Civil Rights Attorney Queens

Yes, absolutely. The Constitution protects everyone in the United States, regardless of citizenship or immigration status. If you’re in Queens and police violate your rights, you can file a civil rights lawsuit.

Your immigration status doesn’t matter for civil rights claims. Whether you’re undocumented, have a visa, have a green card, or are a citizen, the Fourth Amendment protects you from illegal searches and arrests. The Fourteenth Amendment guarantees you due process and equal protection.

I understand you might be scared. Many immigrants fear that suing the police will draw attention to their status or lead to deportation. While I can’t practice immigration law, I can tell you this: federal civil rights laws explicitly protect everyone, and courts have consistently upheld these protections for non-citizens.

Queens is home to one of the most diverse populations in the world. Police misconduct against immigrants happens constantly. You deserve the same justice as anyone else.

If you’re worried about your immigration status, we can discuss your concerns during your free consultation. Your safety and your rights both matter to me.

Police officers have a legal obligation to provide language access when dealing with people who don’t speak English. If they failed to provide interpretation during your arrest or detention, that can actually strengthen your civil rights case.

Under federal law and NYPD policy, officers must take reasonable steps to communicate with people who have limited English proficiency. This means calling for an interpreter, using Language Line services, or finding a bilingual officer.

When police ignore language barriers, several problems happen. You might not understand what you’re being accused of. You might accidentally waive your rights because you didn’t understand what you were signing. Officers might claim you consented to a search when you had no idea what they were asking.

I’ve handled many cases where language barriers led to false arrests, illegal searches, and other violations. The fact that officers didn’t provide proper interpretation can be powerful evidence of their disregard for your rights.

During your consultation with me, I can arrange for interpretation services if needed. I want to make sure you fully understand your case and your options.

Working with me costs you nothing out of pocket. I handle all civil rights cases on a contingency fee basis. That means I only get paid if I successfully recover compensation for you.

When I win your case through settlement or trial verdict, my fee is a percentage of that recovery. You never pay hourly rates, retainers, or upfront fees. If I don’t win, I don’t get paid—period.

This arrangement ensures I’m fully invested in your success. The better your outcome, the better my outcome. We’re on the same team with the same goal.

I’ll explain the exact fee structure during your free consultation. Everything is transparent and in writing. There are no surprise costs, no hidden fees, and no billing statements to stress over.

Justice shouldn’t be reserved for wealthy people who can afford expensive lawyers. I make sure everyone who’s been victimized by police has access to experienced legal representation.

Yes, and you may actually have a stronger case because of it. When you’re arrested without probable cause, that violates your Fourth Amendment rights. The fact that prosecutors dropped the charges often proves there was never a legitimate reason for the arrest in the first place.

This is called a false arrest claim. Police need probable cause to arrest you. If they arrested you based on lies, mistaken identity, racial profiling, or no real evidence, they violated your constitutional rights.

The Queens District Attorney’s office dropping your charges is powerful evidence. It suggests even the prosecutors knew the arrest was garbage. Maybe there was no crime. Maybe the evidence didn’t support the charges. Maybe the officers lied in their reports.

You might also have claims for malicious prosecution if the case went far enough before being dropped. And if you spent time in custody—even just a few hours—you may have an unlawful detention claim.

Don’t let anyone tell you that being arrested without conviction means you have no case. The arrest itself, if illegal, is the violation. I’ve won substantial settlements for clients whose charges were dropped or dismissed.

Qualified immunity is a legal defense that shields government officials, including police officers, from personal liability when they violate your rights. Basically, it says officers can’t be sued personally unless they violated rights that were “clearly established” at the time.

This doctrine means that even when officers violate your constitutional rights, they might avoid personal liability if a court decides the specific violation wasn’t obviously illegal based on prior case law. It’s a high bar to overcome, and it’s one of the biggest obstacles in civil rights cases.

But here’s what’s important: qualified immunity doesn’t protect municipalities. Even if individual officers claim qualified immunity, I can still hold the City of New York liable for your injuries. The city can be sued for inadequate training, supervision, policies, or customs that led to your rights being violated.

Also, when the violation is clear enough—excessive force, arrest without any probable cause, obvious retaliation for protected speech—qualified immunity often fails. Courts recognize some violations are so obviously wrong that any reasonable officer would know they’re illegal.

I know how to structure cases to overcome qualified immunity defenses. It’s not easy, but it’s absolutely possible with the right strategy and evidence.

Most civil rights lawsuits in Queens take between 18 months and 3 years from start to finish. The actual timeline depends on how complicated your case is, how much discovery we need to do, whether the city wants to settle or fight, and how backed up the courts are.

Here’s what the process typically looks like. After you hire me, I investigate and file your Notice of Claim within 90 days. Then I file your lawsuit in Queens Supreme Court or federal court. The city responds with their answer. We enter discovery where both sides gather evidence—documents, depositions, expert witnesses.

Settlement negotiations often happen during or after discovery. If the city sees they’re going to lose at trial, they’ll usually offer to settle. If we can’t reach a fair settlement, we go to trial.
Some clients want to settle quickly and move forward with their lives. Others want their day in court no matter how long it takes. I’ll fight for whatever result brings you justice.

Throughout the process, I’ll keep you updated on what’s happening and why. You’ll never be left wondering where your case stands or what comes next.