⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

The Ninth Circuit considers whether four individual defendants are entitled to qualified immunity before trial in Nicholas McGuffin's civil rights suit. McGuffin was convicted of manslaughter in Leah Freeman's death. An Oregon court later vacated the conviction after finding that the state had failed to disclose exculpatory DNA evidence, and the charges were dismissed. The district court found factual disputes over claims that investigators fabricated, withheld, or destroyed evidence and denied summary judgment. Qualified immunity protects officials from damages unless they violated a clearly established constitutional right. Sarah Henderson will argue for the defendants that the district court defined the rights too generally and failed to assess each appellant's conduct separately. Loevy and Loevy partner David Owens will argue for McGuffin and his daughter that the appeal asks the court to reweigh disputed facts it cannot review before trial.

McGuffin v. Karcher (No. 25-2548) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, argued August 6, 2026.