Protecting civil rights is an essential part of the democratic values of the United States. Everyone realizes that interfering with another’s civil rights is a violation that creates an action for injury, but before you can protect your civil rights, you must recognize and know what they are. However, articulating an exact definition of civil rights can be difficult to pinpoint because it is a very broad set of laws. Civil rights are an expansive and significant set of rights that are designed to protect individuals from unfair treatment; they are the rights of individuals to receive equal treatment (and to be free from unfair treatment or discrimination) in a number of settings — including education, employment, housing, public accommodations, and more — and based on certain legally-protected characteristics.
Van Siclen Stocks Firkins has handled many civil rights cases over the years, including cases for depriving foster children of their civil rights, cases involving wrongful incarcerations, and wrongful arrests. Many of these cases have involved significant media coverage, and our work has resulted in police accountability for their misdeeds. Our investigations have also revealed government misconduct with respect to wrongfully withholding discovery.
In one case in particular, Burgess v. the City of Lakewood, we obtained a confidential settlement for our client as a result of a wrongful arrest based on racial profiling. We subsequently learned that the City had improperly withheld documents, and we successfully reopened the case in federal court and obtained yet another settlement for our client. If you feel like you may be the victim of a civil rights violation, please contact us as you need aggressive representation. Your first question is always free and we’ll help you evaluate your situation to determine your best course of action.