Civil Rights Litigation

Salmon, Ricchezza, Singer & Turchi attorneys have been counseling and defending public entities in  a wide array of civil rights matters.

We have successfully defended governmental liability and civil rights claims for counties, cities, townships and public agencies brought against public officials, public employees, police departments and personnel, prosecutor’s offices, public utilities, correctional facilities and staff members, school districts, education professionals, and Children’s Homes among others.   Salmon, Ricchezza, Singer & Turchi lawyers have also worked with insurance carriers, self-insured municipalities and joint self-insurance pools in these matters.

Our civil rights capabilities include claims arising out of Sections 1981, 1983 and 1985 of corresponding civil rights acts; the First, Fourth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments; false arrest, false imprisonment and excessive force; cruel and unusual punishment; procedural and substantive due process; equal protection; discrimination; disabilities; municipal policies, training and supervision; and a range of other civil rights issues.   We have achieved dismissal via voluntary dismissals, motions to dismiss and summary judgment in numerous cases.  We recognize that while some claims should be aggressively defended through dismissal or trial, we also recognize and identify early those problematic cases in which settlement should be considered, and target them for a cost-effective, creative and reasonable resolution.