Constitutional Law
& Civil Rights Defense

KSLN’s Constitutional Law and Civil Rights Defense team is led by Shannon O’ Connor, Esq., a former government and municipal attorney with years of experience in a Corporation Counsel’s office. Our Constitutional Law and Civil Rights Defense team has served as counsel in numerous cases involving Constitutional principles, due process, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Rehabilitation Act, Fair Housing Act, and various state law and policies.  Our clients include public entities and private enterprises.  We handle complex investigations and witness testimony, as well as manage extensive documentary evidence and support. Each member of our Constitutional Law and Civil Rights Defense team is passionate and knowledgeable possessing extensive experience in civil rights and constitutional law.  We offer a full range of services including investigation, discovery, and litigation.  Such insight and experience enable us to be well-versed in the nuances of these areas of law, with defenses available to public sector clients.

 

KSLN’s knowledge of working with public safety agencies and law enforcement from daily operations to community policing provides unique insight on potential areas of exposure with allegations of police or public official misconduct.  Our team is admitted to practice in all four federal district courts in New York as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. 

 

KSLN takes pride in our vast experience and knowledge in representing and defending public officials in state and federal courts against claims of civil and constitutional rights violations. This area of law is complex, carrying significant risks and potential liabilities when litigating claims under 42 U.S.C. §1983.  Successfully navigating complex and intricate fact patterns requires a thorough understanding of how to effectively build a successful record during the discovery process to mitigate exposure and damages and be successful at trial.

 

Our Constitutional Law and Civil Rights Defense team consists of specialists in §1983 litigation, boasting over fifteen years of experience handling constitutional claims.  We have achieved successful defenses and no cause verdicts in cases involving alleged violations of the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments, including a notable no-cause verdict in a deadly force officer-involved shooting case.  Few firms can match this wealth of experience working with police departments, police administrations, and officers across New York State.

 

We work proactively and in collaboration with named defendants in these actions as these cases often involve additional scrutiny from media, oversight agencies, and the public.  

 

• First Amendment in Protest Litigation, Employment, or Retaliatory Arrests

• Fourth Amendment, Investigatory Stops, Search and Seizure

• False Imprisonment and Malicious Prosecution

• Excessive Force and Deadly Force (Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments)

• Officer Involved Shootings

• Doctrine of Qualified Immunity

• Wrongful Incarceration

• Brady / Giglio Issues

• Deliberate Indifference

• Procedural and Substantive Due Process claims

• 42 U.S.C. §1981, §1983, §1985

• Monell Litigation, Custom and Practice, and Failure to Train

• Pattern and Practice Litigation with the United States Department of Justice

• New York State Attorney General’s Office of Law Enforcement Misconduct Investigative Office (LEMIO) Investigations

• Fair Housing Act Violations