City of Los Angeles v. Patel
United States Supreme Court
576 U.S. 409 (2015)
Relevant factsFree
Los Angeles Municipal Code § 41.49 required motel operators (plaintiffs) to keep guest records and make them available to any police officer on demand, with noncompliance punishable as a crime carrying up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. Motel operators sued, claiming the ordinance permitted unreasonable searches; the district court ruled for the city, but the Ninth Circuit found the ordinance facially unconstitutional, and the Supreme Court granted certiorari.
IssueFree
Whether the warrantless search of hotel records for general inspection purposes falls under the administrative-search exception to the warrant requirement of the Fourth Amendment.