Tamecia Williams sued multiple defendants after alleging that her doctor, Michael Wesley Holmes, sexually assaulted her during medical appointments. Her claims included allegations that Beaumont police failed to properly investigate her initial 2018 police report and a 2022 car crash, and that state Judge Raquel West imposed too light a sentence on Holmes and improperly denied Williams the right to read her victim impact statement in court.
Judge Ellison found that judicial immunity completely barred Williams' claims against Judge West. "A judge generally has absolute immunity from suits for damages," Ellison wrote, citing Fifth Circuit precedent. "Judicial immunity is an immunity from suit, not just the ultimate assessment of damages." The court also rejected Williams' Crime Victims Rights Act claims, noting the statute specifically states it does not "authorize a cause of action for damages."
The City of Beaumont defendants had argued that venue was improper in the Southern District of Texas since the underlying conduct occurred in Beaumont, which falls within the Eastern District. After ordering parties to submit information about defendants' residency, Judge Ellison found that no defendants resided in the Southern District, with most residing in the Eastern District and Holmes apparently residing in New Mexico.
The transfer to the Eastern District's Beaumont Division affects all defendants except West, whose claims were dismissed entirely. Williams' remaining federal civil rights claims under Section 1983 and state law emotional distress claims against the city defendants and other parties will continue in the Eastern District, where the underlying events occurred.