Qualified Immunity

Appeals Court Grants Immunity to Texas Cops Who Held Handcuffed Woman Face Down in a Fire Ant Hill

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Taylor Rogers didn't show that it was clearly established that it was excessive force to be held down on a pile of fire ants while handcuffed.

C.J. Ciaramella | 9.9.2026 3:01 PM

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(Randy Kallinen)

A federal appeals court ruled that a Texas woman can't sue two Santa Fe police officers who pinned her face down on a fire ant hill while she was handcuffed, causing her to receive hundreds of painful bites to her face.

In an August 6 opinion, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit reversed a lower court decision allowing Taylor Rogers' lawsuit against the City of Santa Fe and the two officers to move forward. Instead, the panel held that the officers were shielded from her claims under the doctrine of qualified immunity.

In a press conference last Friday, Rogers' attorney, Randy Kallinen, criticized the ruling.

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