⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

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O'Hara v. Lott — 8th Cir. (Sep 24, 2026)

No. 25-2897 Argued September 24, 2026 Published September 26, 2026

Police found Omar O'Hara asleep in his car in University City, Missouri. Dispatch said his license was revoked; a state court had stayed it. Sergeant Terrence Lott moved to arrest him; O'Hara crossed his arms and asked why. Lott used a Taser, and a struggle followed; the parties dispute whether O'Hara grabbed it or resisted. O'Hara sued Lott and Officer Marlissa Butler-Cherry over the arrest, force, and her alleged failure to intervene. The district court found key facts disputed and refused to end the case before trial. The officers appealed the denial of qualified immunity, which shields officers from damages unless they violate clearly established law. They also claim arguable probable cause: a reasonable officer could have believed there were grounds to arrest, even if mistaken. The judges will examine the video, the initial Taser use, and the grounds for arrest.

O'Hara v. Lott (No. 25-2897) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, argued September 24, 2026.

Sources
Argument audio — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (public domain, 17 U.S.C. § 105):https://media-oa.ca8.uscourts.gov/OAaudio/2026/9/252897.mp3
Argument listing and date — Eighth Circuit:https://ecf.ca8.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/sessions.pl?yymm=202609&getOA=Select
District court order and case background — Eastern District of Missouri:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-moed-4_23-cv-00442/pdf/USCOURTS-moed-4_23-cv-00442-0.pdf
Eighth Circuit docket and counsel:https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/ca8/25-2897
Timothy Reichardt — Reichardt Noce & Young:https://www.rnylaw.com/tim-reichardt
Arguable probable cause — Eighth Circuit opinion:https://ecf.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/22/07/211552P.pdf

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