Chicago False Arrest Defense Attorneys

One of a police officer’s most important jobs is to arrest criminals. Among the most common lawsuits against police officers are “false arrest” claims. Under Illinois state law, and under the United States Constitution, such claims arise when arrestees allege they were arrested “without probable cause.”

The attorneys at The Sotos Law Firm have handled false arrest claims for more than twenty-five years; we are experienced in establishing probable cause, even in cases where it may turn out later that a person arrested for committing a crime may not have been actually guilty. We do our job by making judges and juries understand the circumstances that led the officer to reasonably believe probable cause existed to arrest the plaintiff. Because of our experience, we understand how to develop and present the facts underlying an arrest, which is especially important when the arrestee is later acquitted or otherwise has the charges dropped.

What happens after an arrest is often beyond the control of the arresting officer, or the police department or municipality that employs him. Events and facts arising after an arrest sometimes show an arrest was made in error. The law, however, focuses on the facts at the time of the arrest itself, and the lawyers at The Sotos Law Firm are at the forefront in defending the police officers and entities whose arrests help keep our communities safe.