Indiana Civil Rights Attorneys

Experienced Representation in Indiana

You have rights guaranteed by the Constitution in every aspect of your life. When the authority in charge of your protection instead violates those rights, you may be entitled to compensation in the form of damages. If you have suffered a serious personal or financial injury, or a family member has died at the hands of law enforcement, corrections officers, or related personnel or departments, the civil rights attorneys at Keffer Hirschauer LLP can help. At Keffer Hirschauer LLP, we’re serious about protecting the rights of our clients. When a government actor has caused harm while violating your rights, it can feel like you have nowhere to turn. But you do. You need the experienced Indiana civil rights attorneys from Keffer Hirschauer LLP to step in and fight to make sure you get the financial compensation you deserve.

Keffer Hirschauer LLP: Indiana Civil Rights Attorneys Fighting for You

Individuals can grow to feel beaten down by government employees acting recklessly or outside their authority or ignoring their job altogether. Abuse or neglect by a government actor often victimizes the most vulnerable in our society. When a government employee has trampled on your civil rights, where do you turn? You need help from a skilled team of dedicated litigators intent on standing up for you: Keffer Hirschauer LLP. Keffer Hirschauer LLP’s team of Indiana civil rights attorneys understands what is at stake for you and your family after suffering serious personal and financial injury. If you have been harmed in any way by the acts of a government employee acting outside of his or her authority, you can count on us to aggressively seek appropriate compensation on your behalf.

Defining Civil Rights

The Constitution of the United States guarantees every US citizen certain rights, among them the rights to life, liberty, and property. The government may only infringe on these rights if there is an overriding public interest, such as the enforcement of law to keep order, but even then citizens are guaranteed due process of law, an impartial process established to balance the rights of the individual against the interests of the many. The United States Congress has also passed laws protecting civil rights. One example is the Civil Rights Act of 1871, codified at 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Section 1983). Section 1983 allows citizens to file complaints to enforce their civil rights and hold responsible the government actors who violated those rights. The violation of your civil rights by a government employee triggers Section 1983, which gives you the right to file suit to point out the violation, demonstrate your damages, and demand compensation.

What Happens in a Section 1983 Civil Rights Action

Filing a section 1983 complaint requires significant research and investigation before going to court. Indiana civil rights attorneys generally obtain the facts from the victim and witnesses before preparing and filing the section 1983 complaint. The complaint may request money damages, an injunction, or both. An injunction is a court order directing the government employee or unit to stop the offending behavior or to perform certain actions, presumably to avoid further violation of your civil rights. Formal discovery takes place after the filing of the complaint. The discovery process sets out various ways for Indiana civil rights attorneys to gather evidence relevant to your case. The court generally gives both parties a deadline for completing all discovery. Discovery can include depositions, a transcription of answers to questions posed by an attorney; interrogatories, questions the witness must answer in writing; or the request for documents, often those pertaining to the procedures to be followed by employees such as the defendant in your case. At any point in the case, the parties may engage in settlement negotiations. In a settlement, the parties agree to terms that would end the dispute. The results of a settlement depend in large part on the relative strength of the plaintiff’s and the defendant’s cases and in no small part on the skill and experience of your Indiana civil rights attorneys. If the case does not settle, it would proceed to trial, where all evidence would be set out before the judge or a jury. The judge or jury would then decide whether a civil rights violation occurred and, if so, what the consequences should be for the defendant (damages or an injunction).

