Safeguarding The Civil Rights Of Ohio Residents
The government cannot deprive you of your life, liberty or property without due process of law. Police and other government officials must respect your civil rights in every encounter. In some instances, though, the police or other government officials go beyond what is legal. The result is a violation of your civil rights and in some instances, a wrongful conviction followed by decades spent in prison. If that happens, the civil rights attorneys at Rittgers Rittgers & Nakajima can help.
Remedies For Civil Rights Violations
Any interaction with a government official could lead to a civil rights violation. Individual police and corrections officers may overstep their authority and engage in unlawful and harmful conduct. In some cases, entire police or sheriff’s departments engage in systematic civil rights violation which result in wrongful convictions. There is perhaps no greater injustice than to be incarcerated for a crime you did not commit.
In any situation involving a violation of your civil rights, especially a wrongful conviction, Rittgers Rittgers & Nakajima attorneys are ready to hold authorities accountable. We have decades of experience fighting against abusive police departments, sheriff’s departments, jails and prisons. We know what it takes to win and have great relationships with renowned expert witnesses and investigators, so no aspect of your case is short-changed or neglected.
Importantly, unlike many firms, we are not afraid to take these cases to trial in order to secure the compensation and recognition our clients deserve. Insurance companies, government risk pools, and defense lawyers who represent them know what law firms are willing to go to jury trials. Rittgers Rittgers & Nakajima is one of them, and as a result we have been able to secure millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for victims. Here are just a few of our results:
- Estate of Samuel Dubose v. Raymond Tensing, et al: $4,850,000. Represented the Administrator of the Estate of an African American motorist who was gunned down by a white police officer during a routine traffic stop. The traffic stop was initiated by the officer because Mr. Dubose was missing a front license plate, which in Ohio carried only a $100 fine. Within seconds of encountering Mr. Dubose, the officer shot him after violating several police policies, including reaching into the vehicle to try and take Mr. Dubose’s keys. The case received tremendous local and national media attention. Our attorneys helped to secure a $4,850,000 settlement on behalf of Mr. Dubose’s 13 children, parents, and siblings and was the primary advocate for how the settlement proceeds would be divided amongst the beneficiaries. The Hamilton County Probate Court adopted nearly all of the recommendations made by Rittgers Rittgers & Nakajima on behalf of the family.
- Mary Pritchard v. Jeff Braley, et al: $400,000. Represented a family who had their home illegally raided by police in violation of the 4th Amendment. Following a five-day federal jury trial, the defense agreed to settle the case for $400,000.
- Kevin Gray v. Jasen Hatfield, et al: $150,000. Settlement of claims against police officer who arrested and charged client without any probable cause that he committed a crime or even a traffic stop. Client was acquitted of all criminal charges brought against officer and officer and police department settled claims shortly before case scheduled to go to trial.
- Estate of Corey McGinnis v. North College Hill, et al: $650,000. Represented the family of a man killed by police when they improperly tased him in the chest while at a local park with his children. In addition to the monetary settlement, our attorneys, along with their co-counsel, were able to secure significant nonmonetary terms of settlement to ensure that this type of tragedy never happened again. These included: 1) amending the City’s taser policy to reflect the manufacturer’s preferred target zone; 2) grading officer examinations taken during taser training, and 3) conducting competent use of force investigations following taser deployments.
Our Civil Rights Practice
Our civil rights attorneys counsel and represent people in the following types of civil rights cases:
- Wrongful convictions
- Unjustified police shootings
- Wrongful death
- Unjustified use of Tasers by police
- Excessive use of force by police
- Excessive use of force by jail or prison officials
- Police brutality
- Illegal searches and seizures
- Unlawful arrest
- Failure to provide proper medical treatment to jail or prison inmates
- Failure to prevent assaults by other inmates
- False arrest
If you or someone you love has had his or her civil rights violated, call us at 513-496-0134 or contact us online to schedule an initial consultation with our civil rights attorneys. We can help you get the financial compensation you deserve. Additionally, our civil rights attorneys are ready to work with you to make sure that these types of incidents never happen again.