The Supreme Court delivered a bombshell blow to federal overreach, granting a family the right to hold the FBI accountable for a mistaken raid on their home.
See the tweet below this post.
The decision allows a Georgia family to proceed with their lawsuit against the federal government after agents stormed the wrong house, traumatizing innocent homeowners and leaving property damaged.
Justice Neil Gorsuch delivered the opinion this week, finding that lower courts incorrectly interpreted the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) when they dismissed the family’s lawsuit.
The case stems from a 2017 incident when FBI agents mistakenly raided the suburban Atlanta home of Hilliard Toi Cliatt and Curtrina Martin, bursting in with weapons drawn and deploying flash-bang grenades.
The agents were actually looking for Joseph Riley, a gang member who lived nearby, but relied on a faulty GPS device that led them to the wrong address.
Despite the agents’ failure to verify basic details like the street sign, house number, and the car in the driveway, the government has refused to compensate the family for nearly eight years.
The family’s ordeal began when agents entered their home with guns drawn, handcuffing Cliatt and preventing Martin from moving. Their young son was also present during the frightening raid.
An agent eventually discovered a piece of mail indicating they were at the wrong address, and after spending about five minutes in the home, they quickly departed.
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals had previously dismissed the lawsuit, claiming the government was protected under the FTCA’s “discretionary-function exception.”
Yet, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected this interpretation, with Justice Gorsuch noting that different lower courts have taken different views of this exception, requiring a proper reexamination of the case.
BREAKING: A 9-0 Supreme Court finds the 11th Circuit wrongly ended a Georgia woman's suit over the FBI's mistaken raid of her house and orders the court to reconsider the viability of her claims. #SCOTUS https://t.co/ExHfjxmyh1 pic.twitter.com/AFy7cjXLHU
— Katie Buehler (@bykatiebuehler) June 12, 2025
The Institute for Justice, representing the family, praised the decision as a win for government accountability.
The ruling allows the family to continue their claims of assault, battery, and false imprisonment under the FTCA, potentially opening the door for other Americans who have suffered similar violations at the hands of federal agencies.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, went even further, suggesting that the discretionary-function exception might not apply in this case at all.
This is a remarkable acknowledgment that federal officers should not have the “discretion” to raid the wrong house and terrorize innocent Americans.
The case will now return to the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for reconsideration.
For Americans concerned about government overreach and the protection of constitutional rights, this unanimous Supreme Court decision represents a small but significant victory in holding federal agencies accountable when they violate the rights of law-abiding citizens.
