Litigating The Cases That Matter The Most

Fighting for Civil Rights against the Powerful

Civil Rights

Above all, we cherish no principle greater than equal justice under the law for all people, no matter their color, creed, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.

Taking on the Establishment when They Violate Your Rights

The Claiborne Firm has extensive experience fighting against police abuse, prosecutorial misconduct, whistleblower protections and brutal conditions of confinement.

And when the City of Savannah tried to restrict people’s First Amendment rights during Vice President Pence’s St. Patrick’s Day visit, the Claiborne Firm partnered with the ACLU, filed suit, and the city quickly reversed its policy.

The Claiborne Firm’s civil rights work has garnered national attention including stories on the NBC Nightly News, CBS Evening News, and PBS NewsHour.

Following a recent police shooting, The New York Times reported that William R. Claiborne, the founder and managing attorney of the Claiborne Firm, “has emerged as a chief critic of Savannah’s law enforcement culture.”

 

In 2016, Mr. Claiborne won a settlement from the city over a case in which a white officer used a stun gun on a black man whom the police had misidentified while executing a warrant. In another stun-gun case, Mr. Claiborne and other lawyers are representing the family of Matthew Ajibade, a mentally ill black man who died after a violent confrontation with Chatham County sheriff’s deputies at a local jail. Their lawsuit in federal court alleges that Mr. Ajibade, 21, was shocked four times with the device while strapped to a restraint chair, and then was denied medical attention.

Mr. Claiborne has also filed a state civil racketeering lawsuit that names Mr. Lovett and others and alleges a “takeover” of the police department by corrupt officers who controlled a drug distribution network. (The suit was filed before the department split into separate city and county departments earlier this year.)

The suit describes a continuum of corruption, arguing that the network included members of a police-controlled cocaine smuggling ring who had evaded punishment during a 1990s-era federal probe that led to the arrest of 11 officers.

“Old Racial Divides Exposed in Savannah After a Police Shooting,”
The New York Times, April 29, 2018.

If your civil rights have been violated, call us today to set up a consultation: (912) 351-8775.

 

Types of Cases We Handle

42 USC § 1983
Deprivation of Civil Rights
Deliberate Indifference
Civil Rights belong to ALL

Excessive Use of Force
Racial Profiling
Wrongful Arrest
Wrongful Use of Taser
Physical Assault by Police
Sexual Assault by Police

Wrongful Stop
Illegal Detention
Wrongful Arrest
Excessive Use of Force

Jail Death
Jail Suicide
Inadequate Medical Facilities/Staff at Jail
Physical Assault by Guards
Sexual Abuse by Guards

Whistleblower/Qui Tam lawsuits

Denial of Business Permit
Denial of Liquor License
Denial of Event Permit

What Makes the Claiborne Firm Different?

  • Individualized Attention
  • Doggedness
  • Creativity
  • Media Savvy
  • Willingness to Take on Tough Fights

Call (912) 351-8775 or Schedule a Free Case Evaluation Online

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