PHILADELPHIA (CN) — A Third Circuit panel on Wednesday heard arguments from a Philadelphia police officer and a woman who says the officer violated her privacy by taking and sharing an image of her son’s body shortly after he jumped to his death.
Marcus Boone, 39, negotiated with police officers for approximately three hours while standing on the ledge of a Northeast Philadelphia highway overpass in March 2022, after which Boone jumped to his death. With Boone on the pavement below, Officer Christopher Culver took a photograph of Boone’s body and sent it to his colleagues. The photo later reached social media and was seen by Boone’s family.
Boone’s mother, Karen Brookins, sued the city and officers in January 2024, telling a federal court judge that the image violated her right to privacy and caused her emotional distress. The judge granted summary judgment in favor of the city and officers in December 2024, ruling that Culver was protected by qualified immunity…