Civil Rights Attorney Brooklyn

Yes, you can sue the NYPD for civil rights violations in Brooklyn. You have the right to file a Section 1983 claim against individual officers and the City of New York when police violate your constitutional rights.

These cases fall under federal civil rights law, which allows you to hold both the officers and the city financially accountable. Section 1983 lawsuits are specifically designed to provide a remedy when government officials, including police, violate your constitutional rights.

The city can be held liable under what’s called “municipal liability” when police misconduct results from inadequate training, supervision, or policies that allow abuse to happen. I use my insider knowledge to prove exactly how the NYPD’s failures led to what happened to you.

Whether you were harmed in Brownsville, Crown Heights, Sunset Park, or anywhere else in Brooklyn, you have the right to sue. The borough where it happened doesn’t limit your legal options.

If you were arrested but never charged, you may have a strong false arrest claim. When police arrest you without probable cause, it violates your Fourth Amendment rights—even if they let you go later.

The fact that no charges were filed actually supports your case, because it shows the arrest lacked legal justification. The Brooklyn DA’s office refusing to prosecute often means they knew the arrest was bogus from the start.

You also might have claims for unlawful detention if they held you longer than necessary or in improper conditions. Even a few hours in custody can form the basis of a lawsuit when the arrest was illegal.

I’ve seen this situation countless times. Police arrest someone hoping to find something to charge them with later. When they come up empty, they just let the person go and act like nothing happened. But you still suffered the trauma, humiliation, and violation of being arrested and detained.

That harm deserves compensation, and I know how to prove it.

I work on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay nothing upfront and nothing out of pocket. I only get paid if I win your case and secure compensation for you.

My fee comes from a percentage of your settlement or verdict—so you never have to worry about legal bills while fighting for justice. If I don’t win, you don’t pay me a dime.

This setup also means I’m personally invested in getting you the maximum compensation possible. My success is directly tied to your success.

During your free consultation, I’ll explain exactly how the fee structure works and answer any questions you have. There are no hidden costs, no surprise bills, and no financial risk to you.

Justice shouldn’t be available only to people who can afford expensive lawyers. This is about holding the NYPD accountable, and I make sure everyone has access to that fight.

The Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) is an independent city agency that investigates complaints about NYPD officers. You can file a complaint with them about police misconduct, and they’ll conduct an administrative investigation.

The CCRB looks at four types of complaints: excessive force, abuse of authority, discourtesy, and offensive language. If they find the complaint is valid, they can recommend discipline ranging from training to termination—but the NYPD Commissioner makes the final decision.

Here’s what’s important to understand: filing with the CCRB is separate from filing a civil lawsuit. The CCRB investigates whether officers broke department rules. A civil lawsuit seeks financial compensation for the harm done to you.

You can and should do both. Filing a CCRB complaint creates an official record of what happened, which can actually help your civil case. But the CCRB can’t get you the financial justice you deserve—only a lawsuit can do that.

Yes, absolutely. Filing a CCRB complaint doesn’t prevent you from filing a civil lawsuit. These are two completely separate processes.

The CCRB investigates whether officers broke department rules, while a civil lawsuit seeks financial compensation for the harm done to you. You have the right to pursue both at the same time.

In fact, a CCRB complaint can sometimes help your civil case. It creates an official record of what happened and shows you took immediate action to report the misconduct. I can use CCRB findings and records to strengthen your lawsuit.

However, you still need to meet the tight deadlines for filing a civil lawsuit—the 90-day Notice of Claim and the lawsuit itself. Don’t assume that filing with the CCRB protects your right to sue. These are separate deadlines that you must follow.

If you’ve already filed a CCRB complaint about what happened in Brooklyn, reach out to me. We can move forward with your civil case while the CCRB does their investigation.

Most civil rights cases in Brooklyn take anywhere from 18 months to 3 years to resolve. The timeline depends on several factors: the complexity of your case, how much evidence we need to gather, whether the city tries to fight or settle, and court scheduling.

Here’s a rough timeline of what to expect. First, I’ll investigate your case and file your Notice of Claim within 90 days. Then I’ll file your lawsuit in either Brooklyn federal court or state court. The city will respond, and we’ll enter the discovery phase where both sides exchange evidence and take depositions.

Many cases settle during or after discovery when the city realizes they can’t win at trial. If we go to trial, that adds time—but it also often results in higher compensation.

I’ll keep you informed at every stage so you know exactly what to expect. Some clients want to settle quickly and move on. Others want their day in court. I’ll fight for whatever outcome gets you justice.

One thing I can promise: I won’t drag this out unnecessarily, and I won’t settle for less than you deserve just to close the case faster.

Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine that protects government officials, including police officers, from personal liability unless they violated clearly established constitutional rights that a reasonable person would have known about.

Basically, it means officers can’t be sued personally unless what they did was so obviously illegal that any reasonable cop would have known it was wrong. Courts created this doctrine to protect officers making split-second decisions in good faith.

While this can make civil rights cases more challenging, it doesn’t prevent you from suing. When officers clearly violate your rights—like using excessive force, making an arrest without probable cause, or conducting an illegal search—qualified immunity won’t protect them.

Also, qualified immunity only protects individual officers. It doesn’t protect the City of New York from liability. Even if an officer claims qualified immunity, I can still hold the city accountable under municipal liability theories.

I know how to overcome qualified immunity defenses because I understand exactly what makes conduct “clearly established” as unconstitutional. The city’s lawyers will always try this defense, but I know how to beat it.