MONROE — The family of a man killed at the Monroe Correctional Complex last year has filed a federal lawsuit alleging officers at the prison failed to protect him from a fellow inmate spiraling out of control. Under federal rules, the complaint does not name the state Department of Corrections as a defendant. Instead, it […]
One of the most frequently misunderstood issues in excessive force cases against the police relates to the defense of “qualified immunity.” What is qualified immunity and how can it be overcome? The doctrine of qualified immunity is frequently raised as a defense in cases asserting that the police acted unconstitutionally. Defense attorneys will almost always […]
When pursuing a case for wrongful death in jail, it is important to consider which entities bear potential responsibility for the death. Responsible parties can include the municipality (such as the city or county) that runs the jail, as well as individuals who may have had responsibility for the health, safety and welfare of the […]
When a person dies in police custody, or in jail or prison, one of the most important questions concerns why and how the death occurred. Winning a wrongful death case against a jail, prison or police agency requires more than proving that the jail, prison or police violated the law. It must also be proven […]
One of the main jobs of a police brutality attorney is to ferret out information from the defense. Before a lawsuit is filed with the court, this can be difficult to do. Police officers, their supervisors, and their attorneys are most often tight-lipped about the facts. Rarely will police brutality victims and/or their families be […]
Excessive police force violates the United States Constitution. When a police officer uses excessive force against a citizen, he or she can be held liable for the resulting damages under a federal law called 42 U.S.C. Section 1983. Some people, including many lawyers, assume that if a police officer uses excessive force, then his or […]
Jail death attorneys, Budge & Heipt, have filed a $10 million claim against the King County Jail in Seattle for the wrongful death of a pretrial detainee. The detainee, Nathan Zambryski, died at the jail in May 2015 from complications relating to alcohol withdrawal. Budge & Heipt, the lawyers for the estate of Mr. Zambryski, […]
When an attorney or lawyer reviews a potential police brutality or jail abuse case for the first time, one of the most important questions that needs to examined at the beginning is this: when does the statute of limitations expire? The statute of limitations is critical to know, because it sets the maximum time after […]
Searching for a lawyer or attorney to handle a wrongful death claim against a jail or police department can be a challenging process. One unfortunate reality is this: attorneys who work on a contingency basis on wrongful death claims must generally be convinced that a case is valuable enough to pursue before they will agree […]
Finding the best police misconduct attorneys and lawyers for your case can be a difficult process. In our experience, potential clients tend to have similar questions when trying to find the best attorney or lawyer for their police misconduct case. Q: How much experience does Budge & Heipt have in representing victims of police misconduct? […]
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.