Williamsport Civil Rights Lawyer
At Schemery Zicolello, we serve clients in the Williamsport area, as well as throughout Pennsylvania, in a range of civil rights matters. In fact, we are one of the few law firms in Central Pennsylvania with extensive experience representing clients in civil rights lawsuits.
Attorney Michael J. Zicolello has been representing clients in civil rights lawsuits for over 30 years. Civil rights lawsuits can be broken down into two categories: employment discrimination and other violations of federally secured rights by state or local government officials.
Employment Discrimination Attorneys
Civil rights employment discrimination cases are based on violations of Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act. These types of claims involve employment-related discrimination on the basis of sex, race, religion, age, disability or retaliation. If you feel you are the victim unlawful employment discrimination or employment-related sexual harassment, you should contact Schemery Zicolello immediately.
It is important to understand your rights while you are still employed. If you are no longer employed, the statute of limitations for such claims is very short. You have only 180 days from the discriminatory act to file your complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.
Skilled, Experienced And Caring Advocacy
Civil rights also include the great variety of claims based upon the violation of an individual’s federally secured rights by state government. Action by the state government is not limited to actions by state employees; it also includes police officers, local government officials, school district employees and even employees of state-funded universities.
Civil rights claims are generally thought of in the context of claims against police officers for use of excessive force, unlawful detentions, false arrests or malicious prosecution. However, there are many, many varieties of civil rights claims.
Types of Civil Rights Claims
We have successfully represented clients obtaining settlements and jury verdicts in claims against the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, local townships, school districts, police officers and state universities. These claims have involved instances of:
- police officers falsely charging clients,
- children being subjected to abuse by school officials,
- failure of school officials to protect children from abuse,
- and even local officials banning citizens from public meetings.
While there are many varieties of civil right claims, they all share one similarity: They all involve individuals whose federally guaranteed rights have been violated by someone acting on behalf of the government. Federally guaranteed rights include all rights secured by the United States Constitution or any federal law.
When you are in a situation where you feel your rights may have been violated, you need an experienced civil rights attorney to properly evaluate your case. Only an experienced lawyer can properly evaluate the merits and value of your claim, and take it to trial if necessary.
We Are Here To Help ∙ Free Initial Consultations
Please email or call our law office to arrange for a free initial consultation to discuss your specific legal concerns and learn your rights: 570-321-7554.
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Master’s Decision
Obtained a Master’s decision while representing Husband which denied Wife spousal support due to infidelity and indignities.
View Case SummaryExpungement
Obtained an overturned finding of child abuse and expungement of said child abuse from the Department of Human Services in an appeal while representing a Mother who administered corporal punishment. Mother’s employment and career was directly impacted by finding of child abuse until expungement was obtained.
View Case SummaryDivorce
Represented Wife in divorce and wherein Husband claimed over $24,000 in marital home damages by Wife. Following a Trial wherein we convinced the Court of the baselessness of Husband’s claims, Husband was awarded only $442.
View Case SummaryFather’s Rights
Filed a Petition in court on behalf of a Father whose ex-wife was attempting to move with their child to another State. After a hearing obtained a trial court decision which prevented Mother from relocating with their child to another State.
View Case SummaryWidow’s Benefits
Client who was widowed as a result of her husband’s fatal work-related accident. A claim for widow benefits was filed and negotiated a lump sum settlement of $553,000.
