Cases

All of our briefs are linked on their respective case pages. If they are helpful to you as an attorney or pro se litigator, please feel welcome to use them.

Hageman v. Billups
Appellate Litigation Phoebe Mesard Appellate Litigation Phoebe Mesard

Hageman v. Billups

Mr. Hageman was quietly reading his bible in his cell when five correctional officers forcibly removed him from his bunk and took him to segregation, nominally not because he had done anything wrong but for his own protection. Although he was not resisting, they handcuffed him and pulled on the chain, breaking his wrist and cutting his hands.

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Johnson v. McCowan
Affirmative Litigation Phoebe Mesard Affirmative Litigation Phoebe Mesard

Johnson v. McCowan

Corey Johnson was the victim of a gruesome canine attack as he was lying motionless and face down on the ground with his arms extended outward. Mr. Johnson’s right wrist and arm were mauled, and he was dragged several feet by the dog. The Virginia Department of Corrections continues to allow the use of unmuzzled canines to terrify and attack people in order to ensure their compliance with prison guard orders.

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Vette v. Sanders
Appellate Litigation Phoebe Mesard Appellate Litigation Phoebe Mesard

Vette v. Sanders

The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund along with Rights Behind Bars represents Eric Vette, who alleges he was subject to excessive force by the police when even after being restrained by the police he was punched, hit with a dog chain, and bit by a police dog.

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McCoy v. Alamu
Appellate Litigation Phoebe Mesard Appellate Litigation Phoebe Mesard

McCoy v. Alamu

Rights Behind Bars, along with the MacArthur Justice Center, represents Prince McCoy, an incarcerated man in Texas who was sprayed in the face with mace by a prison guard for no reason other than the guard's frustration with a different person.

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