Due to the important nature of the jail and police cases we handle at Budge & Heipt, our cases are frequently featured in the news. In addition, journalists and reporters often seek to interview Ed Budge and Erik Heipt about our views on civil rights violations, including wrongful death or catastrophic injury by police or in jail or prison. Please take some time to read about our firm and our attorneys in the news, and review our blog to learn more about our firm and issues surrounding the cases we take.
Washington’s Everett Herald is reporting on a recent victory by Budge & Heipt in a jail death case. Budge & Heipt has successfully beaten a defense claim of “qualified immunity” in a case arising from the death of a jail inmate. The defense of qualified immunity is often raised by the defense in jail death […]
October 27, 2016: CNN is reporting on a jail death case being handled by Budge & Heipt. The case arises from the tragic and preventable death of Michael Sabbie, a husband and father of four, while confined in a jail run by a private for-profit corporation. Video from the events captured Mr. Sabbie pleading for […]
National media icon, The Huffington Post, is reporting on a shocking jail death case being handled by the attorneys at Budge & Heipt. From The Huffington Post, October 5, 2016: ‘I Can’t Breathe’: Disturbing Video Shows Father Of Four Begging Guards For Help Before He Died In Jail Michael Sabbie, 35, died of “natural” causes […]
The Huffington Post reports on a jail death case being handled by Budge & Heipt: September 19, 2016: WASHINGTON ― Authorities have ruled the death of an inmate at a jail run by a top law enforcement supporter of GOP nominee Donald Trump a homicide caused by “profound dehydration.” Terrill Thomas, 38, was found dead […]
September 15, 2016: Fox 6 News Milwaukee Reports on New Findings in Jail Death Case: Homicide from Dehydration MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office says the death of Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office inmate Terrill Thomas has been ruled a homicide. Terrill Thomas, charged in connection with a shooting Friday, April 15th at Potawatomi […]
The attorneys at Budge & Heipt regularly monitor important new court rulings that may impact jail death cases. On August 15, 2016, the federal appeals court that covers most of the Western United States issued an important new decision that may significantly benefit those who have lost loved ones who have died in jail. The […]
The Seattle Times has reported on a case involving the death of Matthew Smith in the Pierce County Jail in Tacoma, Washington. Budge & Heipt, co-counsel for the parents of the deceased man, filed the case against Naphcare, Inc., which is the company responsible for providing medical care to the jail’s inmates. From the Seattle […]
From: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (July 4, 2016): By Cara Lombardo, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Two months after a Milwaukee County Jail inmate was found unresponsive in his cell, his family still doesn’t know how he died. Terrill Thomas was arrested April 15 after shooting a man in the chest and later firing two shots in […]
Jails are can be dangerous places. Unfortunately, inmate-against-inmate assaults (including sexual assaults) do occur. Some assaults result in extremely serious injuries, or even death. When such assaults occur, jail officials can face legal liability under the Constitution for failing to prevent them, but only in limited circumstances. The Supreme Court has held that jail officials […]
From: The Influence Julie Cobio Firkins prayed and then walked into a room to watch her 33-year-old husband die. “The video that you’re going to see is very sad,” she remembers the officer warning her—twice—before playing footage from a police bodycam. But as the tape rolled, she had a different thought: “It was brutal, not […]
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.