin family, praised the decision as a victory for constitutional rights and government accountability.
This ruling represents a critical check on federal power, ensuring that when government agents raid the wrong home and terrorize innocent American citizens, those citizens have recourse through the courts.
The case will now proceed in the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, where the family will continue their fight for justice after nearly eight years of waiting.
