Defending Government Entities and their Officers and Employees

Our Civil Rights and Governmental Liability team defends against constitutional and Civil Rights claims. We defend a variety of state, county, municipal, and local governmental entities in matters involving constitutional issues, Civil Rights statutes (such as 42 U.S.C. §§ 1981 & 1983), and the Mississippi Tort Claims Act.

Who We Represent

Our team has successfully represented both individuals and entities, including state and local law enforcement, cities and towns, social workers, and many other city and state departments. Our attorneys have litigated cases in both federal and state court involving alleged police misconduct, excessive force, wrongful death, intentional misconduct, and negligence.

We have likewise defended governmental entities and their officers or employees in cases involving claims under Mississippi state law, such as:

• False arrest and imprisonment
• Assault and battery
• Negligence
• Reckless disregard
• Intentional infliction of emotional distress
• Breach of contract
• Detrimental reliance

Our Defense

Recent matters have included the defense of various federal Section 1981/1983 claims, including alleged violations pertaining to:

• Substantive and procedural due-process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment
• The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, and
• The Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment.

These various cases involved claims ranging from excessive police force, to falsification of documents by a social worker, to the failure of a municipality to provide water service.

Whether state or federal, cases like these require knowledge of procedural pitfalls as well as vigorous defense on the merits, all of which our team efficiently provides.