Category Archives: Civil Rights
Warriors for Civil Rights: Alumni Tackle Police and Prison Brutality
In January 2020, a Prince George’s County police officer shot and killed William Green… Read More »
NorthShore Health Pays $10.3 Million to Settle COVID-19 Vaccine Lawsuit Over Religious Exemptions
The Northshore University Health System in Chicago has agreed to pay $10.3 million to settle claims brought by employees who were fired after refusing to get Covid-19 vaccines for religious reasons. The employees filed suit last year after NorthShore implemented a Covid-19 vaccine mandate (“jab or job”) but refused to offer a religious exemption…. Read More »
Chicago and New York Pay a Combined $21.25 Million for Two Wrongful Murder Convictions
1996 Staten Island Murder New York City has agreed to pay $7 million to a man who spent 23 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. Grant Williams was exonerated last summer in a 1996 shooting death in Staten Island. Williams, a father of three, has maintained his innocence since his… Read More »
Nebraska Pays $479,000 to Settle Prisoner Death Lawsuit
Nebraska has agreed to pay $479,000 to the family of Terry Berry Jr., a 22-year-old prisoner who was strangled to death in 2017 by another prisoner. Berry was preparing for parole on a forgery conviction when he was killed. The assailant was already serving a life sentence for killing a 75-year-old man and dumping… Read More »
3rd Whistleblower Accuses L.A. Sheriff of Excessive Force Cover-Up
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva covered up an excessive force incident where Deputy Douglas Johnson knelt on the head of a handcuffed prisoner for several minutes. Security video captured the incident and showed Johnson and two other deputies wrestle the prisoner to the ground. The deputies handcuffed the prisoner behind his back and… Read More »
Connecticut Pays $9 Million for Abuse of Mentally Ill Patient by Hospital Workers
The Connecticut Legislature has approved a $9 million settlement to William Shehadi, a 62 year-old mentally ill patient who was abused at Whiting Forensic Hospital in 2017 in a scandal that led to the dismissal of more than 35 state employees. Shehadi was abused for 24 days in the spring of 2017 at the… Read More »
Iowa County Pays $3.5 Million Settlement for Prisoner Death Following Seizure
Today, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa agreed to pay $3.5 million to the family of Ricky Christianson, a 59-year-old man who died at a county jail after suffering a seizure. Police arrested Christianson for a parole violation, but failed to bring his anti-seizure medication to the jail. Christianson told the officers during booking that he… Read More »
King County, WA to Pay $3 Million for Prisoner Beating
Excessive Force Settlement King County, Washington will pay $3 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a prisoner who sustained serious and permanent injuries after he was beaten by another prisoner. The prison guards knew, and ignored that the assailant was dangerous, psychotic, and had a history of attacking people. The assailant had just… Read More »
A Good Day for Justice
Today is a good day for justice. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ensured that there will be consequences for those who violated my client’s constitutional rights. Rarely do we hear about the atrocities that occur inside of the prisons, and even more rarely do we see federal juries and federal courts of appeals… Read More »