The government answers to the people. We make sure of it.

Civil rights cases are different. They are not about money first. They are about accountability for institutions and individuals who violated rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Constitution of West Virginia. The harm is often physical. It is also dignitary, civic, and lasting. Most law firms will not take these cases. The defenses are robust, the procedural hurdles are real, and the defendants are well-funded by taxpayers and indemnification policies. We take them anyway, because someone has to.

Our civil rights practice covers the full range of constitutional violations by state and local government actors. That includes excessive force by police, including beatings, unjustified taser deployments, K-9 attacks, and shootings. It includes wrongful arrest and detention without probable cause, malicious prosecution built on fabricated evidence, and unlawful searches of homes, vehicles, and persons that violate the Fourth Amendment. It includes First Amendment retaliation, where citizens have been arrested or punished for recording police, attending public meetings, or speaking critically of government officials. And it includes municipal liability under Monell, where a city, county, or sheriff's office has a policy, custom, or pattern of failing to train or supervise officers who go on to violate civil rights.

Common situations our clients face are often more familiar than people would like to admit. A traffic stop escalates without justification. A consent to search was never actually given. A no-knock warrant is executed at the wrong address. An officer with prior complaints is back on the street with no meaningful retraining. A jail medical request is ignored until the person becomes seriously ill. A protester is arrested for content rather than conduct. The harm in these cases is real, but so is the disbelief that often follows. We listen, we investigate, and where the facts and law support a claim, we file it.

We approach civil rights work the way we approach trial work generally: with preparation, focus, and the understanding that the only people who consistently change behavior in large institutions are the ones willing to make them defend it in front of a jury. Section 1983 litigation is procedurally and legally complex. Qualified immunity, Monell liability, exhaustion requirements under the Prison Litigation Reform Act, and the evolving case law of the Fourth Circuit all shape what a case looks like and how it is tried. We have handled these issues in the United States District Courts for the Southern and Northern Districts of West Virginia, and we stay current on the doctrines that determine whether claims survive dispositive motions.

Most firms will not take these cases because they are hard, slow, and expensive to prosecute. We take them because they matter and because, when prepared properly, they produce both compensation for clients and meaningful institutional change. Our preparation reaches well beyond the obvious documents. We pursue body camera footage, dispatch logs, internal affairs records, training manuals, prior complaint history, and communications between officers and supervisors. The strongest civil rights cases are often built on what the defendant institution would prefer to keep internal.

What you can expect from us is honest counsel, including in the hard direction. We will tell you whether the facts support a viable claim, what the qualified immunity exposure looks like, and what a realistic recovery range may be. Where we can take the case, we will explain the federal civil rights fee statute, which can shift attorney fees to the defendant on a successful claim and makes meritorious litigation economically viable even when damages are modest in absolute terms.

What We Handle

• Excessive force by police, including beatings, taser misuse, K-9 attacks, and officer-involved shootings.
• Wrongful arrest, detention without probable cause, and malicious prosecution claims.
• Unlawful searches and seizures of homes, vehicles, and persons in violation of the Fourth Amendment.
• First Amendment retaliation, including arrests for protected speech, recording police, or attending public meetings.
• Municipal liability under Monell for failures of policy, custom, training, and supervision.
• Jail and prison conditions claims, including denial of medical care and excessive force in custody.
• Due process and equal protection violations by public officials and government agencies.
• Retaliation against public employees and whistleblowers for reporting misconduct.

“Body camera footage was missing from the initial production. We found it. Everything changed after that.”

What to Expect

1. 01

   Confidential intake and case evaluation

   We meet with you, gather the facts, and identify the constitutional rights at issue. We are direct about what the case looks like under current Fourth Circuit law, including qualified immunity exposure.

2. 02

   Records and footage acquisition

   We move immediately to obtain body camera and dashboard camera footage, dispatch recordings, incident reports, internal affairs files, and training records. Time matters because retention policies are short.

3. 03

   Federal court filing and discovery

   Most claims are filed in the United States District Court for the Southern or Northern District of West Virginia. We handle discovery aggressively, including depositions of officers, supervisors, and policy makers.

4. 04

   Trial or settlement on accountable terms

   We prepare for trial in every case. Where settlement is possible on terms that include real accountability, we negotiate. Where it is not, we try the case to a jury.

Frequently Asked Questions