Fighting for justice

The Nation’s Premier Law Firm for Wrongful Death in Jail

Our Mission — Accountability:

Our mission at Budge & Heipt is to hold jails, prisons, police, and private correctional companies legally accountable for constitutional violations that cause wrongful death or serious injury.

  • $26.75 Million

    Jury Verdict: Jail death case against correctional healthcare company

  • $9.8 Million

    Jury Verdict: Wrongful death and injury case

  • $8 Million

    Jury Verdict: Excessive force by police

  • $7.25 Million

    Settlement: Jail death case involving mentally ill inmate in county jail

  • $7 Million

    Settlement: Jail death case involving privately-run jail

  • $6.75 Million

    Settlement: Jail death case against county and correctional healthcare company

  • $6.4 Million

    Settlement: Traumatic brain injury case

  • $6 Milllion

    Settlement: Jail death case against correctional healthcare company and county

  • $5.7 Million

    Settlement: Jail death case against correctional healthcare company and county

  • $5.5 Million

    Settlement: Excessive force by police (non-fatal shooting)

  • $5 Million

    Jury verdict: Punitive damages in civil rights case

  • $4.25 Million

    Settlement: Jail death case against correctional healthcare company

  • $3.75 Million

    Settlement: Wrongful death case against state prison system

  • $3.7 Million

    Settlement: Wrongful death of Jail Inmate

  • $3.7 Million

    Settlement: Brain damage case against government agency

  • $3 Million

    Jury trial / mid-trial settlement: Prison death case

  • $2.9 Million

    Settlement: Wrongful death of jail inmate

  • $2.7 Million

    Settlement: Wrongful death case

  • $2.3 Million

    Settlement: Death of jail inmate from excessive force

  • $2 Million

    Settlement: Wrongful death of jail inmate

  • $1.75 Million

    Settlement: Police shooting of mentally ill person

  • $1.75 Million

    Settlement: Excessive force by police against mentally ill man

  • $1.6 Million

    Settlement: Jail death and excessive force by police

  • $1.5 Million

    Settlement: Prison death case

  • $1.25 Million

    Settlement: Non-fatal police shooting case

  • $1.2 Million

    Settlement: Civil rights case involving excessive police force

  • $1.1 Million

    Settlement: Jail death case

  • $1 Million

    Post-Jury Trial Settlement: Civil rights case against city police

  • $1 Million

    Settlement: Excessive force case involving shooting by county officer

  • $1 Million

    Settlement: Ethnic and religious targeting case

  • $1 Million

    Jury Verdict: Civil rights case

Ed Budge

ATTORNEY/PARTNER

A highly skilled trial attorney with more than 28 years of litigation experience, Ed fights for families. Known for his courtroom skill, he has won some of the highest verdicts and settlements in the country for victims of jail/prison abuse and police brutality.

 

Erik J. Heipt

ATTORNEY/PARTNER

A veteran courtroom litigator with nearly three decades of trial experience and a passion for civil rights, Erik has won many multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements in high-profile police brutality and jail/prison misconduct cases.

In The News

Due to the important nature of the jail and police cases we handle at Budge & Heipt, our cases are frequently featured in the news.

Read all news

  • The Washington Post has reported on a $7.25 million settlement achieved by the law

    December 19, 2023

    Read more

  • Budge & Heipt has obtained a $7 million settlement for the death of a

    May 1, 2023

    Read more

  • The Guardian is reporting on a federal lawsuit being handled by Budge & Heipt,

    April 17, 2023

    Read more

  • CNN is reporting on a jail death case being handled by Budge & Heipt.

    April 17, 2023

    Read more

  • The Washington Post is reporting on a lawsuit filed in federal court for the

    January 14, 2023

    Read more

  • A lawsuit filed by Budge & Heipt for the death of Larry Price in

    January 14, 2023

    Read more

  • Budge & Heipt has achieved an historic jury verdict in the amount of $26.75

    July 20, 2022

    Read more

  • The Seattle Times has reported on a $3.75 million settlement obtained by Budge &

    February 23, 2022

    Read more

  • The Seattle Times is reporting on a $3 million settlement obtained by Budge &

    December 1, 2021

    Read more

  • The New York Times has published an article concerning a $6.75 million settlement arising

    June 12, 2019

    Read more

"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses ⎯ behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."

– Muhammad Ali –

If you or a loved one has been a victim of serious injury and/or death at the hands of police or in jail or prison, tell us about your case.

We are trial lawyers. Our philosophy is simple: We put our heart and soul into every case we take, and we do everything in our power to achieve the best possible result for our clients.

What sets us apart from other civil rights attorneys is the small number of cases we accept and our willingness to go all the way to trial. We will never allow ourselves to be overburdened by a large caseload. We purposefully take only a few select cases each year, so that every client receives the proper respect and personal attention that he or she deserves.

We handle civil rights cases involving catastrophic personal injuries and wrongful death. We focus on cases involving egregious instances of jail or prison abuse or neglect resulting in death or serious injury. We also take select police misconduct cases involving police brutality, excessive force, and in-custody deaths.

Budge & Heipt has the skills and resources to go toe-to-toe with anyone. Time and again, we have successfully taken on the government, the police, public and private jails, state prisons, and large correctional corporations.

Budge & Heipt is based in Seattle, but we take federal civil rights cases around the country. We have handled cases in the federal district courts of Washington, Alaska, Oregon, Hawaii, Nevada, Colorado, Texas, Ohio, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Arkansas, Arizona and Indiana, and we routinely review cases in other states as well.

Our track record speaks for itself. Since the firm was founded in 1998, we have obtained a total of more than $130 million in jury verdicts and settlements, including some of the largest verdicts and settlements in the United States for victims of civil rights violations. We have achieved record-setting results for jail wrongful death and excessive force cases in several jurisdictions, including Washington, Texas, Wisconsin, Oregon, Arkansas and Indiana. Our litigation success is directly related to hard work and a passion for what we do.

If your civil rights have been violated or if you would like to discuss a case involving significant injuries or the death of a loved one, we are interested in speaking with you.

Please contact our law office for a free consultation.