Brighton, Michigan — A federal appeals court has ruled that jail deputies in Michigan cannot be sued over the 2018 death of detainee John Griswold, reversing an earlier lower court decision and reigniting debate over qualified immunity protections for law enforcement officers.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled this week that 11 Livingston County officers were entitled to qualified immunity after Griswold died in custody following what authorities said was a medical emergency tied to ingesting a large quantity of pills.
Court records show Griswold was arrested after a dispute with his brother and appeared severely impaired while being transported to jail. A nurse at the jail ordered him evaluated at a hospital, where a doctor diagnosed him with QTc prolongation, a heart rhythm condition associated with certain medications. The doctor cleared Griswold for jail but instructed officers to seek immediate medical care if his condition worsened or if he experienced repeated vomiting.
According to court filings, Griswold vomited inside his jail cell and remained largely unresponsive overnight while deputies checked on him multiple times. Surveillance footage reportedly showed officers observing him shortly before he began convulsing. He died minutes later.
The appeals court concluded that Griswold’s medical distress was not legally “obvious” enough under existing precedent to overcome qualified immunity protections.
Critics argue the ruling highlights flaws in the qualified immunity doctrine and raises concerns about medical care standards in local jails, particularly where overnight medical staff are unavailable.
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