Bronx Civil Rights Attorneys

Dedicated Lawyers Serving Bronx Residents Subjected to Police Misconduct

Excessive force by the police against civilians is unacceptable. At Phillips & Associates, our attorneys take civil rights violations in the Bronx and elsewhere in New York City seriously. We try to help our clients hold the police and other public officials accountable.

Pursuing Compensation for Violations

If you have been the victim of police brutality and excessive force, you can fight back. Police brutality is UNACCEPTABLE. Even where there is probable cause for your arrest, or where you have been convicted of a crime, the police are only permitted to use as much force as reasonably necessary under the circumstances. Any more force than is necessary is considered excessive, and officers must be held accountable for those actions. Overly tight handcuffs or pressure applied to the neck and back can also constitute excessive force.

Excessive force is a civil rights violation. The force used by a police officer must be reasonably related to the quality and force of a suspect's resistance or threat against him or her. It may also be appropriate to bring common law claims such as assault and battery. Under the common law theory of vicarious liability, you can sue a municipality for its employee's intentional or reckless wrongdoing. It may be appropriate to sue not only an individual police officer who used excessive force, but also any police officer who could have intervened to protect you.

Officers who fail to intervene when witnessing another officer's use of excessive force may be held liable for the resulting injuries or death. You would need to show that the officer who failed to intervene had a realistic opportunity to intervene, and that his or her failure to intervene allowed another officer to violate your clearly established rights. The circumstances must have been such that it would have been objectively unreasonable for an officer to believe there was no civil rights violation.

When a police officer's excessive force results in a wrongful death, the decedent's family may bring a civil suit and sue all responsible parties. As a family member bringing a wrongful death suit, you may be able to recover medical bills, loss of consortium, conscious pain and suffering, and in some instances, punitive damages. It is important to consult an attorney right away to avoid losing any of your potential grounds for recovery.

Contact a Knowledgeable Civil Rights Attorney in the Bronx

The team at Phillips and Associates are ready, willing and able to get you justice in federal or state court. If you have experienced police misconduct in Brooklyn, the experienced trial lawyers at Phillips & Associates may be able to help you seek compensation. Call us at (866) 229-9441 or contact us through our online form.