leatherman tarrant county nicu argued january decided march petitioner homeowners filed suit respondents local officials acting official capacity county two municipal corporations alleging conduct local police officers searching homes narcotics violated fourth amendment asserting basis municipal liability failure adequately train police officers involved federal district dismissed complaints failed meet heightened pleading standard adopted appeals requires complaints municipal corporations cases state factual detail particularity basis claim appeals affirmed held federal may apply heightened pleading standard stringent usual pleading requirements federal rule civil procedure civil rights cases alleging municipal liability first heightened standard justified ground relaxed pleading standard eviscerate municipalities immunity suit subjecting expensive discovery every case municipalities although free respondeat superior liability see monell new york city dept social services enjoy absolute qualified immunity suits owen city independence second possible square heightened standard applied case liberal system notice pleading set federal rules rule requires complaint include short plain statement claim showing pleader entitled relief rule requires greater particularity pleading certain actions include among enumerated actions reference complaints alleging municipal liability pp reversed remanded rehnquist delivered opinion unanimous richard gladden argued cause pro hac vice petitioners briefs gladden brett ringle argued cause respondents brief respondents tarrant county narcotics intelligence coordination unit et al dixon holman kevin keith filed brief respondent city grapevine texas tim sralla wayne olson filed brief respondent city lake worth texas briefs amici curiae urging affirmance filed state texas et al dan morales attorney general pryor first assistant attorney general mary keller deputy attorney general adrian young michael hodge sharon felfe ann kraatz assistant attorneys general attorneys general respective jurisdictions follows jimmy evans alabama charles cole alaska winston bryant arkansas daniel lungren california robert marks hawaii robert stephan kansas nicholas spaeth north dakota ernest preate pennsylvania james rhode island travis medlock south carolina mark barnett south dakota paul van dam utah jeffrey amestroy vermont mary sue terry virginia mario palumbo west virginia james doyle wisconsin joseph meyer wyoming city college station texas catherine locke national institute municipal law officers et al richard ruda texas municipal league et al susan horton chief justice rehnquist delivered opinion granted certiorari decide whether federal may apply heightened pleading standard stringent usual pleading requirements rule federal rules civil procedure civil rights cases alleging municipal liability hold may review decision granting motion dismiss therefore must accept true factual allegations complaint see gaubert action arose two separate incidents involving execution search warrants local law enforcement officers involved forcible entry home based detection odors associated manufacture narcotics one homeowner claimed assaulted officers entered another claimed police entered home absence killed two dogs plaintiffs sued several local officials official capacity county two municipal corporations employed police officers involved incidents asserting police conduct violated fourth amendment constitution stated basis municipal liability monell new york city dept social services failure bodies adequately train police officers involved see canton harris district northern district texas ordered complaints dismissed failed meet heightened pleading standard required decisional law appeals fifth circuit fifth circuit turn affirmed judgment dismissal granted certiorari resolve conflict among courts appeals concerning applicability heightened pleading standard actions alleging municipal liability los angeles police claim municipal liability section sufficient withstand motion dismiss even claim based nothing bare allegation individual officers conduct conformed official policy custom practice internal quotation marks omitted reverse respondents seek defend fifth circuit application rigorous pleading standard two grounds first respondents claim municipalities freedom respondeat superior liability see monell supra necessarily includes immunity suit sense respondents assert municipalities different state local officials sued individual capacity respondents reason relaxed pleading requirement subject municipalities expensive discovery every case eviscerating immunity suit disrupting municipal functions argument wrongly equates freedom liability immunity suit sure reaffirmed monell municipality held liable respondeat superior theory contrary respondents assertions protection liability encompass immunity suit indeed argument flatly contradicted monell later decisions involving municipal liability monell overruled monroe pape insofar held local governments wholly immune suit though reserve decision whether municipalities entitled form limited immunity yet took issue owen city independence rejected claim municipalities afforded qualified immunity much like afforded individual officials based good faith agents decisions make quite clear unlike various government officials municipalities enjoy immunity suit either absolute qualified short municipality sued held liable unless municipal policy custom caused constitutional injury thus occasion consider whether qualified immunity jurisprudence require heightened pleading cases involving individual government officials second respondents contend fifth circuit heightened pleading standard really see brief respondents tarrant county narcotics intelligence coordination unit et al fifth circuit heightened pleading requirement misnomer according respondents degree factual specificity required complaint federal rules civil procedure varies according complexity underlying substantive law establish municipal liability respondents argue plaintiff must plead single instance misconduct requirement respondents insist consistent plaintiff rule obligation make reasonable inquiry facts examination fifth circuit decision case makes quite evident heightened pleading standard purports demanding rule pleading complaint pleading kinds claims relief see rule adopted fifth circuit elliott perez described language cases governmental officials involving likely defense immunity require trial judges demand plaintiff complaints state factual detail particularity basis claim necessarily includes defendant official successfully maintain defense immunity think impossible square heightened pleading standard applied fifth circuit case liberal system notice pleading set federal rules rule requires complaint include short plain statement claim showing pleader entitled relief conley gibson said effect rule meant said federal rules civil procedure require claimant set detail facts upon bases claim contrary rules require short plain statement claim give defendant fair notice plaintiff claim grounds upon rests omitted phenomenon litigation municipal corporations based claimed constitutional violations employees dates decision monell supra first time construed allow municipal liability perhaps rules rewritten today claims municipalities might subjected added specificity requirement rule result must obtained process amending federal rules judicial interpretation absence amendment federal courts litigants must rely summary judgment control discovery weed unmeritorious claims sooner rather later judgment appeals reversed case remanded proceedings consistent opinion ordered respondents also argue certain claims barred collateral estoppel according respondents petitioners brought unsuccessful civil rights action two police officers allegedly involved one incidents petitioners respond adverse ruling litigation currently appeal thus final collateral estoppel purposes issue neither addressed fifth circuit included questions presented consider