Q: Can any civil attorney help me with a police misconduct case?
I am currently living in Jersey City, NJ. In Nov 2021, several NJ state police officers searched my home ("Unit #1") and arrested me for two possessing/distributing criminal charges. During the search and arrest, the police officers didn’t show me neither the search warrant nor the receipt of seizure. I was incarcerated in county jail and ICE custody for over a month and therefore lost my job. After I was finally released from custody, I found the cops actually executed a warrant that expired in Oct 2021, and the warrant is for my neighbor "Unit #2". Moreover, they didn't "knock and announce" before the search, and the warrant execution time is beyond the judge's request. Because I am the wrong person arrested, they could not produce any discovery so far, and the case is still in the pre-indictment phase.
I already hired a criminal attorney, and he filed a motion to suppress whatever future discovery. I am urgently seeking a civil attorney to file a lawsuit against those cops.
A: Yes a civil attorney can help you but unfortunately most will require you to pay a retainer and pay their hourly rate. A few that I know of will reduce the hourly rate if you give them a percentage of the case but they are few and far between.
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