Recent Civil Rights News

Recently, Mark Krudys has worked to advance inmates’ civil rights claims:

  • On August 13, 2014, Mark Krudys led a nationally broadcast webinar entitled, “Jail and Jailer Liability: The Trial of a Jail Death Case.”  The course covered both practical and substantive aspects of inmate death cases.  The course covered the preliminary steps an attorney must take to initiate the case, discussed the cause of death’s impact on the case, considered who to name as a defendant, and provided information on discovery, experts, jury selection, and trial strategy.  Substantively, the course provided an overview of the relevant law under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and outlined the requirements for successful civil rights claim under this section.  It covered choice of forum, subject matter jurisdiction, limitations of liability, immunity, standards for culpability, statutes of limitations, and fee shifting.  Example materials provided included previously filed complaints, document requests, jail inspection requests, responses to motions to dismiss and summary judgment motions, and voir dire questions.
  • In the next edition of the Virginia Trial Lawyers’ Association Journal, Mark Krudys will publish an article entitled, “Death or Personal Injury of an Inmate: Is a State Claim or a Federal Civil Rights Claim Under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 the Better Route to Recovery?”
  • Mark Krudys, along with Charlottesville attorney Kyle McNew, recently drafted the Virginia Trial Lawyers’ Association’s amicus curiae in Suzanne Boren v. Northwestern Regional Jail Authority, concerning whether Virginia regional jail authorities are entitled to sovereign immunity.