The government liability/civil rights team at YLAW provides sound advice and pragmatic legal representation to state, county and municipal governments and the private entities with which they contract. We vigorously defend claims involving alleged tortious conduct and constitutional violations while remaining mindful of our clients’ responsibilities to the public they serve. We strive to provide a candid assessment of the client’s exposure at the earliest stage and work with our clients to develop strategies to extinguish liability in order to minimize the impact of a claim on the client’s ability to perform its important public functions.
Because the areas within which the government operates are legion, our team has accumulated a diversity of experience that includes:
- Defense of corrections facility staff and jailers against complaints alleging unconstitutional and otherwise unlawful conditions of confinement.
- Defense of public works departments and authorities against claims of premises liability.
- Defense of public employers against claims of discrimination, retaliation and violation of whistleblower protection laws.
- Defense of claims asserting violations of statutes governing access to public records.
- Defense of law enforcement officers against claims of excessive force, unreasonable search and seizure and misuse of authority.
Regardless of the nature of the claim asserted, our Government Liability/Civil Rights team is highly skilled in conducting targeted discovery and presenting dispositive motions to the court. We routinely identify, preserve, and advance the defenses available to our clients under the New Mexico Tort Claims Act and federal constitutional law to dispose of cases that lack merit or to shepherd a claim into a more favorable settlement posture. When a case cannot be resolved, our litigation team stands ready to develop a trial strategy that serves our clients’ needs.
When confronted with serious allegations of governmental misconduct or civil rights violations, it is important to have a sound defense strategy and an experienced legal team on your side. Let us help you navigate these claims.