Practice Areas
Most people are familiar with the recent high-profile excessive force incidents including the use of deadly force against people of color. These news-making cases have involved police shootings, use of deadly chokeholds, non-lethal excessive force cases resulting in serious injury, and other cases. Our attorneys firmly believe that while the police officers have a difficult job, that does not excuse police misconduct or use of excessive force.
Civil Rights Cases We Handle
- Excessive Force (Officer-Involved Shootings, Chokeholds, etc.)
- False Arrest
- Violation of 4th Amendment
- Wrongful Conviction
- Sexual Assault by a Police Officer
Excessive Force Cases
It is critical that you hire an attorney to represent you in an excessive force case. There are many obstacles in pursuing an excessive force case against a police agency including short and strict deadlines, qualified immunity protections for the officers, and a natural inclination of jurors to believe police officers over arrestees or detainees. Once retained, our attorneys will thoroughly examine your case by obtaining any available police reports, bodycam footage, patrol car footage, cell phone videos, 911 calls, audio recordings and other evidence, and viewing the stories of the the police officers in light or our client’s contentions and the available evidence. We will then formulate a plan to win your case and get you the justice you deserve.
If you or a loved one may have been the victim of excessive force by the police, do not hesitate to contact us. We offer a free 30-minute consultation (remote/telephonic given COVID-19) . We look forward to speaking with you.
What is Qualified Immunity?
You may have heard the term “Qualified Immunity” used in the context of lawsuits involving officer-involved shootings. Qualified Immunity is a legal doctrine that limits lawsuits against the police by allowing courts to dismiss certain civil lawsuits against police officers at an early stage.
The current version of Qualified Immunity was developed by the United States Supreme Court in the case of Harlow v. Fitzgerald (1982) 457 U.S. 800, and provides broad protections from civil lawsuits to police officers accused of excessive force. Specifically, the Court held that “government officials performing discretionary functions, generally are shielded from liability for civil damages insofar as their conduct does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known.” (Id. at p. 818.)
The doctrine presents a formidable barrier to excessive force cases, requiring skilled advocacy in order to successfully vindicate your civil rights. As part of our free 30-minute consultation, we can answer any questions you may have about qualified immunity and how it could impact your ability to bring a successful civil lawsuit.
**Please note that until you have a signed retainer with our firm, you remain fully responsible for all deadlines on your case, including any statutes of limitation and any deadlines to present a tort claim to a government entity.
