Legal Question in Civil Rights Law in Hawaii

i want to sue a police officer

i totaledmy car into a pole on may9th 2008. after i hit the pole i called my husband to tell him what happend, while i was on the phone a cop pulled up and walked over to my car and sreamed @ me to get off the phone and to get out of the car, i got out and told my husband i had to go. after i got off my cell the cop the sreamed again at me asking what was wong with me and what i was think, as i tryed to explain the cop said thats it and grabd a handful of my hair and then flipped me over and slammed me on the ground and put me in handcuffs.then 2 other cops took me to jail. i didnt understand why this all happend, and what in total shock. i had done nothing wrong, i lost control of my car and hit a pole. so i would like to sue the cop that flipped me. can i do this??? and how??


Asked on 7/03/08, 7:54 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Anthony Colleluori The Law Offices of Anthony J. Colleluori & Associates PLLC

Re: i want to sue a police officer

Yes you can, you need to hire a lawyer who knows about civil rights issues. You probably have to file a notice of claim as to state pendent claims and then file a 42 USC 1983 action. You may have limited time to accomplish these things. If they are not done on time, you could lose the entire case.

If you hire a civil rights attorney, expect to pay at least a partial fee against recovery or the whole thing. It is rare for a lawyer to take these cases on a complete contingency basis anymore.

Good Luck.

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Answered on 7/04/08, 12:15 am


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