Civil Rights.

What Are Civil Rights?

Civil rights are the basic freedoms and legal protections that every person in the United States is entitled to. These rights are meant to make sure everyone is treated fairly and equally by the government, schools, employers, and others who have power over people’s lives.

Your civil rights include things like:

  • The right to equal treatment — regardless of your race, religion, gender, or background

  • The right to freedom of speech and religion

  • The right to vote and participate in public life

  • The right to be free from discrimination at work, in housing, and in public places

  • The right to fair treatment by police and government officials

When any of these rights are violated — for example, if you’re unfairly targeted by law enforcement, denied opportunities because of who you are, or treated unequally by a school or public agency — your civil rights may have been violated.

What Are Civil Rights Lawsuits?

A civil rights lawsuit is a legal action that someone can take when their civil rights have been violated. It’s how people fight back when the government, police, or another public institution acts unfairly or illegally.

These lawsuits can arise from situations such as:

  • Police misconduct (like excessive force or wrongful arrest)

  • Discrimination in employment, education, or housing

  • Retaliation for speaking up or exercising your rights

  • Unlawful searches or seizures

  • Denial of due process, such as being punished without a fair hearing

Civil rights lawsuits aren’t about revenge — they’re about justice and accountability. They can result in compensation for harm done to you, changes to unfair policies, or court orders requiring an agency or institution to act lawfully moving forward.

Our firm takes these cases seriously because they often involve deep personal harm — and because holding powerful entities accountable helps make the system fairer for everyone.

Fighting for Accountability. Standing Up for Human Dignity.

At Qureshi Law, we represent people whose most fundamental rights have been violated—by governments, corporations, and institutions that abuse their power. Our civil rights practice is built on a simple belief: no one is above the law.

We handle complex cases across the country involving police misconduct, jail and prison abuse, and other violations of constitutional and human rights. Our team has taken on some of the largest and most powerful entities in the nation, and we have won record-setting results for the people they harmed.

In 2025, Qureshi Law obtained a record-breaking $42.75 million federal jury verdict on behalf of the family of Erie Moore, Sr., who died after being brutally abused in a private jail in Louisiana. The verdict—the largest ever against a private correctional company in U.S. history and the largest civil rights verdict in Louisiana history—sent a clear message: corporations that profit from incarceration must be held accountable when they disregard human life and dignity.

In another landmark civil rights case, Omar Qureshi won a $45 million jury verdict on behalf of two young students with autism who were abused by a school employee at Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. The jury found that the District violated the students’ civil rights, including California’s Ralph Civil Rights Act, by failing to protect them from violence and covering up the abuse. It was one of the largest jury verdicts in the country in 2022 and a historic victory for accountability and child safety.

Our attorneys have also represented survivors of abuse in schools, residential facilities, and other institutions. We have successfully litigated cases on behalf of children with special needs who were abused by school district employees, employees who were discriminated against because of their race, gender, or religion, and individuals who were seriously injured due to official misconduct or indifference.

Every civil rights case we take is about more than compensation—it’s about restoring dignity, exposing systemic injustice, and creating change that protects others. We work closely with our clients to uncover the truth, tell their stories powerfully, and hold those responsible fully accountable.

Areas of Civil Rights Representation

  • Police and Correctional Misconduct – Excessive force, denial of medical care, wrongful death, and abuses in jails, prisons, and detention centers.

  • Discrimination and Retaliation – Race, sex, religion, disability, and other forms of discrimination by government employers and agencies.

  • Abuse in Schools and Institutions – Physical, sexual, and emotional abuse of children and adults by school staff, residential care facilities, or medical providers.

  • Government Negligence and Misconduct – Violations of due process, failure to protect, and official indifference to known dangers.