Civil Rights
Rape of Sapulpa Student May Implicate Title IX HarassmentPosted in Civil Rights,Criminal Law,Discrimination,Negligence on March 7, 2015
A Sapulpa assistant softball coach was found dead in an apparent suicide after Creek County officials officially charged him in the rape of a 17 year old softball player. If you have questions about Title IX, sexual harassment or gender discrimination, contact the personal injury attorneys at Bryan & Terrill, 918-935-2777 The body of Brad… read more…
Federal Appeals Court: Tasers are not a short-cutPosted in Civil Rights,Excessive Force on February 22, 2015
Use of force events do not occur in a vacuum; they are generally governed by department policies that contain a use of force “spectrum” which define increasing levels of force, and the circumstances that justify moving from one level to the next. The spectrum typically ranges from no-force measures like “officer presence” up to the… read more…
Oklahoma has more prison homicides than any other statePosted in Civil Rights,Jails and Prisons on February 17, 2015
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) show Oklahoma has the highest rate of prison homicides in the nation. While Maryland comes in second, the BJS indicate that Oklahoma inmates are killed at a rate more than three times the national average. According to a story by The Associated Press, Oklahoma officials blame gang violence for giving… read more…
Police Misconduct Clear In Takedown of Indian NationalPosted in Civil Rights,Criminal Law,Excessive Force on February 14, 2015
A widely circulated dashcam video of officer Eric Parker shows him slamming Sureshbhai Patel to the ground causing possible paralysis in a brazen display of police misconduct. Patal, an innocent man, was simply out on a morning walk. The excessive force used by Parker has shed light on a growing problem among law enforcement- police… read more…
Who is responsible for the actions of security guards?Posted in Civil Rights,Excessive Force,Negligence on February 6, 2015
A Tulsa man who was shot in the neck by a security guard may have a cause of action against the guard’s employer and the apartment complex that hired him. On Wednesday, a man and woman were in a vehicle at the Deerfield Estates Apartments located at 88th and Delaware in Tulsa. Reports indicate the… read more…
Was the Terrence Walker shooting justified?Posted in Civil Rights,Excessive Force on January 24, 2015
The last moments of Terrence Walker’s life are captured on video taken from the lapel of Muskogee Police Officer Chansey McMillin. McMillin shot and killed Walker as he fled an investigative detention. McMillin was called to the scene based on a 911 call that Walker had a gun and was threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend…. read more…
Bosh decision clarified by Oklahoma Supreme CourtPosted in Civil Rights,Excessive Force on January 21, 2015
Since the Oklahoma Supreme Court issued its decision in Bosh v. Cherokee County Governmental Building Authority, 2013 OK 9, 305 P.3d 994, granting citizens civil rights under the state constitution, state and federal courts have struggled to determine the general application of that decision. Does Bosh apply to any case implicating a state constitutional right? Or… read more…
Supreme Court to clarify excessive force standardPosted in Civil Rights,Excessive Force on January 21, 2015
Are victims of excessive force required to prove the subjective motivations of their assailant? In other words, must the victim prove that the assailant used force with some intent to harm? For police-citizen encounters, the answer is a well-established “No.” To prove excessive force during a police-citizen encounter, the victim must show the use of… read more…
Can I be arrested for that?Posted in Civil Rights on December 4, 2014
The answer depends on whether your actions violate the law. So how many laws are there? We don’t actually know. In 1982, the Justice Department commissioned a study to determine how many criminal laws actually exist, and the result was complete and total frustration: In a project that lasted two years, the Department compiled a… read more…
How employers fire pregnant women – and get away with itPosted in Civil Rights,Discrimination on December 1, 2014
Because the Pregnancy Discrimination Act does not protect pregnancy complications, employers can terminate pregnant employees who cannot perform certain job functions because of a pregnancy. For example, if an employer would fire a non-pregnant employee for missing work to visit the doctor, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act will not protect a similarly-situated pregnant employee just because… read more…