Law Office of Jerry L. Steering

About Law Office of Jerry L. Steering — Civil Rights Newport Beach California

Civil rights Newport Beach attorney Jerry L. Steering has spent four decades doing one thing: suing police officers and the agencies that employ them. He has been filing federal civil rights claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 since 1984 — before many of his clients were born — pursuing excessive force, false arrest, wrongful imprisonment, malicious prosecution, Taser misuse, and police-involved wrongful death cases throughout Orange County, Riverside County, Los Angeles County, San Bernardino County, and all of Southern California. His office describes itself plainly as “the lawyer who sues the police,” and that description captures the singular focus of a practice that does not drift into other areas of law. The firm is based in Newport Beach and offers free case evaluations 24 hours a day for people who believe their constitutional rights were violated by law enforcement.

Beyond plaintiff-side civil rights claims, the firm also defends clients facing criminal resistance charges under California Penal Code §§ 69 and 148(a)(1) — charges that officers routinely file against people involved in force incidents to justify the use of force and undercut any future civil case. This dual capability is uncommon. Civil rights Newport Beach clients dealing with both a force claim and related criminal charges can address both tracks with the same counsel, which is a meaningful strategic advantage in cases where the criminal and civil proceedings intersect.

What Clients Say

Those who have worked with this firm consistently highlight its singular focus on plaintiff-side police misconduct work as the reason they chose it. Unlike general practices that occasionally handle a civil rights matter, this office has handled nothing but these cases for four decades. Clients facing serious use-of-force injuries note that Mr. Steering’s familiarity with Orange County and Riverside County agencies — their specific officers, training records, and litigation histories — gave them confidence that their case was in experienced hands. The 24-hour availability for case evaluations is also frequently mentioned.

Civil Rights Newport Beach — Practice Areas & Services

• Excessive Force and Police Brutality (§ 1983): Federal civil rights lawsuits against police officers and agencies for unconstitutional use of firearms, Tasers, batons, K-9 attacks, and chokeholds throughout Southern California.
• False Arrest and Unlawful Detention: Representing civilians arrested without probable cause or held beyond constitutional limits — Fourth Amendment violations in federal court.
• Malicious Prosecution: Claims against officers and agencies that initiated bad-faith criminal proceedings to cover up or justify underlying misconduct.
• Resistance Charge Defense (PC §§ 69 & 148): Criminal defense of charges that officers frequently file against people involved in force incidents — protecting the civil case by defending the criminal charge simultaneously.
• Wrongful Death by Police Action: Representing families of individuals killed in police-involved shootings or other lethal uses of force in Orange County and the surrounding region.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have to file a police misconduct lawsuit in California?

You must first file a California Government Tort Claim with the relevant agency within six months of the incident under Government Code § 911.2. After the agency formally rejects the claim, you generally have six months to file a civil rights lawsuit in court. The two-year personal injury statute of limitations also applies in the background, but the six-month government claim window is the critical deadline — missing it almost always bars the lawsuit entirely. Contact a civil rights Newport Beach attorney as soon as possible after any incident involving police use of force.

What does a § 1983 civil rights lawsuit involve?

42 U.S.C. § 1983 allows individuals whose constitutional rights were violated by government actors to sue for damages in federal court. In police misconduct cases, this typically involves Fourth Amendment claims — unlawful search, unlawful seizure, or excessive force. Successful plaintiffs can recover compensatory damages, punitive damages against individual officers (not the agency), and attorney’s fees under § 1988. Cases are typically filed in the Central District of California federal court, which covers Orange County and Los Angeles County.

Can I sue the police department itself, not just individual officers?

Yes, under certain circumstances. Municipal liability under § 1983 — established in Monell v. Department of Social Services — requires showing that the constitutional violation resulted from an official city or county policy, a widespread unofficial custom, or inadequate training or supervision. This is a higher bar than suing individual officers, but when proven, it allows recovery from the agency itself. Orange County agencies and Riverside County departments have been defendants in significant civil rights cases over the past decade.