Civil Rights

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.