Police Brutality

About Police Brutality Cases in Massachusetts

Clear, cut-and-dried, indisputable cases of police brutality resulting in serious injury or death can be very hard to come by. Even in cases where all the available evidence points to police brutality—think of the Rodney King verdict in Los Angeles—sympathetic judges and juries often give arresting officers the benefit of the doubt. What this means, in practice, is that you have the best chance of recovering damages for police brutality if you did not resist arrest in any way—by running away, say, or engaging police in a high-speed car chase.

Judges and juries also have varying interpretations of what amounts to true “brutality.”  If you sustained a few cuts and bruises during your arrest, or even a broken limb, that probably won’t be sufficient to file a police brutality claim,  Also, plaintiff’s may be accused of inflicting such damage on themselves, for example, by breaking a leg when attempting to jump over a wall to escape.   On the other hand, serious injuries like brain damage or damage to internal organs resulting in lengthy hospitalization can help to support a claim of police brutality.

Wrongful Death Due to Police Brutality

The most serious cases of police brutality result in the suspect’s death. If you are the relative of a person who died while being arrested by the police, you will still need to establish the criteria listed above (that is, that your loved one did not resist arrest, assault the arresting officers or lead police on a high-speed chase). Your case will also be helped immensely by reliable eyewitnesses, who can testify, for example, that police beat the suspect with nightsticks long after he had ceased resisting, zapped him repeatedly with tasers, or shot him numerous times without cause.

Quincy Police Brutality Injury Attorneys, Free Consultation

If you were a victim of the use of police brutality, the use of excessive force by police, or suffered severe injuries after being wrongfully tasered by a police stun gun your civil rights may have been violated. Before you assume you have no right to civil justice, call our attorneys today and discuss your case for free.
