Toi Cliatt’s home in suburban Atlanta was mistakenly raided by FBI agents. Toi, his then-partner Trina Martin, and her seven-year-old son Gabe were traumatized by the experience of being started awake by a flashbang and held at gunpoint until agents figured out they were at the wrong address.
But the FBI provided no help to Trina, Gabe, and Toi as they struggled to live, work, and go to school with the trauma of the raid hanging over them. So, Trina, Gabe, and Toi filed a lawsuit against the government under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA). Their lawsuit was thrown out of court.
Now, the Institute for Justice (IJ) is asking the Supreme Court to hear Trina, Gabe, and Toi’s case. IJ insists that the courts respect Congress’s decision to provide a remedy for federal harms. The courts cannot create immunity where Congress has waived it.
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The FBI Raided the Wrong Home—the Government Refuses to Pay for the Damage
FBI agents raided the wrong home in suburban Atlanta. Now the federal government refuses to compensate the victims even though Congress passed a law permitting suits for damages caused by federal employees.