In The News
The newsworthy nature of civil rights cases means our attorneys are often featured in the media, both for interviews regarding current cases we represent and as an outside commentators.
via Alex Ross, KOB4 ROSWELL N.M. – The ACLU of New Mexico has filed a lawsuit against Chaves County and the state’s Law Enforcement Academy, accusing the sheriff of failing to provide proper training to deputies who killed a suspect. “I
4 Investigates: Lawsuits target lack of ‘meaningful investigation’ in Albuquerque rape cases
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A pair of lawsuits by Albuquerque rape victims say that, for years, thousands of untested rape kits perpetuated their own misery and struck fear into women across the city.
The Albuquerque Police Department said last year that it had eliminated its backlog of some 5,000 untested rape kits, but the lawsuits show just how agonizing the wait was as victims wondered about their attackers—both known and unknown—and who else might have fallen victim to them.
“There are serial rapists who continue to walk our streets because we haven’t taken these crimes seriously and we haven’t taken the evidence that people collect to prosecute these crimes seriously,” said Laura Schauer Ives, the attorney representing both women.
Ives + Flores files suit over random shootings along I-25
April 2020, a couple from Chimayó was driving south on Interstate 25 to visit family in Albuquerque. Pat Martinez was driving as his wife, Jennifer Lopez Martinez had been shot and became one of as many as 20 apparently random shootings along the interstate between Santa Fe
Laura Ives joins the conversation on Bound by Oath Podcast
via Bound by Oath Podcast, Institute for Justice State Remedies | Season 2, Ep. 11
With the doors to federal court closing on civil rights claims, this final episode of Season 2 heads to new terrain: state court. Click here for the transcript. Click here for Episode 1.
Other news items:
Former Prisoner Transport Guard Admits to Sexually Assaulting Inmates (12-4-23)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A former prisoner transport guard is admitting to raping inmates in his custody.
Marquet Johnson is now facing up to life in prison. Johnson was driving through Albuquerque when he raped an inmate in 2019. He took a plea deal Monday in federal court.
KARE 11 Investigates: Private Guards, No Oversight, A Pattern of Rape (11-7-23)
In June of 2019, Danielle Sivels was living in Texas when she was arrested on an out-of-state warrant for probation violations stemming from a 2015 hit-and-run.
Attorneys Say Albuquerque Violated Unhoused Clients’ Constitutional Rights (10-12-23)
This week, we’ve been following new developments in a court battle that could continue to spell out how Albuquerque officials treat unhoused people in the city. On Wednesday, the state Supreme Court heard oral arguments after the city asked the justices to throw
City Responds to Court Ruling on Clearing Out Tent Encampments (10-9-23)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The City of Albuquerque is appealing a district court ruling dictating how they respond to homeless camps.
The answer to this problem varies a lot depending on who you ask. Civil rights attorneys say constitutional rights are getting violated while the city says they are using a carrot, not a stick.
Hundreds of Police Killings. Two Prosecutions. No Jail Time. (9-14-23)
Albuquerque police killed more people last year than nearly any other police department in the country, perpetuating a reputation for excessive force that even the U.S. Department of Justice hasn’t managed to rectify despite a nearly 10-year effort.
Violent Threats Made in A Mental Health Crisis Sideline Santa Fe’s Alternative Response Unit (7-8-23)
Officer with the Santa Fe Police Department work the scene of an officer-involved shooting May 12. Police shot John Eames, 77, who was reported to be having a mental health crisis, when officers said he reached for a gun. Eames died June 6 from his injuries.
Former Albuquerque High Student Wins Settlement from City After Wrongful Arrest and Imprisonment (5-24-23)
ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Almost four years after Gisell Estrada was wrongfully arrested and placed in juvenile detention for robbery and murder, the City of Albuquerque has agreed to assist in her record expungement and pay her a significant settlement as part of an agreement the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico made public today.
Civil Rights Attorney on Abortion Access in New Mexico and Nationwide (5-5-23)
Correspondent Gwyneth Doland talks with civil rights attorney Laura Schauer Ives about how local anti-abortion court cases could impact people nationwide.
Potential Plea Deal in The Works for Albuquerque Man Accused of Shooting Protestor (4-21-23)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The man accused of assaulting multiple women and shooting a man in the back during a violent protest in 2020 could be offered a plea deal. That’s according to an email received by a civil rights attorney representing one of the victims.
Doctor: New Mexico Leaves Incarcerated People’s Health Problems Untreated (1-9-23)
People complain all the time to Dr. Janet Arrowsmith about the health care they can or can’t receive in the free world. But she says people incarcerated in New Mexico’s prisons and jails are going through something exponentially worse.
4 Investigates: Tracking Problem Cops (5-5-22)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Over the years, the 4 Investigates team has exposed both problem officers and problems with the process to keep those officers off the streets.
Attorney: Family plans to sue after officer-involved shooting (26-8-21)
The family of a man who was fatally shot by Chaves County deputies is calling for legal action against the county as well as the deputies involved in the shooting.
Public Records Lawsuit One Year After Protest Shooting (11-8-21)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Attorneys for the victim in last summer’s shooting at the Juan de Oñate statue protest in Albuquerque are taking action against the city. They say the City of Albuquerque and Dept. of Public Safety have not provided them with public records about the shooting, that they are legally entitled to.
NM Public Defender’s Office Settles Sex Harassment Suit (7-26-21)
The state Public Defender’s Office in Santa Fe. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal)
SANTA FE – The Public Defender’s Office in New Mexico agreed to pay $345,000 this month as part of two settlements to resolve claims that one of its investigators harassed two staff members.
Silver City police officer locked in jail with inmate he arrested, sues (06-17-21)
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – A police officer said jail workers locked him in a room, in jail, with the man he just arrested to get back at him. He never committed a crime and claimed this happened because of his argument with corrections officers about how to handle the inmate.
Abuses Show Police Departments Need to Take Cameras, Not Just Video, Into Evidence in Police Shootings (6-14-18)
Abuses Show Police Departments Need to Take Cameras, Not Just Video, Into Evidence in Police Shootings
If you’re a police officer, and you’ve just shot somebody who didn’t need to be shot, and you’re wearing a body camera, and you want to get rid of the evidence that camera has probably captured, what can you do? Unfortunately, in many places, you might have options.
Teen city worker accused of abusing kids at summer camp (06-11-21)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A new lawsuit claims verbal, physical and sexual abuse by a teen who was watching younger kids at a city-run summer camp.
The victims’ families are now demanding the city have more oversight to help protect children moving forward.
Policing the Blue: KSTP Minneapolis (01-11-22)
Investigators with the United States Department of Justice will pull from the experiences of community members and will examine past incidents to determine if systemic issues exist within the Minneapolis Police Department, according to families and community members who are familiar with the process.
Putting the Protection in “Equal Protection” with Laura Ives
Today we think of the Equal Protection Clause as requiring equal treatment of the laws. But in addition to anything else it covers, at its core it’s supposed to protect, well, equal protection. Yet if you bring a claim that you’re not being protected equally the courts generally have little to offer.