civil rights

How Chester’s bankruptcy puts civil rights cases on pause

Oxman said it is devastating for his clients, even the ones for whom he has not formally filed cases.

“I have at least a half dozen of those. The question is, do I even move forward with them if I know there’s no way I will be able to collect a claim for my client,” Oxman said.

But one of the more remarkable things about a municipal bankruptcy is that it doesn’t matter if someone has already filed an actual lawsuit or not.

“The question is when the claim arose, when the harm was, and when did that happen? And so if someone was harmed before or during the bankruptcy, if that’s when the alleged police brutality or other civil rights violations or other personal injury has happened, they’re going to be considered a creditor in this case, whether they file a lawsuit or not,” Jacoby said.

Attorneys might steer away from Chester clients ‘if there isn’t any money to collect’

In any personal injury case, whether it’s police misconduct, a motor vehicle accident, or even a medical malpractice case, attorneys for the plaintiff take these cases on a contingent fee basis.

According to Oxman, a vast majority of

Read the rest