Civil Rights Injury Lawyer

Civil Rights Injury Lawyer Oregon

When your civil rights are violated or infringed upon, it’s a horrible feeling. It’s also frightening. You might not know where to go, whom to turn to, nor what course of action is best. An Oregon civil rights injury lawyer from Andersen & Linthorst is passionate about correcting justice and helping injured people. Our attorneys can help victims recover from any losses that were suffered. With many years of experience and a team of aggressive attorneys, you can trust us. Everyone is entitled to the protection of their civil rights, so we will work to make sure that you have the quality legal representation that you need. If you believe that your civil rights were violated, such as during an arrest, illegal search or other scenario, you have a right to understand what legal options that you can take. Meet with a trusted and qualified civil rights lawyer from Andersen & Linthorst so that you can be informed about your legal rights so that you can protect yourself. 

• Three Ways that Civil Rights Violations and Personal Injury Scenarios Commonly Overlap
• Civil Rights Injury Lawyer Oregon Infographic
• What Kinds of Compensation Can You Receive?
• How Much Does A Civil Rights Injury Attorney Cost?
• What Can A Civil Rights Injury Attorney Do For You?
• Oregon Civil Rights Injury Statistics
• What Questions Should You Ask A Civil Rights Injury Lawyer?

What Constitutes A Civil Rights Injury?

There are all sorts of injuries from which you can seek legal redress. Our firm specializes in personal and civil rights injuries, so it’s important that you know what constitutes a civil rights injury. Civil rights covers a number of rights that every citizen is entitled to. To start with, our glorious Constitution and Bill of Rights guarantee your civil liberties. The Supreme Court has final authority in clarifying how either document should be interpreted when you bring a civil rights claim before a judge. 

In general, a civil rights injury is an occurrence where a government agent, such as a public school, officer, or public employer discriminates against you because of your race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin or ancestry, or age. This discrimination can occur anywhere, and the consequences they bear on you can be quite severe. For example, if you’re discriminated against from getting hired or getting a promotion, the lack of income may put you into debt, poverty, or result in you losing your place of dwelling. If a person is denied their civil rights, they can be impacted for a long time and can experience further struggles in other areas of their life. Civil rights infringements can dramatically affect your quality of life, so it is worth finding out if you have a valid case so that you can recover the compensation and outcome that you deserve. 

Understanding how these interpretations will apply to your case can be difficult if you do not have sufficient legal knowledge. Finding a lawyer who specializes in civil rights cases and can advise you on what steps that you should take is crucial. You will need a lawyer who understands this area of the legal system and has the experience to help you obtain the case outcome that you are hoping for. 

Other Examples of Civil Rights Injuries

While there are many different examples that may constitute an injury that occurred as a violation of civil rights there is one that stands out as being more common than others. One of the most common injuries that occur from a civil rights violation is police brutality. During an interrogation with a police officer, they can sometimes become violent when they feel threatened or that the person being interrogated isn’t complying with them. There are other reasons too that are wrong and unfair like if a police officer happens to be having a rough day and decided to take their anger out against someone. While this is not something that is occurring constantly it does occur. Other injuries may occur just on the basis that someone is different from someone else. There have been many cases where someone has been attacked for being of a different gender, orientation, race, or religion. These unfortunate events can sometimes result in minor to severe injuries and severe punishments to the abuser. Civil rights are rights for a reason and should be upheld which is why when an injury occurs from this type of action it’s important to understand what the next steps are. Our lawyers at Andersen & Linthorst are experienced, skilled, and knowledgeable about this type of law. We have helped many clients receive damages for their injuries from a civil rights violation and believe that fighting these cases can help them from happening to someone else in the future. We believe that we can help anyone who seeks out our guidance. Contact us today to speak with a civil rights injury lawyer in Oregon from our firm to stop this abuse from occurring and to show others that it is unacceptable to perform.   

What are Civil Rights?

Civil rights are rights guaranteed to citizens of the United States. Some of these guaranteed rights include the right to vote, being free from racial discrimination, the right to public education, to benefit from the help of government services, and the right to a fair trial. Some core principles and rights also include freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to vote, freedom of religion, the right to remain silent during a police interrogation, and also freedom from a search of personal property without a warrant. Civil rights are something that have been fought for over the generations and should not be violated. The more that people understand what rights they have the more they can fully realize the freedoms that have been provided for them. It’s important to use these freedoms and to understand when they are being violated. When it’s suspected or confirmed that someone’s civil rights are being violated then it’s time to reach out for extra help. This is especially the case when an injury is involved. Reach out to an Oregon civil rights injury lawyer today from Andersen & Linthorst to learn more about how we can help out with your civil rights injury case.

