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DIANE PIERCE, Plaintiff-Appellee,
vs.
DAVID SMITH; LOUIS BINDER, Defendants-Appellants, and TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER, Defendant.
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Issues:
Fourteenth Amendment, Fourth Amendment, drug testing, policy and procedure.
Case Summary:
Drs. David Smith and Louis Binder, supervisors at the Texas Tech Health Science Center, appeal a district court ruling in favor of Dr. Diane Pierce. The doctors asked Dr. Pierce to submit to a drug test after she was involved in an incident with a patient. Dr. Pierce subsequently filed suit, claiming the request violated her rights.
Decision of lower jurisdiction:
A U.S. District Court ruled in favor of Dr. Pierce, and a jury awarded her actual and punitive damages against the defendants. The two doctors now appeal.
Outcome:
Dr. Pierce loses. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed the ruling of the lower jurisdiction. The appeals court ruled that the two doctors enjoyed limited immunity in their roles.