MILES GUPTILL v. CITY OF CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE; OFFICER JOEL GUNN - Articles

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MILES GUPTILL v. CITY OF CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE; OFFICER JOEL GUNN

Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Nov 26, 2025

Court: 6th Circuit Court (Published Opinions)

Attorneys 1: ARGUED: Kyle S. McGuire, MCKOON, WILLIAMS, ATCHLEY & STULCE, PLLC, Chattanooga, Tennessee, for Appellant. Phillip A. Noblett, CITY OF CHATTANOOGA, Chattanooga, Tennessee, for Appellee City of Chattanooga. Edith Logan Davis, DAVIS & HOSS, P.C., Chattanooga, Tennessee, for Appellee Joel Gunn.

Attorneys 2: ON BRIEF: Kyle S. McGuire, James R. McKoon, MCKOON, WILLIAMS, ATCHLEY & STULCE, PLLC, Chattanooga, Tennessee, for Appellant. Phillip A. Noblett, Kathryn C. McDonald, Andrew S. Trundle, CITY OF CHATTANOOGA, Chattanooga, Tennessee, for Appellee City of Chattanooga. Edith Logan Davis, Jamie Parks Varnell, DAVIS & HOSS, P.C., Chattanooga, Tennessee, for Appellee Joel Gunn.

Judge(s): STRANCH, THAPAR, and DAVIS, Circuit Judges

Court Appealed: United States District Court or the Eastern District of Tennessee at Chattanooga

DAVIS, Circuit Judge. In 2021, Miles Guptill checked himself into a Tennessee hospital after experiencing mental health symptoms. As medical staff sought to restrain Guptill to administer a shot, off-duty Police Officer Joel Gunn intervened. Gunn first twisted Guptill’s arm behind his back and then punched his head into a cinderblock wall when Guptill persisted in his refusal of the shot and tried to pull away. Guptill suffered head trauma from the blow. He later sued Gunn and the City of Chattanooga for excessive force under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and multiple state-law torts. The district court granted Gunn summary judgment on all of Guptill’s claims except for common-law assault and battery and granted the City summary judgment in full. Guptill now appeals. For the reasons below, we AFFIRM.

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