When a crime occurs, people often expect the police to conduct a thorough investigation. When that investigation never happens—or appears incomplete—many victims understandably ask a difficult question: Can the police be sued for failing to investigate? The answer is complicated. In many situations, the law does not allow lawsuits simply because police failed to investigate
5 Mistakes That Can Ruin a Standard Form 95 Claim
Standard Form 95 is the administrative claim form required before filing a lawsuit under the Federal Tort Claims Act. Filing a claim against the federal government is not as simple as submitting paperwork. Under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), the process starts with Standard Form 95. If you handle that form incorrectly, your claim
Can You Sue for Jail Medical Neglect?
When the government holds someone in jail or prison, it assumes responsibility for their safety and medical care. In some cases, if jail staff deny a detainee necessary treatment and the detainee suffers serious harm, the jail and its medical providers may be legally responsible. As a result, in many situations, families can bring a
What Happens After a Death in Jail? Investigations and Civil Rights Claims
What Happens After a Death in Jail? When someone dies in jail, the event triggers a series of official investigations. These inquiries are intended to determine the cause of death in jail and whether any misconduct, negligence, or medical neglect contributed to it. For families, the process can be confusing and opaque. The institutions involved
Contractor-run detention facilities and liability
Contractor-Run ICE Detention Facilities and Civil Liability When someone is injured or dies in a private ICE detention facility, determining legal responsibility can be complicated. Families often assume the federal government is automatically responsible. Sometimes it is. But many ICE detention facilities are operated by private contractors under federal agreements. Private ICE detention facility liability
Excessive Force in ICE Detention: Assault and Battery Claims Against Federal Officers
Third post in the series. Read more ►
Suicide in ICE Detention: What Families Need to Know
Second post in the series. Read more ►
How the Discretionary Function Exception Actually Works (and How to Plead Around It)
If ICE or another federal officer harmed you, the legal path depends on who acted, what happened, and how quickly you preserve evidence. This guide explains FTCA vs. Bivens in practical terms, why Bivens claims are now much harder, and what steps to take right away. Read more ►
New Guide: Suing the Federal Government for ICE Detention Abuse
ICE is back in the headlines. Detention expansion, contractor profits, court rulings about access to counsel, and deaths in custody have raised the same question again: who is accountable when the federal government detains someone and harm follows? Public debate focuses on policy.Families need answers about liability. When the federal government detains someone, it assumes
A Civil Rights Lawyer Views the George Floyd Case
The awful, brutal death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police this week has caused a media firestorm and public outrage. But the legal claim is challenging. Let me share how a civil rights lawyer analyzes the case. The initial reports describe the police claiming Floyd become combative after they approached him
