SPRINGFIELD — A “novel legal question” in an excessive force lawsuit against the Springfield Police Department has become moot, after an appellate judge said it doesn’t apply to the case.

Over a year ago, Springfield police officers accused of excessive force in a federal lawsuit filed by a city woman requested a stay in legal proceedings so that an appellate judge could answer whether a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1994 would bar the plaintiff’s claim from moving forward.

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