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Tanaria Heard v. Jefferson County, Arkansas — 8th Cir. (Sep 24, 2026)

No. 25-3130 Argued September 24, 2026 Published September 26, 2026

Eighteen-year-old Dezmen McBride died after several days in a county jail in Arkansas. He was involved in an altercation with other detainees, went to a hospital with a headache and vomiting, and returned to the jail. His estate says his condition worsened, and that officers delayed help even after he could no longer stand or walk. The autopsy did not establish a cause of death. A district judge allowed claims for denied medical care and excessive force to move toward trial, denying a lieutenant qualified immunity at this stage. Qualified immunity can protect officers from suit, but an early appeal generally cannot reweigh disputed facts. The appeals court will decide which rulings it can review now, including the county's state-law immunity defense.

Tanaria Heard v. Jefferson County, Arkansas (No. 25-3130) — 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/2026/9/253130.mp3
Argument listing and date — Eighth Circuit:https://ecf.ca8.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/sessions.pl?yymm=202609&getOA=Select
Heard v. Jefferson County — district court opinion and order:https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/arkansas/aredce/4:2024cv00325/143046/75/0.pdf
Eighth Circuit appellate docket and counsel:https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/ca8/25-3130
Arkansas Code § 21-9-301:https://law.justia.com/codes/arkansas/title-21/chapter-9/subchapter-3/section-21-9-301/
Interlocutory qualified-immunity review — Eighth Circuit opinion:https://media.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/15/09/142250P.pdf
Annie Depper — Fuqua Campbell:https://www.fc-lawyers.com/?page_id=852
Jason Owens — Owens & Parker:https://www.owensparker.com/jason-owens
Bryan Lammon — Final Decisions:https://finaldecisions.org/

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