View Case SummarySlip and Fall at Work
Represented gas industry worker who fell on ice in the winter in the evening at a well site on State Park land in Clinton County, PA. suffering a compound ankle fracture requiring internal fixation with screws in a Workers Compensation Claim which was eventually resolved for a lump sum payment of $300,000. Also represented client […]
View Case SummaryInjury at Work
A corrections officer injured his back at work, and the state tried to terminate his benefits on the basis of an insurance company’s doctor’ opinion of full recovery. Through simultaneous litigation before the Pennsylvania Workers Compensation Office and the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, the officer settled his case for over $200,000 plus medical benefits and […]
View Case SummaryInjury at Work
A retired man was hired to drive trucks over the road for an employer. He suffered a low back and hip injury while in Kansas on his first trip. The employer denied it had hired the injured employee and contended that he was an independent contractor, an argument that would have made him ineligible for […]
View Case SummaryWork-Related Arthritis
An employee with severe arthritis believed that her repetitive work duties had caused her to be disabled from work due to severe arthritis in both hands. After several rounds of litigation with the employer disputing the repetitive and physically demanding work that the Claimant had been performing for the employer for the last fifteen years, […]
View Case SummaryInjury at Work
An employee from Williamsport, PA working as a heavy equipment operator suffered a work injury which the employer and its insurance company formally described only as a left knee strain. Schemery Zicolello filed a Petition to Review Compensation Benefits to expand the description of injury to include the diagnosis of “anterior cruciate ligament tear along […]
View Case SummaryWork-Related Herniated Disc
Our Client, a 58 year old food service delivery driver, slipped while making a delivery and suffered a disc herniation at L4-L5. After hiring Schemery Zicolello, the Client began receiving Workers’ Compensation benefits for his work-related back injury. The employer and its insurance company then hired a vocational expert to perform a Labor Market Survey […]
View Case SummaryWidow’s Benefits
Our Client was a widow whose husband had died in a work-related accident in March of 2013, and as a result, she was receiving weekly wage loss benefits under the Workers’ Compensation Act. These wage loss benefits were payable to her as a surviving spouse until she remarried or unless it was determined that she […]
View Case SummaryCorrupt Organizations, Conspiracy and Possession With Intent to Deliver
Allentown man who was facing twenty plus years for Corrupt Organizations, Conspiracy and Possession With Intent to Deliver more than 1000 grams of heroin, turns down a 15 year guilty plea offer before trial. After the prosecution presents 6 of 12 witnesses during two days of trial, the Senior Deputy Attorney General agrees to a […]
View Case SummaryAggravated Assault and Recklessly Endangering Another Person
College student found not guilty and avoids a three-year state prison sentence. After a two day trial in Clinton County, the jury accepted the self-defense argument and acquitted a Lock Haven University Sophomore of Aggravated Assault and Recklessly Endangering Another Person.
View Case SummaryCommonwealth v. Brad Hornberger – Justification Defense Works
A Lycoming County Jury returned a verdict of not guilty for Mr. Hornberger who was charged with Former Felon in Possession of a Firearm after he is found carrying a shot gun while hunting with his son. With his client facing a mandatory five-year state sentence and a state parole violation, Attorney Kyle Rude presented […]
View Case SummaryCommonwealth v. Candice Steinbacher – Motion for Judgement Acquittal Granted
Motion for Judgment of Acquittal for a Driving Under the Influence (DUI) prosecution was granted by Lycoming County President Judge Nancy L. Butts, after Attorney Kyle Rude argues that the Commonwealth could not prove Ms. Steinbacher was in actual physical control of a motor vehicle. Ms. Steinbacher was arrested after Williamsport City Police believed she […]
View Case SummaryCommonwealth v. Geneda Turner – Not Guilty – Battered Woman Syndrome
Northumberland County Jury returns a not guilty verdict for Aggravated Assault. Facing a mandatory five-year state sentence, Geneda Turner was acquitted after presenting a “battered woman syndrome” defense after shooting shot her paramour outside her residence. Attorney Kyle Rude convinced the jury that Ms. Turner was acting in self-defense after years of abuse at the […]
View Case SummaryChild Custody
Mother receives primary custody of children after custody trial in Union County. Mother filed to modify a joint custody order by requesting primary custody of her two children. Father also filed asking for primary custody. After a hearing, the Judge found Father to be unstable and resentful against Mother. The Judge granted Mother primary custody […]
View Case SummaryDivorce
Lawyer negotiates $50,000 lump sum alimony payment to Wife despite claim of adultery during marriage in contentious divorce case. Wife received lump sum payment of alimony in addition to fifty percent of the marital assets after aggressive negotiations of a Marital Settlement Agreement. Husband refused to pay alimony on the grounds that Wife committed adultery. […]
View Case SummaryChild Custody
Man granted joint custody of non-biological child in Centre County. Despite having no biological connection to the child, he was granted joint physical and legal custody. The court found that since he raised the child since birth and raised the child as his own, he had the right to request the same custody as a […]
View Case SummaryChild Custody
Mother successfully terminates Father’s parental rights after hearing. Mother successful terminated the parental rights of the child’s birth father after a hearing in Luzerne County. The court found that Father’s lack of involvement with the child showed a settled purpose to abandon his parental duties. The child was then successfully adopted by Mother’s husband.
