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Workers & Their Families

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Civil Rights Abuse

New Jersey maintains a Civil Rights Act. The federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 also, of course, applies in New Jersey. Both acts prohibit anyone from interfering with your constitutional rights under “color” of state law. This means that your rights, as guaranteed by the Bill of Rights — your substantive due process rights, your procedural due process rights, the right to assemble, the right to free speech, and your rights under the Establishment Clause — are all protected civil rights.

Neither the police, nor any other arm of the state, federal or local government may attack, interfere with or take away these rights without potential liability under both the New Jersey State Civil Rights Act and under the Federal Civil Rights Act.

In addition, New Jersey courts and the legislature have both said that your employment rights and your school rights are your civil rights. That means that your rights arising in the workplace and in independent contractor relationships, as well as in schools, under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination and under the Conscientious Employee Protection Act, are also civil rights.

All civil rights harms that are litigated in court permit the recovery of compensatory damages, punitive damages, interest, costs, attorneys’ fees and, where appropriate, equitable remedies. When civil rights violations occur, contact the New Jersey civil rights attorneys at Costello, Mains & Silverman, LLC, who have been litigating these cases in nearly 30 years. The firm has recovered millions in damages for victims of civil rights abuse by the police, by the state and by the government. We have worked with clients suffering from wrongful arrests, wrongful prosecution, police abuse, police intimidation and free speech impingement.

We believe in nothing more highly than that the Constitution is the greatest document America has ever conceived of or that has been conceived of by the mind of man. We believe that America was the first and greatest nation to explore the idea of constitutional government by the consent of the governed. The people who run this state, and the people who carry guns and wear badges, work for you. We don’t have to be afraid of them. Most of them are good, honorable and decent public servants and understand their role in preserving our constitutional democracy. But when they step outside that role, we know how to hold them accountable.

Please call Costello, Mains & Silverman, LLC today at 866-944-3371 (toll-free) or contact us online to arrange a confidential consultation.