Three Ways that Civil Rights Violations and Personal Injury Scenarios Commonly Overlap

As any civil rights lawyer Oregon residents trust can attest, there are times at which an individual must be compelled to navigate the indignity of a civil rights violation at the same time that they have been caused injury as a result of another’s actions or inactions. When civil rights law and personal injury law needs collide, the knowledgeable legal team at Andersen & Linthorst is here to advocate on behalf of those who have been wrongfully targeted.

One: Hate Crimes

Many people are unaware that injury victims are empowered by law to seek compensation in the civil justice system after they have been wrongfully injured as a result of criminal action. Regardless of whether the individual who harmed you is facing criminal charges or not, if you are the victim of a hate crime that was at all violent in nature, you are also the victim of a civil rights injury violation. As a result, you are likely entitled to a significant personal injury compensation award at this time.

Two: Workplace Discrimination

Ordinarily, when workplace discrimination occurs, it is commonplace to connect with an attorney who specializes in employment law. However, one workplace discrimination also results in injury, it is a good idea to connect with an Oregon civil rights lawyer at Andersen & Linthorst. This is because the set of laws that empower you to seek justice in an employment context are not the same as the set of laws that empower you to seek justice for the injuries you’ve suffered. Our firm can help you to protect your rights and sort out your options in both contexts.  

Three: Disability Discrimination

Disability discrimination can occur in a variety of contexts. Like virtually any kind of unlawful discrimination can be disability discrimination may be present in the workplace, and housing, and in education scenarios. When reasonable accommodations are not made to assist persons with disabilities in meeting their needs, injuries can occur. For example, if a landlord fails to make stairs accessible for a resident who lives on an upper floor and there is a fire in the building, the disabled persons inability to escape the building as quickly as everybody else has been able to do can lead to injury that should have been preventable.

Know that the experienced legal team at Andersen & Linthorst has extensive experience successfully navigating civil rights injury law cases, which is a specialized area of the law that few attorneys practice. If any of these three scenarios – or any situation wherein civil rights violations and injury law have collided (including pregnancy discrimination, sex discrimination, and racial discrimination) – mirror a situation that has left you shaken and hurt, know that our Oregon civil rights lawyer will aggressively fight for your right to pursue justice and the maximum amount of compensation to which you are entitled under the circumstances.

Civil Rights Injury Lawyer Oregon Infographic

What Kinds of Compensation Can You Receive?

Depending upon what civil rights were violated and the negative effects they led to, there’s a variety of different kinds of compensation you may be entitled to. A civil rights injury case can result in a significant amount of financial compensation. The compensation you can receive varies widely depending on the factors of your case. There are a number of damages that you can receive as a victim of a civil rights violation. These may include: 

• Lost wages due to a situation such as being fired. 
• Medical bills if the civil rights lawsuit led to any sort of injuries. 
• Out-of-pocket expenses such as paying rent, food, etc. 
• Payment for attorney and filing fees. 
• Confinement compensation. 
• Compensation for pain and suffering that may include mental trauma, damage to your reputation, humiliation, etc. 
• Punitive damages. 

Ultimately, an attorney will be able to assist you and help you receive justice and the necessary compensation you deserve. They are highly knowledgeable about the various types of damages that there are, and the ones you may be able to recover. An experienced civil rights injury attorney has experience handling many types of cases, so they will be prepared to help you no matter what the circumstances of your case is. There may even be situations where the defendant will want to settle out before the case goes to court. This is quite common. In fact, most cases do not go to trial. 

However, often they try to undercut the compensation you deserve. This is a common strategy that many defendants make. They may try to get out of paying you the compensation that you are entitled to. You should be wary of the tactics or moves that the defendant will attempt to make. If they extend an offer to you, you should always have a lawyer evaluate it first before you give them an answer. Even when an initial offer sounds attractive, your lawyer will help determine if it’s within reason as well as negotiate on your behalf and provide legal pressure. 

How Much Does A Civil Rights Injury Attorney Cost?

You may be wondering what your estimated costs will be if you choose to hire a civil rights attorney to represent you. The payment for a civil rights injury lawyer can vary depending upon both the state and law firm as well as the case itself. Typically, lawyers have two forms of payment. The first form is hourly pay with/without a retainer fee. It’s not uncommon for a civil rights attorney to be paid $200+ an hour. Hourly pay is generally when the lawyer may not be confident of the case’s outcome. Conversely, they may believe that it will be a simple case to resolve. 

Another form of payment is when a lawyer works based upon a contingency fee. Instead of paying the lawyer upfront, the lawyer will instead receive a percentage of the final settlement/court award. This can especially be fruitful in the case where a client has lost their job. In this scenario, the lawyer will also only be paid if the case is won. 

