⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

A police sergeant wins an order restoring his job, but faces a separate question: is it too late to sue over his firing? Gerald Peters was fired in twenty twenty-one after pepper-spraying a handcuffed man at a Torrington police station. Peters alleges that the investigation was rigged and that officials retaliated after he gave notice of a legal claim. Labor arbitrators ordered his reinstatement. The city challenged that award, but it was ultimately confirmed in state court. Meanwhile, Peters filed a separate civil-rights lawsuit in twenty twenty-four against the city, its police chief, investigator Eric Daigle and his law firm. A federal judge dismissed the older claims as late and found the later allegations insufficient to establish a constitutional violation. Section nineteen eighty-three provides a way to sue over constitutional violations committed under state authority. A three-year filing deadline applies here. Accrual concerns when that clock starts; tolling can pause or extend the filing period. Timothy Brignole, for Peters, will argue that continuing misconduct through the arbitration and court proceedings kept the claims timely.

Peters v. City of Torrington (No. 25-1985) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, argued October 28, 2026.