Keith Edwards v. Officer J. Grubbs

── Keith Edwards v. Officer J. Grubbs ── Case No.: 24-12787 Court: Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Date: March 13, 2026 Category: NEW USCA11 Case: 24-12787 Document: 41-1 Date Filed: 03/13/2026 Page: 1 of 47 FOR PUBLICATION In the United States Court of Appeals For the Eleventh Circuit ____________________ No. 24-12787 ____________________ KEITH EDWARDS, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Jerry Blasingame, deceased, Plaintiff-Appellee, versus OFFICER J. GRUBBS, #6416, Defendant-Appellant, CITY OF ATLANTA, ATLANTA POLICE DEPT., Defendants. ____________________ Appeals from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia D.C. Docket No. 1:19-cv-02047-SCJ ____________________ USCA11 Case: 24-12787 Document: 41-1 Date Filed: 03/13/2026 Page: 2 of 47 2 Opinion of the Court 24-12787 ____________________ No. 24-12925 ____________________ KEITH EDWARDS, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Jerry Blasingame, deceased, Plaintiff-Appellant, versus OFFICER J. GRUBBS, #6416, THE CITY OF ATLANTA, Defendants-Appellees, ATLANTA POLICE DEPT., Defendant. ____________________ Appeals from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia D.C. Docket No. 1:19-cv-02047-SCJ ____________________ USCA11 Case: 24-12787 Document: 41-1 Date Filed: 03/13/2026 Page: 3 of 47 24-12787 Opinion of the Court 3 Before JORDAN and NEWSOM, Circuit Judges, and HONEYWELL,* District Judge. JORDAN, Circuit Judge: These consolidated appeals involve a single use-of-force in- cident in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 10, 2018. On that fateful day, City of Atlanta Police Officer Jon Grubbs pulled his taser’s trigger, hit Jerry Blasingame in the back, and sent him barreling down a steep embankment that led to a metal utility box on a concrete plat- form at the bottom. Mr. Blasingame suffered severe injuries when he hit the box and platform, and his guardian sued Officer Grubbs and the City under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The jury found against Officer Grubbs and the City and awarded significant compensatory and punitive damages. The district court granted the City’s motion for judgment as a matter of law, and reduced the award of punitive damages against Officer Grubbs. We confront a number of issues on appeal, including quali- fied immunity, municipal liability, and the constitutional limits on punitive damage awards. Based on our review of the record, and with the benefit of oral argument, we affirm in all respects. * Honorable Charlene Edwards Honeywell, United States District Judge for the Middle District of Florida, sitting by designation. USCA11 Case: 24-12787 Document: 41-1