Civil Rights

In New York State and elsewhere, the law places limits on the level of force that the police may use in their jobs. When they use a level of force that exceeds reasonable limits, they risk violating someone’s civil rights. In New York City, a victim who suffers injuries at the hands of the police can sue the NYPD for …

For decades, Qualified Immunity has been a federal doctrine that frequently shielded police officers from any repercussions in excessive force cases, often leaving victims who suffered at the hands of the police with no opportunity to seek justice through the courts. While the federal doctrine of Qualified Immunity remains in place, civil rights advocates recently scored a major victory locally …

Police officers, like all law enforcement authorities, are legally and duty-bound to treat all persons equally and not to discriminate due to a person’s race, gender, sexual orientation, or other distinguishing characteristics. The New York civil rights attorneys at Manhattan’s Friedman, Levy, Goldfarb, Green & Bagley, P.C. are dedicated to exposing NYPD discrimination and holding law enforcement officers accountable for …

Police officers are charged with protecting the safety and upholding the rights of individuals. Many officers are ethical professionals who carry out their mission to the best of their abilities. Yet, all too often, people suffer the violation of their civil rights at the hands of law enforcement personnel. It’s important for everyone to be aware of their civil rights …

In 2016, 166 wrongfully convicted individuals were exonerated in the United States. According to the National Registry of Exonerations, this figure represents the highest number of exonerees in more than three decades of record-keeping. The causes of wrongful convictions in New York State have been thoroughly documented by the Innocence Project, which recently found that New York outpaces nearly every other …

U.S. laws protect citizens from unjust discrimination based on race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin, religion, and disability. Civil rights include the right to free speech, religion, and assembly, as well as the right to petition the government, the right to procedural due process, the right to innocence until proven guilty, and the right to remain silent. People …

If you have suffered harm at the hands of overzealous law enforcement authorities, you may have a right to sue those authorities to recover compensation for your personal injuries. If you believe that your civil rights have been violated , your best course of action will be to retain a knowledgeable and experienced civil rights lawyer who has a thorough …

Thirty years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the use of force by police officers must be “objectively reasonable”, meaning that an officer’s actions must be reviewed from the perspective of a hypothetical “reasonable officer” on the scene. The objective reasonableness of an officer’s actions is a function of the severity of the crime, the immediate threat posed by …

Police officers in New York City occasionally need to use reasonable force to protect themselves and the public. Where problems arise is when that force is not reasonable, but is instead excessive. Excessive force amounts to police brutality, and is not just a civil liability issue but also a violation of constitutional rights. So when is use of force by …