Allen v. McCurry
United States Supreme Court
449 U.S. 90 (1980)
Relevant factsFree
McCurry (plaintiff) unsuccessfully sought to suppress evidence obtained in an allegedly illegal search at his state drug prosecution and was convicted; he later filed a federal § 1983 suit against the officers (defendants) based on the same Fourth Amendment claim. The Eighth Circuit held collateral estoppel didn't apply because the earlier ruling came from a state, not federal, court.
IssueFree
Whether the doctrine of collateral estoppel is applicable to a federal suit if the issue was previously decided in a state court.