Police Misconduct
This is an incredibly challenging area of law, which requires specialized legal knowledge. Over the years, conservative courts have made police misconduct cases even more difficult: police officers are entitled to assert “qualified immunity” as a defense; government defendants are entitled to an “interlocutory appeal” before trial; governmental agencies are not necessarily liable for the wrongdoing of their employees, as private businesses usually are. GHPC attorneys have extensive experience in this area of practice and have been highly successful in navigating these legal barriers.
We have presented summaries of just a few of our police misconduct cases below:
State Created Danger Case
In April 2013, we filed a civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Shelly’s mom against Oakland County, the City of Madison Heights, and two individual police officers. The lawsuit alleges that the officers created the risk that Shelly would be injured by disclosing her identity to her eventual killer (the legal theory is called “state created danger”). In early 2015, the claims against Madison Heights and one officer were resolved. U.S. District Court Judge Judith Levy denied the Defendant police officer’s motion for summary judgment, finding that the a reasonable jury could conclude that the NET officer violated Shelly’s right to due process and that the right was clearly established under similar circumstances. The Court also denied summary to Oakland County because the County failed to properly train its officers to protect the identities of informants. The Defendant’s motion for reconsideration was denied by the district court, and the case is currently on appeal in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati. Read the district court’s opinion here: Nelson O & O denying Defs’ MSJ 10-29-15
False Arrest Case – 1
–National Press Photographers Association article, “Photographers Settle Arrest Lawsuit With Toledo Police.”
–Press Release regarding this case 6/2/10 (pdf)
False Arrest Case – 2
Malicious Prosecution & Wrongful Conviction Case – 1
Malicious Prosecution & Wrongful Conviction Case – 2
– Lawyer’s Weekly article, “Trumped: Officers’ influence can lead to malicious prosecution claim“
Excessive Force/Police Brutality Case – 1
-NLG newsletter, In The Struggle, article “Ypsilanti Family Settles Lawsuit with Washtenaw County: Legal Triumph Following Family Tragedy.” – April 2010
Excessive Force/Police Brutality Case – 2
Other Unreasonable Searches & Seizures Case – 1
The City of Detroit amended its ordinance and a federal judge held that the police actions violated the Fourth Amendment. The case was featured on HBO’s Last Week Tonight (see 7:40-8:40) and eventually settled.
–ACLU of Michigan Press Release – 2/18/10
Other Unreasonable Searches & Seizures Case – 2
Discrimination & Equal Protection Case
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See our contact info below for more information about our firm and our practice areas and let us start working on your case.
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1394 E Jefferson Ave
Detroit, MI 48207
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(313) 567-6170
(313) 251-6068 (Fax) mail@goodmanhurwitz.com
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