Frederickson v. Landeros, No. 18–1605 (7th Cir. 2019)
Nature of Case: Plaintiff, who was required to register as a sex offender, brought a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging that the Defendant, a police officer in charge of administering the sex offense registry in Joliet, Illinois, violated his civil rights by refusing to transfer his registration to another city (this effectively foreclosing his ability to relocate). The Defendant claimed qualified immunity, which the district court granted, with the exception of the Plaintiff’s claim that the Defendant’s actions deprived him of the Equal Protection of law. Defendant sought review of the denial, and Plaintiff did not seek review of grant of the other theories of injury the district court granted qualified immunity on.
Holding: 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court’s denial of qualified immunity for the Defendant. Plaintiff’s Equal Protection rights encompassed the right to equal treatment by and protection of law enforcement that was “uncorrupted by personal animus,” and this was a right which was clearly established at the time of the Plaintiff’s allegations of wrongdoing on the part of the Defendant.