General Civil Litigation

Section 1983, part of the Civil Rights Act, states that anyone who, under the color of state or local law, causes a person to be deprived of rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, or federal law, is liable to that person. To determine if your claim falls under section 1983, two issues must be proven: a person subjected the accuser to conduct that occurred under color of state or local law, and this conduct deprived the accuser of civil rights, liberties, and immunities guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution or federal law. The most common disputes today involve freedom of speech, search and seizure, police brutality, cruel and unusual punishment and due process violations.