Case Explained: EDWARD BERNARD v. JACOB RIDEOUT

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Filed: 2026-06-04 The Fourth Circuit affirmed the district court’s grant of summary judgment to the defendant in a civil action brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and Maryland state law. The court held that the appellant waived appellate review regarding the denial of his motion to strike and the grant of summary judgment on counts I, V, VI, and VII because his briefing failed to present properly developed arguments challenging those specific rulings. Regarding counts III and IV, the court applied a de novo standard of review and found no abuse of discretion in the district court’s treatment of the defendant’s motion as one for summary judgment, nor did it find reversible error in the grant of summary judgment on those counts. The appellant had also abandoned any challenge to the summary judgment on count II by presenting no argument. Consequently, the district court’s order is affirmed, and oral argument was dispensed with. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.