Parties agree to settle and dismiss case re immunity for prosecutorial misconduct pending before Supreme Court

As I had reported previously (here and here), last November the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case called Pottawattamie County, Iowa v. Harrington, which deals with whether prosecutors should be granted absolute immunity for their conduct in the process of investigating (rather than prosecuting) a case. I was eagerly awaiting the decision in this case since it deals with issues I cover in the two courses I teach (torts and professional responsibility). However, it has just been announced that there will be no opinion forthcoming because the parties have agreed to dismiss the case. The county has agreed to pay $12 million to the plaintiffs. The press release from the respondent’s counsel describing the settlement is available here. For a comment on a similar case out of the Second Circuit go here. Thanks to the Legal Ethics Forum for the information.