William Felkner v. Rhode Island College

Syllabus

The plaintiff, William Felkner, appealed from a Superior Court decision granting summary judgment in favor of the defendants, Rhode Island College, John Nazarian, Carol Bennett-Speight, James Ryczek, Roberta Pearlmutter, and S. Scott Mueller. On appeal, the plaintiff argued that the hearing justice erred in granting summary judgment on the grounds of qualified immunity. The plaintiff also contended that the hearing justice disregarded this Court's mandate when this Court remanded the matter to the Superior Court. The plaintiff additionally argued that the hearing justice improperly resolved questions of material fact in granting summary judgment. <br> <br>The Supreme Court concluded that the hearing justice properly granted summary judgment in favor of the defendants on the grounds of qualified immunity. The Supreme Court determined that Felkner failed to show that the law is clearly established furthermore, a reasonable person in defendants' position did not have fair warning that their conduct potentially violated his constitutional rights. Accordingly, the Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Superior Court.