When a company or agency violates your civil rights, a Grand Rapids civil rights lawyer will help you hold them responsible and recover compensation for the expenses and losses they caused you to incur.
When you hire a Grand Rapids personal injury lawyer from Christensen Law, you get an advocate on your side who is interested in getting justice, not simply closing the case. We will not settle for less than you deserve or walk away without holding the accused party accountable. Contact us today for a free consultation. We can help you understand your rights and how to hold those responsible for violating them.
Choose Our Grand Rapids Civil Rights Lawyer to Manage Your Case
At Christensen Law, we believe in protecting your rights and holding those who violate them accountable. We consider ourselves to be the voice of the unheard. We want to know what you endured, what you are going through, and how it is affecting your daily life.
We will take the time to listen to you, protect your rights, and fight to win compensation on your behalf. We believe it is important for you to tell your story and hold the accused party accountable for their violations.
We also put our client’s needs first, fighting for the justice they deserve. This includes sparing no resources to build the most compelling case possible and maximizing the compensation available in their case. It also means representing them based on contingency, never asking for upfront fees or costs.
Since 1991, we have pursued fair compensation for all our clients by approaching each case like it is going to trial. We will go to court if necessary to secure the award or settlement you deserve.
Our Grand Rapids Civil Rights Attorneys Are prepared to Fight for Your Rights
Our civil rights violation lawyers understand how important your civil rights are to you and what they mean to your daily life. Laws protecting your civil rights prevent you from facing undue issues related to housing, employment, education, public services, and more.
Companies, agencies, and individuals must not use certain factors to decide about your living situation, employment status, pay, or educational opportunities. They also cannot restrict you from participating in certain programs because of these factors.
What Is Discrimination?
Discrimination is the most common way companies and agencies violate civil rights. Local, state, and federal laws create protected groups. These are groups that cannot legally be judged based on specific factors. Federally, this includes:
- Race or color
- National origin
- Religion
- Sex, gender, or sexual orientation
- Age, 40+ years
- Disability
- Genetic information
State and local laws could protect additional groups from discrimination. When a company or agency uses one of these protected factors against an individual, this is discrimination. Discrimination against protected groups is illegal, and the individual likely has a case against the party that acted in this way.
How Can Discrimination Violate My Civil Rights?
When someone discriminates against you, it could cause very real physical injuries, emotional distress, and financial losses. Some ways discrimination occurs and violates civil rights include:
- Law enforcement misconduct, such as racial profiling, police brutality, violating prisoners’ rights, false arrest, wrongful imprisonment, malicious prosecution
- Employment discrimination, including age discrimination and wrongful termination
- Educational barriers, including school negligence or discrimination
- Barriers to voting rights and voter suppression
- Rights of immigrants
- Hate crimes, including sexual assault based on gender or LGBTQIA+ status
- Abuse of power
- Deliberate indifference and failure to provide medical care
Our Grand Rapids civil rights lawyers will handle all these cases and many more. Contact us to learn how we will protect your rights, build a case, and secure your financial future.
What Laws Protect My Civil Rights in Grand Rapids, Michigan?
Federal, state, and local laws offer protections for your civil rights. In addition to the protections for your rights under numerous federal acts—the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) among them—those who live and work in Michigan have additional protections. The Michigan Department of Civil Rights lists these additional protected categories as:
- Criminal history and arrest record
- Height and/or weight
- Marital status or family status
In addition, the Grand Rapids Human Rights Ordinance was adopted in 2019. This law provides protection for:
- Medical conditions
- Source of lawful income
This ordinance also details areas where the individual’s criminal history can and cannot be used and specifically includes gender identity/expression and sexual orientation as separate protected classes, instead of lumping these into sex-based discrimination.
Our Grand Rapids Civil Rights Lawyers Fight for Fair Compensation
Justice can come in the form of compensation in Michigan civil rights cases. Our attorneys seek a settlement, judgment, or award on behalf of our clients to fairly compensate them for the violation and ensure the at-fault party is held accountable.
The recoverable damages in these Grand Rapids civil rights violation cases could include:
- Compensatory Damages: These damages cover your related expenses and losses. They could include lost income, medical bills, legal fees, and much more. Our attorneys know how to identify and document these damages.
- Intangible Losses: You can recover money for your emotional and psychological distress, frustration, and anger. Your mental pain and suffering matter, and we seek fair compensation for it in civil rights cases.
- Exemplary Damages: Under some circumstances, victims of civil rights violations might recover exemplary damages in Grand Rapids. You might be familiar with a more common term, punitive damages. Michigan law does not allow punitive damages, as the state does not permit penalizing liable parties in this way. However, exemplary damages provide additional compensation for the victim when the at-fault party exhibits particularly bad behavior.
How Do I Know How Much My Case Might Be Worth?
Our Grand Rapids civil rights lawyer seeks the maximum compensation available in every case. We document the expenses and losses you incurred and seek fair compensation to cover them. Each case is unique, and your civil rights violation might be worth a few thousand dollars or a seven-figure payout. Trust our team to fight for the full financial recovery you deserve.
Are There Other Remedies in These Cases?
Under some circumstances, additional remedies could be available through a civil rights violation claim. For example, this could occur when there are barriers to employment or education. In the early 2000s, there were numerous race-based admissions cases filed against public universities, for example. Many of these potential students sued the schools for admission.
In these cases, the student wanted to attend a university but was not granted admission because of their race, color, ethnicity, or another protected factor. The purpose of the lawsuit was to gain admission to the education offered by that university.
The same might occur in a job hunt or in other similar circumstances. These cases could support these remedies in addition to or instead of a financial payout.
Hire Our Lawyer for Your Grand Rapids Civil Rights Case as Soon as Possible
Contact our legal team immediately to ensure your rights are protected moving forward and that you have the best chance to get justice. Building a case to show someone violated your civil rights is difficult. You need compelling evidence and someone who is knowledgeable and capable of countering the tactics the defendants will use to show they did not discriminate or otherwise cause you harm.
Most parties accused of civil rights violations never admit guilt. Instead, we must present convincing evidence and demand they be held accountable. Our attorneys know how to do this and will not back down. We will take your case to trial if that is what it takes to get justice.
Contact us today to discuss your case and the next steps you will take with our team in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
What Is the Deadline to File a Complaint Based on a Civil Rights Violation?
Deadlines for filing a complaint based on a civil rights violation are often complex. However, it is important that you act quickly because you could have as little as 180 days to get started. This is roughly six months after the violation occurred. You could have additional time based on the state and local civil rights laws in place, but it is better not to count on this.
Ensure you contact our team as quickly as possible following the incident. You do not want to run out of time to get justice in your case.
Discuss Your Grand Rapids Civil Rights Violation with Our Team for Free
Christensen Law provides free consultations for those who believe their civil rights were violated in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Our Grand Rapids civil rights lawyer will help you get justice after enduring discrimination or other civil rights violations. Contact us using our online contact form or call our office to learn more.
