Civil Rights

Sasson, Turnbull, Ryan & Hoose has been seeking justice for victims of police misconduct and other official malfeasance for over thirty years. Our work in this arena has been motivated by a belief that those entrusted with the power to enforce laws must be held accountable when they fail to abide by them. Following this principle, we have brought claims for false arrests, malicious prosecutions, excessive force, unconstitutional searches and seizures, wrongful convictions, and the inhumane treatment of prisoners.

These difficult and time-consuming cases require immense skill and perseverance. That’s why we will tell you in advance that we are very selective in taking on matters of this sort. If we do decide to take your case, you can be assured that we will bring to it the same passion and devotion that we do to all of our other work.

We have won important victories for clients abused by police officers and prison guards. But we have also obtained justice for law enforcement officers who acted conscientiously and were mistreated by their superiors. In the 1990’s, we litigated a major voting rights case. In 2004, we spearheaded an effort that resulted in a landmark decision from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court protecting the right to counsel for indigent criminal defendants.

In September 2014, Attorney Hoose and Ryan secured a 1.26 million verdict against a city police officer for causing the death of a young Black man in a police encounter.