DARELL DEON CHANCELLOR v. STEPHEN GEELHOOD; CITY OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN - Articles

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DARELL DEON CHANCELLOR v. STEPHEN GEELHOOD; CITY OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Feb 25, 2026

Court: 6th Circuit Court (Published Opinions)

Attorneys 1: ARGUED: Christopher P. Desmond, VEN JOHNSON LAW, PLC, Detroit, Michigan, for Appellant.

Attorneys 2: ARGUED: Josephine A. DeLorenzo, PLUNKETT COONEY, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, for Appellees.

Attorneys 3: ON BRIEF: Christopher P. Desmond, VEN JOHNSON LAW, PLC, Detroit, Michigan, for Appellant.

Attorneys 4: ON BRIEF: Mary Massaron, PLUNKETT COONEY, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, for Appellees.

Judge(s): SUTTON, Chief Judge; STRANCH and LARSEN, Circuit Judges

Court Appealed: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan at Detroit

LARSEN, Circuit Judge. In 2011, Officer Stephen Geelhood sought a search warrant to investigate narcotics sales from a home in Detroit. After a magistrate judge granted the warrant, Geelhood and a group of other officers searched the home of Janet Chancellor. There, they found over 500 grams of cocaine. Based on this and other findings, Janet’s son, Darell Chancellor, was arrested, prosecuted, and eventually sentenced to fourteen years and three months in prison for possession of illegal narcotics. Seven years later, the local prosecutor’s office vacated his conviction via a stipulated order. Chancellor then sued in federal court, alleging that Geelhood violated his state and federal rights. The district court granted summary judgment to Geelhood. Chancellor now appeals. We AFFIRM.

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