RECOGNIZED CIVIL RIGHTS LAWYERS IN MILWAUKEE
All of us are guaranteed certain rights under state and federal law. Due process and fair treatment under the law. The right to privacy. Basic medical care while incarcerated. The freedom not to be interfered with for reasonable use of your lands.
Unfortunately, those in power don’t always live up to these standards. Land is seized or overly regulated without legitimate justification. Law enforcement oversteps, violating due process or denying essential needs. If you’ve been shut out, wronged, or had your constitutional rights violated, you deserve more than just an explanation—you deserve accountability and compensation.
But you’re just an ordinary person, trying to go about your life. The perpetrators may be law enforcement officers or government officials, large and powerful organizations. They count on you feeling powerless.
We make sure you aren’t. Our Milwaukee civil rights lawyers stand firm, helping people reclaim their rights and dignity. Barton Cerjak S.C. has a proven track record of helping ordinary people get the results they deserve. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.
Civil Rights Violations We Handle
We believe in protecting the fundamental liberties of every individual. Civil rights violations can arise in many forms—ranging from deliberate indifference to medical needs behind bars to the excessive use of force by law enforcement or government overreach in property matters. Discrimination based on race, gender, age, sexuality, religion, or national origin is still far too common, but anyone, regardless of background, can become a victim of civil rights abuse. If your rights have been violated, our team will stand by you and fight tirelessly for the justice you deserve.
Examples of cases our civil rights lawyers handle include:
- Deliberate indifference to medical needs: When jails and prisons fail to provide basic medical care, they violate constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment. If you or a loved one suffered serious harm due to denied or delayed medical treatment while incarcerated, you may have a claim under federal or state law.
- Excessive force: Law enforcement and corrections officers don’t have unlimited power. When they use force beyond what is necessary—whether during an arrest, in custody, or in other official actions—it violates your constitutional rights. If you’ve suffered serious injury due to excessive force, we hold them accountable.
- Unlawful takings: The government doesn’t get to interfere with your land use or seize your property without just compensation. If a state or local agency has taken your property, restricted its use, or otherwise interfered with your rights as a landowner, you may have a claim under the Takings Clause.
- Civil rights violations (limited scope): While we don’t take every discrimination case, we do consider certain civil rights claims—such as wrongful arrests, selective enforcement, or targeted government overreach. If your rights have been violated in a way that demands action, we’ll assess your case.
Compensation for Civil Rights Violations
Civil rights violations can take a significant psychological, emotional, and even financial toll on victims. Victims deserve meaningful compensation that accounts for the many kinds of losses they’ve sustained. But because damages are often subjective, it’s important to work closely with an experienced civil rights attorney before you agree to any settlement.
Potential compensation for victims depends on the circumstances but could include:
- Compensatory damages for economic losses. These are out-of-pocket costs related to the abuse. Examples include coverage for medical bills if you’ve been injured by a police officer that used excessive force, lost wages and back pay after a wrongful employment termination, moving costs following a wrongful eviction, etc.
- Compensatory damages for non-economic losses. Victims often suffer from emotional distress, physical pain and suffering, inconvenience, and other negative effects on their quality of life. You deserve fair compensation for these as well.
- Punitive damages. While compensatory damages are meant to make victims “whole,” punitive damages may be added to specifically punish organizations and discourage future mistreatment and discrimination.
- Attorney fees and legal costs. Civil rights cases are frequently costly and time-consuming to litigate. If victims had to pay the attorney fees and legal costs themselves, it might not be worth it—and organizations could get away with continuing to discriminate. To encourage victims and attorneys to take up these important cases, successful plaintiffs can usually recover their legal expenses from the defendant.
- Injunctive relief. Sometimes victims seek more than just financial compensation, but also corrective action on the part of the defendant. This could include things like changing policies or practices, implementing new training procedures, reinstating an employee, etc.
Civil Rights Cases Require Legal Expertise, Determination, and Flexibility
Civil rights claims almost always require a high level of knowledge, persistence, skill, and outside-the-box thinking to litigate successfully. These are not easy cases.
In order to tell your story and move a skeptical organization or jury, your attorney may need to collect and analyze thousands of pages of records, reports, policies, personnel files, and communications. They may need to obtain body camera and surveillance footage, photographs, and other physical artifacts. They may need to carefully question dozens of involved individuals, eyewitnesses, character witnesses, and expert witnesses.
Your attorney will also need to tailor their legal approach according to your personal goals for litigation. What does a “successful” outcome look like to you? Certainly, most victims wish to recover as much compensation as possible for the harms they experienced. But often, they are equally driven by a desire to bring public attention to civil rights abuses and force wrongdoers to publicly acknowledge the harm, end discriminatory practices, and transform their policies and organizations. On the other hand, sometimes a quiet and confidential resolution to a personally sensitive matter is preferred.
A Wisconsin Law Firm That Fights for Civil Rights
When even one person’s civil rights are violated and the perpetrators go unpunished, it puts us all at greater risk.
Our civil rights lawyers are passionate about helping ordinary people hold those in power accountable and creating a better, more just, and more equitable world. We apply our deep knowledge of civil rights laws, innovative legal strategies, and dedication to truth and justice to get the best possible results for our clients—and their communities.
Call our Wisconsin civil rights attorneys today at 414-877-0690.
Representative Matters
- Secured justice in a tragic wrongful death case arising from misconduct and systemic failures at the Milwaukee County Jail involving a 29-year-old detainee. Despite clear signs of medical distress, the inmate’s deteriorating condition was ignored by jail healthcare personnel. As he was actively dying, he appeared to be subjected to excessive force by correctional staff. After years of hard-fought litigation in multiple courts, a settlement with Milwaukee County was reached, and a $7 million judgment in Milwaukee County Circuit Court against the jail’s private healthcare contractor was obtained.
- Achieved a favorable settlement on behalf of a detainee injured at the Kenosha County Jail. Upon and during her incarceration, it was readily apparent that she had a left ankle fracture requiring medical care and attention, but due to improper healthcare actions and inactions, the detainee did not receive the necessary care, treatment, or attention, and her left leg was ultimately amputated below the knee.