What must a plaintiff prove in order to prevail in a Section 1983 lawsuit?

• A. Duty, breach, injury, proximate cause
• B. State action causation injury, and criminal intent
• C. State action, violation, causation
• D. Duty, breach, date, and time of incident

Answer: (C)

Section 1983 claims require three things: the action must be taken under color of state law (state action), the plaintiff must have been deprived of a federally protected right (a violation), and there must be a causal link between that action and the deprivation (causation). This combination captures the civil rights focus: government-backed conduct that harms someone’s federal rights.

The other options mix in elements from tort law such as duty, breach, or proximate cause, or introduce timing or criminal intent, which aren’t the core requirements of a Section 1983 claim.