Civil Rights Litigation

We Defend Government Entities in Civil Rights Litigation

Civil rights lawsuits against government entities are becoming increasingly common. Regardless of their merit, these lawsuits can present substantial risks—not only from a liability perspective but also from the perspective of harming government entities’ public reputation and trust. As a result, a prompt and effective response is critical, and government entities targeted in these lawsuits must be prepared to go to trial to protect taxpayers’ interests when necessary.

When representing government entities in civil rights litigation, we consider the varying (and at times competing) interests involved. While government entities need to protect their budgets, they also need to avoid setting precedents that will invite similar lawsuits in the future. While they need to preserve public trust by disproving false allegations, they must also avoid appearing insensitive to legitimate concerns about police misconduct, power abuses, and other similar issues.

A Strategic and Forward-Thinking Approach to Civil Rights Litigation Defense

As with all types of litigation, when representing government entities in civil rights litigation, we work closely with our clients’ key stakeholders to ensure that we address their legal and non-legal concerns. We also work with our clients’ key stakeholders to uncover the relevant facts, evaluate the validity of plaintiffs’ claims, and help them make informed decisions about case strategy. While our practice focuses primarily on trial litigation, we negotiate settlements when it is in our clients’ best interests to do so, and our ultimate focus is on ensuring that we obtain the best possible result for our client in light of all relevant facts and circumstances.

We handle all types of civil rights litigation as defense counsel for government entities. This includes (but is not limited to) litigation involving claims such as:

• Constitutional violations
• Discrimination
• Police excessive force and wrongful arrest
• Correctional-related lawsuits
• Sexual harassment

In all cases, we take a strategic and forward-thinking approach to civil rights litigation defense that focuses on protecting our government clients’ interests as fully and cost-effectively as possible. As civil litigation lawyers, we do not hesitate to go to trial when necessary. We have taken hundreds of cases to trial in courts across Florida. Throughout the country, and with a lineage that dates back to the 1920s, we have a hard-earned reputation as effective litigation counsel for government entities facing allegations. We also handle civil rights cases for government entities on appeal, and we have achieved dozens of favorable appellate rulings for our private and public clients. If your office, agency, or department faces any civil rights allegations, we encourage you to contact us for more information about our experience in this area.

Speak with a Civil Rights Litigation Attorney at O’Connor, Haftel & Angell, PLLC

To speak with an attorney in our Civil Rights Litigation Practice Group, please tell us how we can contact you online. We will schedule a time for you to meet one of our attorneys as soon as possible confidently.