Municipal Liability Services
Municipalities and public officials face greater public scrutiny than ever before. Numerous complex laws affect these public bodies and personnel making the potential for lawsuits a very real threat. The litigation that can arise against municipal entities and their officials is varied and run the gamut from tort claims arising from use of public property to civil rights lawsuits stemming from almost every area of operation.
At NZA, we pride ourselves on our extensive experience advising and representing municipalities, municipal authorities, educational institutions, school districts and public agencies in the Chicago land area and throughout the States of Illinois and Indiana. Many of our lawyers have served with the local County State’s Attorney’s offices and have a foundation for working with the municipalities in the Countries they served. This experience has facilitated relationships with towns and personnel throughout each state.
NZA’s municipal services are comprehensive, and we have defended a wide range of governmental entities in state and federal court, and engaged in various types of alternative dispute resolution. Over the years, NZA has represented public bodies and public officials in almost every aspect of their operations, including:
- housing matters
- contract and bidding disputes
- eminent domain
- collective bargaining agreements and disputes
- building and zoning litigation
- mechanics liens
- statutory compliance and disclosure and information access laws
NZA attorneys have successfully defended municipal clients against claims of statutory and constitutional rights violations, often winning on summary judgment. NZA has also defended municipalities against claims of property damage, including damage arising from catastrophic events. Additionally, NZA has defended against matters alleging personal injury resulting from poorly designed or maintained roadways and public properties.
NZA’s municipal liability group routinely represents cities, counties, sheriff’s departments, and police departments. We represent them in litigation involving law enforcement activities, such as:
- false imprisonment
- excessive force
- false arrest
- unlawful search and seizures
- malicious prosecution
- due process violations
- prisoner rights claims
In fact, because of NZA lawyers’ expertise, NZA has been called to defend municipalities in complex civil rights litigation in other states including Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York to name a few. Representative matters include:
- Successfully defending claims of various exonerated plaintiffs after serving prison terms (between less than a year up to 20 years) alleging police misconduct in the criminal investigations leading to their conviction.
- Defending a downstate Illinois town against a claim of First Amendment violation during a political campaign.
- Protecting a town against claims of violations of constitutional property rights involving zoning ordinances.
- A defense verdict in the Northern District of Illinois involving excessive force claims against a suburban police department.
- Successfully defended municipality in reverse discrimination claim stemming from hiring practices in a police department.
- Successfully defended county against wage violation alleged by union winning on dispositive motions.
- Defending through trial wrongful imprisonment cases brought by an infamous Detroit plaintiff’s attorney against a large municipality and its prosecuting attorneys. The cases involved a notorious crime; the convictions for which were overturned on appeal after the court determined that the expert evidence was unreliable.