View Case SummaryAdoption
Grandparent successfully adopts grandchild. The Lycoming County court approved a Petition by the Grandmother to adopt two of her grandchildren. The court found that the Grandmother was like another mother to the children and that the adoption was in the children’s best interests.
View Case SummaryPetition to Home School
Mother successfully fights Petition to Home School child. After a hearing, the Lycoming County court agreed with Mother that home schooling was inappropriate despite Father’s insistence that Home Schooling would increase his bond with the child and the child’s spiritual faith.
View Case SummaryFather’s Rights
Father saves $150,000 in child support. The court in Clinton County upheld a provision in a Marital Settlement Agreement granting Father a $150,000 credit towards his child support obligation. Mother appealed the decision to the Superior Court claiming the credit was not valid and Father should pay thousands of dollars in support each month. The […]
View Case SummarySSD – Bipolar Disorder, Depression & Anxiety
Obtained a fully favorable decision in a social security disability claim for disabilities including bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety.
View Case SummarySSD – Spherocytosis, Anxiety & Depression
Obtained a fully favorable decision in a social security disability claim for disabilities including spherocytosis, degenerative disc disease, anxiety, and depression.
View Case SummarySSD – Lumbar Herniated Discs
A social security disability claim which was partially favorable after a hearing, was remanded for a new hearing after appeal, and ultimately secured a fully favorable decision for disability caused by lumbar herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, and bilateral sacroiliitis.
View Case SummarySSD – Physical & Mental Disabilities
Successfully obtained social security disability benefits, including back benefits for a period of 5 years, for physical disabilities including back, knee, hip, and foot problems causing chronic pain and mental disabilities including anxiety and depression.
View Case SummarySexual Harassment
Represented a female employee in a retaliation claim against the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Our client was suspended and terminated after she complained of sexual harassment and a hostile work environment at the hands of her supervisors. Some of the reported conduct included unwelcomed emails and statements of a sexual nature, screaming at and belittling […]
View Case SummarySexual Harassment and Retaliation
Represented a female employee in a state retaliation claim against a nonprofit employer. Our client was terminated after she opposed and reported several incidents of sexual harassment by an individual performing work at the workplace. Successfully obtained settlement on behalf of plaintiff. (confidentiality agreement)
View Case SummarySexual Harassment
Schemery Zicolello represented a female county solicitor in federal claims for retaliation and sexual harassment against a county and county officials. The solicitor had reported several incidents of misconduct and wrongdoing with respect to a county official. The same county official also continuously engaged in conduct intended to harass and intimidate women in the workplace, […]
View Case SummaryCivil Rights Case
At Schemery Zicolello, we believe protecting Civil Rights to be a calling. Civil Rights are important to all of us. These are rights that are intended to protect us from the intentional conduct or deliberate indifference of government officials regardless of our race, religion, or wealth. Not many law firms practice in this area of […]
View Case SummaryMalicious Prosecution
Officer Brian Dixon charged Anthony Werman with attempted murder of a police officer when Dixon was responding to a domestic disturbance claiming that Werman attacked Dixon with a six inch Alaskan Ulu knife raised above his head while Dixon was attempting to enter the apartment to investigate. Sargent Gregory Neeper signed an affidavit swearing to […]
View Case SummaryUnlawful Seizure of Property
A husband and wife who were avid Little League pin collectors designed and produced a little league pin commemorating the Williamsport Police Department. Williamsport Police Captain Raymond Kontz III came to their home, threatened their arrest for producing and possessing the pins without the City’s “approval”, and confiscated the pins without a search warrant. The […]
View Case SummarySexual Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation
The City of Sunbury Police Department had 3 female employees: a Police Officer; Meter Person; and a Police Records Clerk. After the rank and file officers, a Police Sargent, and the Mayor began to subject the female officer to various forms of sexual harassment and unfair treatment simply because she was the only female Police […]
View Case SummaryMotorcycle Accident
Represented Motorcycle driver who was struck by a pizza delivery vehicle in an intersection suffering a laceration injury to his ankle which eventually required same day surgery in the nature of a Tarsal Tunnel Release. Case was settled prior to Trial for $95,000.
