Civil and Human Rights Litigation

---

The United States Constitution guarantees certain inalienable rights to everyone in America. When these rights are infringed upon by government officials or other authority figures, it takes an experienced and courageous advocate to stand up for what is right, achieve justice for those injured, and prevent future violations.

DiCello Levit is recognized across the country as a leader in the field of civil and human rights litigation. We represent people who have suffered from discrimination, police misconduct and brutality, sexual harassment and assault, human trafficking, and other violations of individual rights. Our team of visionary advocates have litigated—and won—some of the most significant civil rights cases in modern history, including the landmark trial in Black v. Hicks, a case of shocking police brutality and corruption in which we secured a $50 million jury award against the City of East Cleveland—one of the largest civil rights verdicts for any single person in American history.

“This team represented an Ohio man who was subject to police brutality in a violent arrest, exposing one of the most graphic examples of department-wide police misconduct and corruption in the City of East Cleveland.” —Public Justice

DiCello Levitt is at the forefront of numerous other cases of police brutality, excessive force, wrongful death, and other civil rights abuses, including the case of Jayland Walker, a 25-year-old, unarmed Black man shot more than 40 times by police officers in Akron, Ohio, and the lawsuit against social media companies for their role in the racially motivated mass shooting in Buffalo, New York. We also presently represent more than one hundred plaintiffs in a massive class action lawsuit brought by children and women who allege they were trafficked and raped by fashion mogul Peter Nygard and his business entities.

In recognition of our outstanding work in high-stakes civil rights litigation, our firm was named a finalist in The National Law Journal’s 2023 Elite Trial Lawyers Awards in the civil rights category, and several of our attorneys were awarded Public Justice’s prestigious Trial Lawyer of the Year award in 2021 for their successful prosecution and trial in the Black v. Hicks case.

We are dedicated to achieving justice for those whose rights have been violated—and our attorneys have the experience and expertise to take on the powerful individuals, corporations, and governmental institutions who violate those rights.

Representative Matters

• Arnold Black v. Detective Randy Hicks

DiCello Levitt won a record $50 million civil rights verdict against the City of East Cleveland on behalf of Arnold Black, an innocent man who was detained without probable cause by East Cleveland police and subsequently beaten and locked in a storage closet for four days without food or a toilet. After hearing Black’s horrifying story of police brutality, a Cuyahoga County jury returned the historic verdict—one of the largest civil rights verdicts for any single person in the history of the United States.

• Jane Does 1-57 v. Peter Nygard

DiCello Levitt represents victims of the largest international sex trafficking lawsuit in U.S. history, which alleges that Peter Nygard, the Nygard Companies, and their employees committed a decades-long conspiracy to rape, sexually assault, and traffic hundreds of women and girls.

• Marquetta Williams v. City of Canton, et al.

DiCello Levitt represents James Williams in a civil suit against the City of Canton, Ohio, after one of its police officers shot and killed Williams, a 46-year-old Black man, through a wooden fence without warning. The lawsuit claims the city failed to properly train its officers and has an unwritten policy of “shoot first and ask questions later.”

• Rolle, et al. v. City of Orlando, et al.

DiCello Levitt represents the family of Kaia Rolle, who, at just six years old, was arrested and restrained by police after administrators at her elementary school reported her to authorities. In addition to seeking damages for this traumatizing event, the family is seeking to change Florida’s laws so that children of Kaia’s age and older will no longer have to suffer similar trauma.

• Jada Walker, et al. v. City of Akron

DiCello Levitt represents the family of Jayland Walker in a lawsuit alleging excessive force and unconstitutional police practices against the City of Akron, Ohio, and the eight police officers who brutally shot and killed the unarmed 25-year-old in a hail of more than 90 bullets.

• In the matter re: Randal Worcester

DiCello Levitt is seeking justice for Randal Worcester, a homeless Native American man who was brutally beaten by Arkansas police officers exercising excessive force during an arrest.

• Juan Taylor v. Investigator David Baker, et al.

DiCello Levitt secured the dismissal of 29 baseless counts of arson and four equally baseless counts of attempted murder against Juan Taylor after he spent nearly two agonizing years in jail waiting for justice. In this high-profile case of wrongful incarceration, our attorneys revealed that police officers deliberately created inaccurate summaries of witness statements falsely placing Taylor at the scene of a large apartment complex fire, ignored a solid alibi witness, and lost or destroyed pertinent cellphone data. DiCello Levitt has filed a civil suit alleging the arson investigator and detective falsified information to bring charges against Taylor

• In the matter re: Alvin Motley Jr.

DiCello Levitt co-represented the family of Alvin Motley Jr., a Black man who was shot and killed by a white security guard at a gas station in Tennessee during an argument that erupted after the security guard complained about the loud music playing through Motley’s car stereo system. Alongside co-counsel, our attorneys obtained a settlement that secured accountability from the shooter and the security firm that hired him, which failed to verify the guard’s fabricated police service and legal ability to possess a handgun.

• In the matter re: Brandon Lee Cole

DiCello Levitt represents the family of Brandon Lee Cole, an unarmed father of three who was shot and killed by Denver police in an encounter while holding nothing more than a black marker—in an encounter that lasted just 46 seconds.

• Representing the family of Michael Donnell Jones

DiCello Levitt represents the family of Michael Donnell Jones, a 54-year-old Black man who was tased, shot, and killed by police officers in Akron, Ohio, in an encounter that was unnecessarily escalated by the officers.

• Representing the Family of Frank E. Tyson

DiCello Levitt represents the family of Frank E. Tyson, a 53-year-old Black man who died after being handcuffed and apparently suffocated by police officers in Canton, Ohio, on April 18, 2024.

• Representing the Family of Zachary Fornash

DiCello Levitt represents the family of Zachary Fornash, a 24-year-old father who was shot and killed by police in Canton, Ohio, on December 5, 2023.

• Representing Jaemiier McElroy

DiCello Levitt is seeking justice for Jaemiir McElroy, a 21-year-old Black man who was viciously attacked and hospitalized by a police officer in Canton, Ohio, on August 24, 2024.