Civil Rights Violations Lawyers in Baltimore
Have your civil rights been violated in Baltimore or elsewhere in Maryland? Perhaps you were the victim of police brutality or an unlawful search or seizure. Regardless of the specifics, we at Greenberg Law Offices are here to help you assert your rights under the law and demand compensation and accountability for what you’ve suffered.
Contact us today to speak with a Baltimore civil rights lawyer about your case during a free, no-obligation consultation.
Why You Should Hire a Baltimore Civil Rights Attorney
Unfortunately, victims of civil rights violations often find it exceedingly difficult to hold responsible parties accountable. Recovering the evidence that might prove a civil rights violation requires careful, intensive investigation. Furthermore, various legal doctrines can shield government officials from some civil rights claims. A Baltimore civil rights attorney from Greenberg Law Offices can help pierce the wall between those who should be held accountable for their actions and the justice that victims deserve for the harm they’ve suffered.
Since 1966, our three generations of lawyers have recovered money for clients who have suffered civil rights violations in Baltimore. We do so by:
- Thoroughly investigating your claims to obtain the evidence needed to hold at-fault parties accountable
- Evaluating your legal options for seeking relief, including determining what legal claims you may have
- Identifying liable parties and documenting your expenses and losses to ensure we pursue maximum relief for you
- Vigorously pursuing your goals and interests in your claims, even when that means going to court to hold parties accountable for violating your rights
What Do ‘Civil Rights’ Include?
“Civil rights” include legal protections guaranteed by state and federal constitutions and various civil rights statutes. Constitutional rights include the following:
- Freedom of speech
- Freedom to assemble
- Freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures (searches/seizures without probable cause)
- Right to procedural and substantive due process
- Freedom from cruel and unusual punishment
- Right to equal protection of the law
People who experience civil rights violations by government employees or officials acting under the color of law can hold those employees/officials accountable through a lawsuit filed under 42 U.S.C. §1983.
What Are Instances of Civil Rights Violation Cases?
A civil rights violation occurs when a person or organization violates an individual’s rights guaranteed by state or federal constitutional law or civil rights statutes. Types of civil rights violations our firm can help you seek relief and justice for include the following:
Discrimination occurs when a party takes adverse action against an individual based on that individual’s protected characteristics. The law prohibits discrimination based on characteristics such as race, color, national origin, religious beliefs, sex/gender, sexual orientation, and disability. Discrimination can occur in the criminal justice context when police arrest, prosecute, or otherwise mistreat individuals because of their protected characteristics. Discrimination can also occur in employment, education, and places of public accommodation (e.g., government offices, restaurants, hotels).
Police and governmental misconduct can occur whenever officers or prosecutors violate individuals’ civil rights in the criminal justice process. Examples of misconduct that can constitute civil rights violations include racial/religious profiling, concealing or destroying exculpatory evidence, planting fabricated evidence, or providing false testimony or official statements.
Officers may engage in police brutality when they use excessive force to subdue or detain individuals. For example, officers may deploy less-than-lethal or riot control devices against individuals who have not resisted or disregarded police commands. Excessive force may also occur when officers use lethal force against an unarmed suspect who has not demonstrated a threat to the officers or the public. Finally, police brutality can include intentional, malicious battery committed against detainees or suspects.
Physical and sexual assault can constitute a civil rights violation when it occurs in the employment, educational, or criminal justice context. For example, sexual assault in school or the workplace may constitute a violation of Title IX or VII, respectively. Physical or sexual abuse of detainees or prisoners by police may violate victims’ constitutional rights.
Wrongful imprisonment can occur when police and prosecutors arrest, detain, prosecute, and secure a conviction of an individual when the officers and prosecutors know or should know they lack probable cause to believe the individual committed a crime. For example, wrongful imprisonment can include situations where police and prosecutors knowingly withhold exculpatory information that could lead to an individual’s acquittal at trial or allow that individual to seek post-conviction relief.
A false arrest occurs when police officers detain or arrest an individual without reasonable suspicion or probable cause, respectively, to believe the individual has committed a crime. Police may falsely arrest someone based on a genuine suspicion or “hunch” that the person committed a crime, or police may engage in racial or other biased profiling when deciding whether to arrest a suspect.
The police may conduct an unlawful search and seizure when they search a suspect’s person, vehicle, container, or home without a warrant or probable cause to support a recognized warrantless search.
A wrongful conviction may occur when police and prosecutors commit various kinds of misconduct to obtain the conviction of an innocent person, such as fabricating evidence, providing false testimony, withholding exculpatory evidence, or intentionally seeking an unbalanced or biased jury.
What Compensation Could You Pursue in a Civil Rights Violation Lawsuit?
If your civil rights have been violated, you may have the right to financial compensation for certain losses you suffered as a result. Depending on the nature of the civil rights violation you experienced, your financial recovery can include money for:
- The cost of medical treatment and rehabilitation for physical injuries or medical conditions caused by civil rights violations such as police brutality or physical assault
- Lost wages/income or back pay when you cannot work or lose your job due to a civil rights violation
- Job search costs to find new employment after losing a job because of a civil rights violation
- Compensation for emotional trauma or distress
- Compensation for damage to your public or professional reputation
Is There a Time Limit for Filing a Civil Rights Violation Lawsuit?
Various deadlines apply for filing civil rights violations, depending on the context of the violations. For civil rights claims involving police brutality or misconduct brought under 42 U.S.C. §1983, the federal statute that allows people to file lawsuits for the deprivation of their civil rights, the limitations period will depend on the period applicable to the most relevant claim under state law. In most cases, §1983 claims use the personal injury limitations period, which gives claimants three years to file lawsuits. However, cases involving assault may have a limitations period as short as one year.
Because various time limits can apply to claims of civil rights violations, you can best protect your legal options by speaking with a civil rights attorney from Greenberg Law Offices as soon as possible after you believe someone has violated your rights to ensure you have time to file your claims before the applicable deadlines expire.
