U.S. Circuit Court Finds in Favor of St. Peters' Appeal in Hodak Case

St. Peters is on a winning streak concerning lawsuits against it. See Article Below

U.S. Circuit Court Finds in Favor of St. Peters' Appeal in Hodak Case

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit this morning reversed outright an earlier District Court decision in a case filed by Brian Hodak, Karla Hodak, and H & N Planning and Control, Inc., against the City of St. Peters, former Mayor Tom Brown and three City police officers. The City of St. Peters had appealed the earlier decision from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri to the U.S. Court of Appeals.

Today's court decision threw out the entire judgment, entered against the City and Tom Brown, including the actual and punitive damage awards, attorney's fees, and court costs that had been awarded to plaintiffs by the District Court.

The U.S. Court of Appeals found that Brian Hodak "did not suffer an actionable constitutional violation," and declined to "extend third-party standing to H/N to assert Brian's non-existent legal claim."

Today's ruling is a decisive victory for the City. The judgment in favor of plaintiffs has been reversed and the United States Court of Appeals has ordered the trial court to vacate the judgment and dismiss the complaint.

"The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has made its decision after a thorough review of all the evidence in this case after years of litigation," said St. Peters Mayor Len Pagano. "We are obviously pleased with the outcome of the appeal. This has been a long, difficult process for the City, its police officers and former mayor. As with all issues, the City, its elected officials and employees try always to do what is appropriate and in the best interest of the residents of St. Peters. We are proud of the City's reputation in this regard, and we will continue to enforce the laws and work to serve and to protect our community as we are sworn to do."