Civil Rights
At Friedman, Gilbert + Gerhardstein, we believe that fighting for civil rights is our duty.
Our founding partners, Terry Gilbert and Gordon Friedman, pioneered civil rights work in Northeast Ohio. Though they started the firm as a criminal defense practice, their passion and dedication grew, in part, from witnessing clients and activists suffer civil rights violations at the hands of police and in jails and prisons.
Now, over forty years later, the firm has grown and is widely known for aggressively championing civil rights and winning for our clients. Terry and fellow partners Sarah Gelsomino, Al Gerhardstein, Jacqueline Greene, and Marcus Sidoti work together, pooling their talents and diverse experience. Our team provides bold, dynamic representation for clients and fights back against civil rights violations and wrongdoing by the government, police, and jailers, including:
Police brutality and excessive force
False arrest
Malicious prosecution
Police shootings
Abuse by jailers and prison guards
In-custody death
Jail suicide
Illegal searches
Wrongful conviction
Wrongful imprisonment
Wrongful death
With offices in Cleveland and Cincinnati, we represent clients across Ohio and beyond, with the ability to serve clients nationwide, in both state and federal courts.
We take on groundbreaking cases to not only win justice for our clients but also to expose injustice in our criminal legal system and to hold those in power accountable.
Our track record is strong in representing people in high-profile and complex civil rights cases. We skillfully and aggressively litigate our clients’ cases to victory, putting millions of dollars in the pockets of our clients.
Our dedication is not just to winning—we are also committed to seeking the truth, changing an unjust system, and leaving the world a better place. We know what we do matters not only to our clients and their families, but also to our communities and to the society we live in. How we fight for a single client’s civil rights ultimately protects everyone’s civil rights.
The cases we’ve taken on are significant in meaning and in dollars won for our clients. For example:
$18 million settlement for Cleveland brothers, Kwame Ajamu and Wiley Bridgeman, and their friend, Rickey Jackson, who were wrongfully convicted for nearly 40 years because of police misconduct—the largest settlement in Ohio for a police misconduct case.
$5.5 million jury award for Kenny Smith, who was killed by Cleveland police officer Roger Jones–the highest verdict for a police shooting case in Ohio history.
$300,000 settlement for Solomon Cindea, who was brutalized by Trumbull County Jail officers.
$950,000 settlement for the Estate of Gregory Fox who killed himself in the Cuyahoga County Jail after the County refused to provide him life-saving mental health care.
In coalition with the ACLU and Planned Parenthood, Alphonse Gerhardstein secured a preliminary injunction to enjoin the Ohio Department of Health from applying restrictions on “non-essential” surgical abortions, securing ongoing reproductive freedom for those seeking abortions in Ohio during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Family of slain Darnell Wicker agrees to $1.25 million settlement in the case of fatal shooting by Louisville Metro Police Officer, case establishes need for police to allow a suspect time to respond to their commands.
Many more of our clients’ victories are detailed here.
At Friedman, Gilbert + Gerhardstein, we view civil rights as more than a vision laid out in our Constitution. We fight to protect human rights for all, and we defend and demand respect for the dignity and value of each of our clients’ lives and experiences. We know that protecting civil rights requires checking the power of police and government and demanding truth and accountability. Our civil rights practice embodies these principles in the form of fierce, tireless advocacy for our clients.