Does a plaintiff in a personal capacity action seek to impose individual liability upon a government officer for actions taken under color of state law?

MultiRegion, United States of America

The following excerpt is from Pena v. Gardner, 976 F.2d 469 (9th Cir. 1992):

Personal-capacity suits ... seek to impose individual liability upon a government officer for actions taken under color of state law. Thus, "[o]n the merits, to establish personal liability in a 1983 action, it is enough to show that the official, acting under color of state law, caused the deprivation of a federal right." [Kentucky v. Graham, 473 U.S. 159, 166, 105 S.Ct. 3099, 3105, 87 L.Ed.2d 114 (1985) ]. While the plaintiff in a personal-capacity suit need not establish a connection to governmental "policy or custom," officials sued in their personal capacities, unlike those sued in their official capacities, may assert personal immunity defenses such as objectively reasonable reliance on existing law. Id. at 166-167 [105 S.Ct. at 3105-3106].

Id.

2. Pendent State Claims

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