Civil Rights
Equality. Respect.
Scott Volyn has vast experience in handling civil rights matters, and has litigated cases against local, state and federal government agencies on behalf of his clients. Civil rights law deals with the protections and liberties enjoyed by the American people. These rights are designed to ensure that people are treated equally and without respect to their ethnicity, gender, or other such attributes.
Government actors are not permitted to make decisions arbitrarily, or to deprive individuals of their lives or property without affording them due process of law. The remedy for such violations is generally a monetary award.
Primary sources of civil rights law include the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution (the "Bill of Rights"), as well as federal legislation passed in recent decades. Civil rights law is also based on published court decisions that interpret the meaning of legislation. Finally, Washington State has enacted its own civil rights legislation to supplement existing federal protections.
Civil Rights are designed to ensure that people are treated equally and without respect to their ethnicity, gender, or other such attributes.
Examples of Civil Rights Cases Previously Litigated by Volyn Law Firm include:
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One of the most common types of private lawsuits alleging civil rights violations results from improper conduct by law enforcement. Victims can bring claims based on excessive force or brutality, illegal searches and seizures, false arrests, malicious prosecutions, unjustified police shootings, and other abuses of power. These civil rights cases can become incredibly emotional, particularly in cases brought by surviving family members of an individual killed by the police.
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The Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. With more than two million Americans now behind bars, the Eighth Amendment is just as relevant today as it was when it was ratified in the year 1791. The rapid growth of the U.S. prison population has led to overcrowding, and in turn, deplorable and sometimes dangerous conditions for inmates. Inmates who have suffered injury or have otherwise been harmed as a result of prison conditions may have a right to financial or injunctive relief.
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Civil rights cases are not limited to claims against police officers and prison officials. Many constitutional rights can form the basis of a lawsuit, including the guarantees regarding speech, religion, association, due process, and equal protection under the law. Pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, sexual harassment in the workplace is illegal, and there is no reason to tolerate improper conduct related to an employee's gender or pregnancy. A lawsuit will also be appropriate in instances where an employer retaliates against an employee for asserting any recognized civil right or informing authorities of civil rights violations at work.
Title 42, Section 1983 of the United States Code imposes liability on any person who, under "color of state law," deprives another individual of his or her federal civil rights. Known as 1983 claims, lawsuits brought under this statute allow victims to sue state and municipal government officials who violate federal civil rights laws. While 1983 claims are a common method for holding local officials accountable, the doctrine of sovereign immunity may apply in certain situations. If so, an official may be completely or partially insulated from liability.
