Recourse for Injuries Caused by Police Brutality

Posted in Civil Rights,News on June 8, 2016

The term may have changed over the past few centuries, but police brutality is nothing new to the U.S. Our police forces have adapted and expanded to become the robust organizations entrusted with upholding the law across our nation, but they haven’t been able to completely stop misconduct within their own ranks. Over the past few years, media attention has turned its focus on cases of police brutality after the public outcry over the deaths of U.S. citizens at the hands of the officers tasked with protecting them.

Even if law enforcement fails its citizens, that doesn’t mean that the law will fail them as well. Here at Murphy, Falcon & Murphy, we have successfully been fighting for the rights of people whose lives were irreparably changed for over 70 years.

If you or a loved one is the victim of police brutality, you need to be prepared for a fight. Taking police officers to court is an especially difficult task, and will require planning and a lot of work.

• Document your injuries. Take note of any preexisting conditions or injuries you or your loved one had before the trial. Having a complete understanding of the extent of your injuries sustained while in custody will assist in creating a strong case.
• Document the event. No detail is too small when talking about the events leading up to and following your injury. How were you handled as you were getting arrested? While you were in the cell? If you were injured, what was their response like?
• Understand police protocol. Law enforcement has strict rules in place in the hopes of preventing unnecessary injury to anyone in their custody. If an officer or officers fail to follow procedure and that results in an injury, take note of it.
• Hire an attorney. Do the research necessary to ensure you’re hiring the best team to represent you in court. Cases of police brutality require extensive knowledge of the laws involved, and it’s important to hire a firm capable of handling the attention this kind of case can attract while not losing focus on the important task at hand, your future.

Here at Murphy, Falcon & Murphy, we understand the necessary approach to take when handling cases of police brutality. In 2005, we represented Albert Mosley after he was left with permanent and debilitating injuries in a case of severe police brutality. Mosley, who was picked up in June 2003 for violating his probation, was intoxicated and became loud and abusive while in his holding cell at a local Baltimore City police precinct.

Mosley’s suit stated that, while his arms were handcuffed behind his back, he became engaged in an “angry exchange” with Officer Brian Kershaw who was outside of the cell. Kershaw approached Mosley, pulled him into a standing position, and violently threw him into a concrete wall. Mosley sustained a paralyzing neck injury, leaving him a permanent quadriplegic requiring 24-hour care.

We successfully obtained a $44 million verdict in favor of Mr. Mosley for his pain and suffering, as well as for past and future medical expenses. In an interview with the Washington Examiner after the case, Mosley commented on the verdict, saying, “I didn’t believe there was justice in the world until yesterday. I’ve finally seen justice. I thank God for my attorney Billy Murphy. I’m in debt to him for the rest of my life.”

If you or a loved one was the victim of police brutality, contact our Baltimore attorneys at Murphy, Falcon & Murphy today. We work on a contingency fee basis, so you will only need to pay legal fees if we win your case. Contact us through our website, or call us at (410) 951-8744 .