Legal Question in Civil Rights Law in California

Generally speaking you had 6 months to file a claim against te officer/police department and failing that another 6 months to file a late claim. You must file a governmental claim before you sue in state court. However if you allege civil rights violations under 42 USC 1983 then you can file in Federal court and you don�t need to file a governmental claim first. In a 1983 action you would have two years from eh date of the incident to file your Federal lawsuit.

Have you tried contacting the ACLU about your case yet, because that would be my first recommendation on who to call.

Good luck and hope this helps.