Category Archives: Orlando Civil Rights Lawyer
BLM Protestor Files Civil Rights Lawsuit Against Florida Police Over 2022 Eye Injury
According to a report from ABC News, LaToya Ratlieff has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. She was left nearly blind after being struck in the eye by a rubber bullet during a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest following the killing of George Floyd in May of 2020. Here,… Read More »
What Is “Marital Status Discrimination”?
Under most circumstances, a Florida employer can fire–or refuse to hire–a person with or without giving a reason. This is what is known as “at-will” employment. But there are some exceptions to this general rule. Notably, federal and state civil rights laws protect employees and job applicants from discrimination on the basis of certain… Read More »
Federal Court Strikes Down Fort Lauderdale’s Ban On Distributing Food To Homeless Persons In City Park
The First Amendment is well known for protecting freedom of speech. In this context, “speech” is not just public speaking or commentary on political issues. It also includes a wide range of expressive conduct that is meant to convey a social message of some sort. Such expression is also protected under the First Amendment,… Read More »
Does The First Amendment Protect Panhandling?
The First Amendment broadly protects every person’s freedom of speech. This is not limited to political speech. It also protects speech purely designed to advance one’s own interests–even when that may annoy or inconvenience others. Florida Appeals Court Finds Fort Myers Panhandling Ban Unconstitutional For example, courts have consistently held that asking for money… Read More »
Supreme Court Unanimously Holds Police Cannot Search Private Homes Under “Community Caretaking” Exception
Police often provide “community caretaking” functions that are not necessarily related to law enforcement. For example, police often respond to calls to assist a person who may be missing or otherwise in distress. As a general rule, a police officer does not require any sort of warrant to perform these caretaking functions. At the… Read More »
Can A Police Officer Commit Me To A Mental Hospital?
The Baker Act is a Florida law that allows a police officer to order the involuntary commitment of an adult or child for a “mental health examination,” which can last up to 72 hours. The Act was designed to help those who suffer from a genuine mental illness obtain help before they hurt themselves… Read More »
How Civil Rights Laws Also Protect Your Contractual Rights
Civil rights laws do not just protect you from racial discrimination by the government. Many of these laws also apply to private parties as well. For example, 42 U.S.C. § 1981 is a federal statute that guarantees the equal rights of all people to “make and enforce contracts.” This means that if an act of… Read More »
Supreme Court Sides With Suspended Cheerleader Who Cursed On Snapchat
Social media makes it possible for us to communicate with our friends, family, and even complete strangers on a continuous basis. Fortunately, we also have robust protections for freedom of speech in this country, which ensures the government cannot punish us for making critical–even vulgar–statements online. Of course, that has not always stopped certain… Read More »
Supreme Court Allows Police Shooting Victim to Proceed with Civil Rights Lawsuit
The Fourth Amendment protects you against “unreasonable searches and seizures” by the police. This means that if the police use excessive force in the process of detaining or restraining you, that can provide the basis for a federal civil rights lawsuit against the offending officers. But the mere “application of force” by itself does… Read More »
Supreme Court to Hear Important Police Brutality Case Where Innocent Defendant Was Beaten Unconscious
On March 30, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear what may very well turn out to be one of the most notorious police misconduct cases that the high court has ever reviewed in Brownback v. King. Six years ago, local police and the FBI, in partnership, mistook defendant James King for a wanted… Read More »
