The individual rights of personal liberty guaranteed by the Bill of Rights (the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution) and by the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 19th Amendments, as well as by Legislation such as the laws against discrimination in public accommodations, employment, and housing.

Examples of such rights:

• the right to freedom from unreasonable search and seizure
• the right to be free from arrest without a warrant or probable cause
• the right to procedural due process
• the right to freedom of speech and religion
• the right to freedom from discrimination due to national origin, race, gender, sex, age, pregnancy, and disability.

Representative Cases

Settlement August 2019 - Dion Kipp v. Capt. Laubach and Ellis County, Case No. 3:17-cv-1067-S, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division. For three times, Mr. Kipp was seized and handcuffed by Ellis County and taken in the county sheriff’s custody to mental hospitals and left at the hospitals. We represented Mr. Kipp and sued the defendants under 42 USC § 1983 for illegally depriving him of his freedom. The case was settled after the witnesses were deposed.

Turner v. Driver, 848 F.3d 678 (5^th Cir. 2017) - Established that the Right to Film the Police is protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. We were the lead counsel representing Phillip Turner in the trial court and the appellate court.

Click here for the story – http://www.star-telegram.com

Click here for the case – http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov

Agreed Judgment August 2014 -Jennifer Ciravolo, Individually and as Administrator of the Estate of Jonathan William Holden v. Tarrant County, Case No. 4:14-cv-00200-A, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division–lead counsel representing Plaintiff in civil rights 42 USC §1983 case

Click here for the story – http://www.star-telegram.com

Settlement December 2012 – Robert Campbell et al. v City of Lubbock et al, Case No. 5:11-cv-00116-C, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas, Lubbock Division–lead counsel representing Plaintiffs in civil rights 42 USC §1983 case.

Click here for the story – http://amarillo.com/news/latest-news/2012-12-12

Defend Your Constitutional Rights

You can do this by filing suit. Most suits for protection and defense of Civil Rights are filed in federal courts under federal law against federal, state, county, or municipal governments and individuals acting under “color of law” (local police and sheriffs, state police, and federal law enforcement agents, etc). A suit might be filed under a specific statute if there is one for your specific issue or under the statute that applies generally to constitutional rights, 42 U.S.C. 1983.

We would like to use our expansive experience and knowledge of Civil Rights law to help you protect your Civil Rights and represent you with regard to any legal claims you might have.

Altaffer & Chen PLLC believes that our Civil Rights and the right to file suit to protect them help make and keep America one of the greatest countries in the world.

We can all keep America great by protecting our individual Civil Rights.