Sometimes a lawyer may also offer a combination of the two. This is commonly referred to as a success fee where the lawyer is paid a lower hourly rate in exchange for a lower percentage of the final settlement or court award. There are also pro bono cases where a lawyer will work on the case without charging a legal fee. Although far from the norm, many lawyers try to carve out time every year to work on pro bono cases. 

It’s best to be as straightforward as possible when consulting a lawyer’s services to make sure both parties are on the same page when it comes to payment. Make sure that you know what the upfront fees are, and what you will be expected to pay later on. Before you hire a lawyer, find out how they structure their costs so that everything is transparent. In the case of a contingency fee, it’s good practice to have either a set percentage or dollar amount to be written out in a legally binding contract. 

What Can A Civil Rights Injury Attorney Do For You?

Recovering from a civil rights violation is not a venture you should take on alone. These types of cases are often incredibly complex, especially since they deal with federal laws. If you are facing a government entity such as the police or local city officials, your case may be even harder to navigate. You should work with a lawyer who has a strong record of handling these cases and successfully advocating for their clients.  Not only would you have to study legal jargon, you’d be responsible for proving that you have standing; filling out and submitting legal documents timely and properly; crafting legal arguments; and you’d have to face experienced, knowledgeable attorneys who have years–if not decades–of experience under their belts. We don’t say this to scare you. We simply want to paint an honest picture of what all a civil rights case entails.

Fortunately, rather than spending countless hours studying all this, you can depend on the lawyers at Andersen & Linthorst in Oregon to help protect your rights. We’ll fight aggressively on your behalf. We work with you, and we can help you decide whether a settlement or litigation is in your best interest. We’ll tell your story how it needs to be told, and we’ll work our hardest to see to it that your violators have to pay for any losses you incurred. 

Oregon Civil Rights Injury Statistics

According to a hate crime report from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, there were 286 incidents of hate crime reported in 2020 in Oregon. The most common type of hate crime was based on ethnicity, with 203 cases reported. Your rights and protections matter to us. We understand that traveling to a law office can be difficult. We don’t want travel to be a reason that your violated rights go unchecked. Therefore, for your convenience, we have offices located in Medford, Grants Pass, and Klamath Falls, Oregon. We’re also serving the Ashland area. Please give us a call to schedule an appointment or for a free consultation with a civil rights injury lawyer in Oregon. If, for some reason, you must cancel your appointment or reschedule, please let us know in advance.

What Questions Should You Ask A Civil Rights Injury Lawyer?

It’s important to get to know your lawyer as best as possible. That way you can feel more comfortable with them and vice-versa. Be sure to ask them questions that pertain to your case. These questions can be:

• How many cases have they worked on?
• What were their successes in a civil rights injury case?
• What were their failures in a civil rights injury case?
• What are the difficult points that generally come up in a case?
• What are all of the different things that can be compensated for?

Will Evidence Needs To Be Provided?

Going through a case such as a civil rights injury case can be a confusing and difficult time. These cases tend to have some ambiguity that surrounds them as well as a variety of evidence that will need to be produced to prove how and where the injury occurred. The more evidence that is provided can make for a stronger case. Evidence is something that you and your civil rights injury attorney in Oregon can go over together. Your lawyer understands the different ways of presenting certain evidence as well as what items are more important than others. 

What Kind Of Evidence Is Needed?

There are certain pieces of evidence that may be especially beneficial. A doctor’s note or medical documents will be important to prove that the injury was serious and treated by a doctor. Witness statements may also be helpful if they were at the scene of accident or incident. If police happened to be involved then getting a report from them in writing will also be something that is especially useful. Our lawyers at Andersen & Linthorst will help you with whatever evidence you provide to us and do our best to help bring the justice you deserve for this unfortunate occurrence. 

How Can A Civil Rights Injury Lawyer Help?

A civil rights injury attorney can help in a variety of ways. For example, if someone is facing a civil rights injury legal battle for the first time and does not know what they are doing, then this type of lawyer can help guide them and provide support. They also understand the different nuances and details that go on in these cases. What may seem like an insurmountable problem to surpass for someone with little experience with a case, a lawyer specializing in civil rights injuries may see this as an easy hurdle to overcome. 

How Do Civil Rights Injuries Occur?

Civil rights injuries can happen in a few different ways. However, one of the most common ways results from police using excessive force. This may happen to someone they are attempting to arrest or other individuals for various reasons. Another way in which these injuries occur are from people who attack others for the religion they believe, the gender they are, their race, orientation, and more. If you have been discriminated against violently and it led to injury then speaking with an Oregon civil rights injury lawyer from Andersen & Linthorst is the correct next step to take. Our lawyers can help make you whole again and bring justice for this unfortunate event.

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