How Government Actors Can Violate Your Civil Rights

Government employees may violate civil rights in a variety of ways. Any government actor may violate civil rights if acting under a cloak of authority granted by the employment but without actually having such authorization. Examples of government actors who have violated civil rights include:

• Police and other law enforcement officers
• Jail or Indiana Department of Correction employees
• Indiana Community Corrections officers

Every citizen is entitled to certain protections from actions of the government, but sometimes government employees are negligent or even intentional in stretching the limits of their authority when taking actions that violate your rights. How can you speak up for yourself against the government? When injuries resulting from governmental misconduct are serious, you need representation from Indiana civil rights attorneys who will stand up to the wrongdoers and fight for appropriate compensation for their clients. Fighting back because of a grievous injury at the hands of government actors can seem like an uphill battle, but your odds of success improve dramatically when you engage knowledgeable and aggressive civil rights attorneys like those found at Keffer Hirschauer LLP. The civil rights attorneys at Keffer Hirschauer LLP have the experience and robust litigation skills to speak up for you. We work diligently to ensure each client’s constitutional rights are respected throughout the case, and we are committed to helping clients and their families who have suffered serious injury, death, and financial loss as a result of actions that violated their civil rights violations.

When Wrongful Death Violates Civil Rights

Unfortunately, wrongful death by police action remains a serious problem in our society. When it happens in the context of a violation of a victim’s civil rights, it is even more outrageous. The victim’s family is left wondering why agents of the government, who should be dedicated to serving the public, could cause such grievous and permanent harm. The loss of a loved one can never be fully compensated, but making sure the government and its actor pays appropriate financial damages is the goal of the Indiana civil rights attorneys at Keffer Hirschauer LLP. Whether the death resulted from a government employee’s action or inaction, as in the failure to protect, we will fight for a damages award and other necessary relief to help make you whole.

Police Shootings and Your Civil Rights

A police shooting in Indiana can seriously injure any citizen regardless of the intended target. The police and other law enforcement officers are charged with protecting all citizens. When law enforcement officers misuse or are reckless in carrying out that duty by the inappropriate use or misuse of a firearm, the results can be dire. When the government agents in charge of your safety have instead caused grievous harm in a police shooting, you need an Indiana civil rights attorney from Keffer Hirschauer LLP. With extensive experience and litigation skills, we will fight for your right to damages to compensate you for your injury.

Civil Rights in Indiana Jail and Community Corrections Programs

Defendants injured in jail or a Community Corrections program may also be victims of a civil rights violation. Freedom and the ability to protect oneself is limited during the time spent in jail or under the watchful eye of a Community Corrections program. Safety depends on the diligence and actions of the jail or Community Corrections employees. When jail inmates and Community Corrections participants are injured at the hand of government employees or from an employee’s neglect or failure to protect, those injured need the experienced and skilled guidance and representation from the Indiana civil rights attorneys at Keffer Hirschauer LLP.

What to Look for in an Indiana Civil Rights Attorney

Legal representation is available in a variety of practice areas, but hiring legal representation to vindicate a civil rights violation requires careful consideration of the experience and quality of your legal counsel. In a 1983 civil rights action, you are best served by a civil rights lawyer with significant experience fighting to protect or enforce the client’s constitutional rights. Other characteristics to look for include:

• A thorough understanding of the processes and culture of the court grounded in experience
• A capacity for creative and resourceful use of the law
• An attorney who practices a hands-on approach with every case
• A quality and experienced support staff

In addition, to these practical considerations, your civil rights lawyer should be passionate about protecting civil rights and compassionate about your case yet aggressive in the approach to your civil rights claim.

Indiana Civil Rights Attorneys Who Have Your Back

Making a claim against a government employee can feel like you’re fighting the whole world. But when you’ve been injured by a government employee, especially when your health and safety were supposed to be in their hands, you have a right to make sure the government and its employee who caused the harm make restitution in the form of money damages. But a 1983 civil rights action is a complex case requiring highly skilled and experienced civil rights attorneys. These cases require attorneys who are up to the task. At Keffer Hirschauer LLP, you will find Indiana civil rights attorneys committed to righting wrongs perpetrated by the abuse or reckless use of a government position. We are a firm of experienced litigation attorneys supported by an equally experienced and committed staff. We have honed our skills and understanding of civil rights law and cases to provide sensible, able, and zealous representation of your claim. If you believe you have a 1983 civil rights action claim, contact us for a free consultation by calling (317) 648-9560 or complete our online contact form.