School and Police Misconduct, Civil Rights
New Jersey Attorneys Experienced With Teacher, Police and Corrections Misconduct, Harassment, Other Civil Rights Issues and Government Liability
The Law Offices of Shelley L. Stangler, P.C. is uniquely qualified to help those whose civil rights have been violated. Shelley L. Stangler obtained a $1.3 million recovery on behalf of a mother whose son died as a result of police brutality, establishing one of the highest such awards in New Jersey history. She is an experienced litigator in this field, having represented the City of New York during her first several years in practice. As a Corporation Counsel for the City of New York, Ms. Stangler was in the courtroom nearly every day and presented well over 100 cases to juries.
We are a small firm but we have the resources and experience to handle any case. Civil rights cases currently being handled by our lawyers involve such issues as:
- Police misconduct
- School misconduct
- Harassment
- Correction facilities
- Police procedure
- Municipal negligence
- Violations of Civil Rights resulting in Wrongful Death
A multitude of state and federal laws apply to these cases, many of which are designed to prevent these types of cases from being brought. The concept of "Sovereign Immunity," meaning that the government cannot be held accountable for misconduct or negligence has been incorporated into our New Jersey Statutes, Title 59, N.J.S.A. The interpretation of Title 59 has many nuances under the case law and any attorney handling these cases must be well experienced in this statute. In addition to substantive issues, New Jersey law is among many states that impose deadlines for the filing of initial claims, called "Notice of Claim." These deadlines are very harsh and generally require some kind of a written filing within 30 to 90 days. If they are not met you cannot bring a lawsuit. It does not matter generally whether a person is aware of the law or not.
Sometimes a claim can be brought under certain federal laws which may obviate the need for the Notice of Claim or permit you to bring claims you might be prohibited from bringing under New Jersey state law.
Cases involving municipal liability, such as improper design or maintenance of a highway, improper signage, allowing a dangerous condition to exist, and the use of excessive force by a law enforcement officer often involve difficult and time consuming document discovery (the litigation procedure used for getting access to documents and information to prove your case) and the use of expert witnesses. A competent lawyer must look for evidence of prior lawsuits, claims, meeting minutes, and get through the maze of the government's agencies and bureaucracy in order to establish a case. Generally the government is not forthcoming in providing information, and a great deal of motion practice (applications to the judge) is often required to force the disclosure of important information.
However, our law firm's ability in accomplishing such difficult discovery has resulted in significant settlements for our clients. Ms. Stangler's experience as a corporation counsel for New York City has provided the background needed to properly investigate and litigate these types of claims.
Contact Us
We provide the kind of close, attentive client service that can come from a small firm. Ms. Stangler and her attorneys of counsel deal personally with every client and every case, and are always available for questions. They are honest with clients about the strengths and weaknesses of their lawsuits and always keep them informed about case developments.
Contact us for a free initial consultation with a lawyer about your school, police misconduct or other governmental or civil rights issue. Evening appointments are available. Our legal assistant speaks Spanish fluently. We have law offices in Springfield, New Jersey and New York City. For your convenience we can arrange to meet you at a location near your home. We travel throughout New Jersey and make appearances in courts around the state. We help clients in Jersey City, Springfield, Linden, Rahway, Union, Middlesex County, Union County, East Orange, Plainfield, Bergen county, Morris county, Hudson county, Monmouth county, Summit, Westfield, Millburn, Chadham, Hillside, Cranford, Scotch Plains, Livingston, Essex County and many other areas of New Jersey.
