Civil Rights and Equal Protection

Treating similarly situated people similarly is an important concept underlying our notions of fundamental fairness. When people are treated differently because of their race/ethnicity, gender, or disability fairness is implicated. The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, along with an array of federal and state civil rights statutes, prohibits discrimination. The harms that result may be actionable. See also our extensive work in Rights of Children.

civil-rights-and-equal-protection

Ratliff v. Cohn State court lawsuit brought on behalf of 14 year-old girl at Indiana Women's Prison challenging her incarceration with adult offenders on both state and federal constitutional grounds. The trial court’s dismissal of the case was revised on appeal by the Indiana Supreme Court on federal constitutional grounds, prompting the ultimate settlement that resulted in her removal from an adult correctional facility in 1998.

Estate of Ross v. Town of Gaston Wrongful death lawsuit brought in state court on behalf of woman with two young children against Town Marshal for his actions in a domestic violence situation where an estranged husband stalked and terrorized the mother over a three-month period that culminated with her death. This landmark case is used to train law enforcement officers on how to respond to domestic violence. Jury verdict for our clients in 1999.

Twyman v. Burton and Mears Federal lawsuit alleging police officers sexually harassed a female confidential informant and made false promises to help her with court matters in exchange for her cooperation on cases. Case settled on her behalf in 2011.

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In considering the results described above, please be aware that each legal matter is unique. You should not rely on prior results to predict the merit or future success of similar matters.