View Case SummaryMotorcycle Accident
Represented motorcycle driver who dumped his bike when a truck pulled out in front of him. He suffered road rash and shoulder injuries requiring physical therapy. A lawsuit was filed in Federal Court and settled prior to trial for $90,0000.
View Case SummaryPassenger Injuries
Client was an elderly woman who suffered multiple broken bones while a passenger in a vehicle driven by her husband who had crossed into the opposing traffic lane and struck a truck. Claim settled without having to file a lawsuit for $300,000.
View Case SummaryCar Crash
Client was injured in an automobile accident when struck by another vehicle while he was stopped at a stop sign. He suffered a herniated lumbar disc requiring surgery. A claim against the driver of the vehicle who struck him was settled for the driver’s policy limit of $50,000 and an Underinsured Motorist claim for Client’s […]
View Case SummarySlip and Fall
Represented gas industry worker who fell on ice in the winter in the evening at a well site on State Park land in Clinton County, PA. suffering a compound ankle fracture requiring internal fixation with screws in a claim Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and Precision Drilling Corporation. Both companies denied liability contending they were not responsible […]
View Case SummaryCar Crash
Represented two plaintiffs who were injured in a motor vehicle accident on the PA Turnpike after they were struck from behind when traffic in front of them stopped. Between them, they sustained multiple injuries, including neck and back injuries, a rotator cuff tear, broken wrist, and all over contusions. In a Personal Injury claim alleging […]
View Case SummaryCar Crash
The client was injured when struck directly on the passenger side of her vehicle due to the uninsured driver traveling too fast as he approached an intersection after a snow storm. We took the necessary steps to determine the lack of any available insurance for the at fault driver and placed the client’s insurance company […]
View Case SummaryDog Bite
A young woman who was jogging on a public street was attacked and scratched on her face by a dog owned by a couple who routinely permitted their dog to roam without restraint. The victim had a small scar on her face, but did not require any follow up care after the date of injury, […]
View Case SummaryCar Crash
Our client’s vehicle was struck when another driver pulled out from a stop sign and failed to yield the right of way. The accident caused multiple injuries to our client’s knee, hip, hand, and wrist, requiring hospitalization and knee surgery. After filing a lawsuit in county court, we negotiated a settlement of $77,400.
View Case SummaryMotorcycle Accident
Our Client was driving her motorcycle when a car suddenly made a left turn directly into her path. She suffered multiple trauma including a right scaphoid fracture, a left distal radius fracture, and a left superior pubic ramus fracture. While hospitalized, she underwent an open reduction and internal fixation for her left distal radius fracture. […]
View Case SummarySlip and Fall
Client, an off work pipeline welder, slipped on ice concealed in a pool of water on a parking lot while visiting a metal fabrication shop to have his truck repaired. As a result of the fall he broke his ankle and was unable to work for several months. The metal fabrication shop and its insurance […]
View Case SummaryDog Bite
While tending to his front lawn a man was attacked by a neighbor’s dog when the dog pulled away from its owner who was walking it on a leash. As a result of the attack the man eventually required surgery due to nerve damage caused by a puncture wound when the dog bit down on […]
View Case SummaryWrongful Death/Medical Malpractice
Following surgery to remove a perforated gangrenous appendix, patient who also suffered from cirrhosis was followed by only one post-operative appointment reporting abdominal pain, no appetite, bloating, abdominal distention, fatigue, night sweats, nasal drainage, wheezing and headache. Despite these symptoms and the fact that examination notes during his hospitalization for the appendectomy indicated that he […]
View Case SummaryMedical Malpractice
Surgeon and hospital staff failed to confirm proper placement of implanted power port by drawing blood. After patient was discharged to home, nourishment was administered through the improperly placed power port flooding her chest cavity. She suffered a bilateral pleural effusion requiring emergency treatment, chest tube insertion, intubation, and was hospitalized for two weeks. The […]
View Case Summary