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Civil and Human Rights Litigation

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The United States Constitution guarantees certain inalienable rights. When these rights are violated by government officials or other authority figures, it takes experienced and courageous advocates to get justice and to send the message that future injustice will not be tolerated. 

DiCello Levitt is recognized across the United States as a leader in the field of civil rights and human rights litigation. We represent people who have faced discrimination, excessive use of force, sexual harassment and assault, human trafficking, and other violations of individual and constitutional rights. Our team of visionary advocates has litigated—and won—some of the most significant civil rights cases in modern history, including the landmark trial victory in Black v. Hicks, a case of extreme police misconduct, in which we secured a $50 million jury verdict against the City of East Cleveland—one of the largest of its kind for any single person in American history. 

DiCello Levitt is at the forefront of cases involving civil and human rights abuses including excessive force, wrongful death, and sexual violence, as well as spearheading the first successful lawsuit against social media companies for their role in the racially motivated mass shooting at the Tops Supermarket in Buffalo, New York. The Firm also represents over 100 women who each allege they were sexually abused and trafficked by Peter Nygard and his affiliated companies. The lawsuit against Nygard also includes allegations by two of his sons who claim their father raped and sexual trafficked them.

This team represented an Ohio man… exposing one of the most graphic examples of department-wide police misconduct and corruption in the City of East Cleveland.

Public Justice

In recognition of DiCello Levitt’s outstanding work in high-stakes civil rights litigation, the firm was named the Civil Rights Law Firm of the Year in 2024 by ALM and The National Law Journal, 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 trial. 

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

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, a completely innocent man who East Cleveland officers severely beat and then locked in a storage closet for four days without food or access to a bathroom. After learning of the suffering of Black at the hands of the city, 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 participated a decades-long conspiracy to rape, sexually assault, and traffic hundreds of women and girls. After DiCello Levitt exposed Nygard and his companies in a historic lawsuit, law enforcement agencies in the United States and Canada followed suit with multiple criminal indictments.

More Representative Matters
Jada Walker, et al. v. City of Akron

DiCello Levitt successfully represented the family of Jayland Walker against the City of Akron, Ohio, where officers shot and killed the unarmed 25-year-old in a hail of more than 90 bullets as Jayland ran away from them. In addition to securing a multimillion dollar settlement on behalf of Walker’s family, DiCello Levitt supported the creation of a nine-member Citizens’ Police Oversight board, which Akron residents voted to establish just months after Walker’s death.

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, zip-tied, and booked by officers after her elementary school reported the first grader to authorities for having a temper tantrum. Kaia’s family enlisted DiCello Levitt in hopes of ensuring that six-year-old little boys and girls who suffer temper tantrums won’t be subjected to being treated like adult criminal offenders.