Paul v. Davis
United States Supreme Court
424 U.S. 693 (1976)
Relevant factsFree
Police chiefs Paul and McDaniel (defendants) distributed a flyer to hundreds of area merchants during the holiday shopping season identifying individuals, including Davis (plaintiff), who had been arrested or active in criminal activity as "active shoplifters," even though Davis had not been convicted; Davis sued, arguing the designation deprived him of liberty by inhibiting his ability to enter businesses and harming his future employment prospects, without alleging any other concrete governmental deprivation.
IssueFree
Whether an individual can support a due process claim based solely on defamation by a government official, without any other accompanying governmental deprivation.