case studies
Cases by Topic
- Behavioral Services not Baker Act 1
- Discrimination on the Basis of Disability 6
- Discrimination on the Basis of Race 2
- Discrimination on the Basis of Sex Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation 5
- Drivers’ License Suspensions for Municipal Ordinance Violations 1
- Ensuring Due Process 7
- First Amendment 5
- Food Sharing is Not a Crime 2
- Government Accountability & Access to Courts 4
- High Quality Education 4
- Home & Community-based Medicaid Services 13
- Homeless 12
- Juvenile Justice 3
- LGBTQ Rights 3
- Mental Health 5
- Promoting Fairness and Due Process 7
- Property Sweeps 2
- Protecting Freedom of Speech 3
- Right to Ask for Help 3
- Right to Be in Public Places 2
- Sleeping is a Human Need 1
- Students with Disabilities 6
- Transgender Rights 2
Gotshall, et al. v. City of Titusville, and Adkins et al. v. City of Titusville
In June 2011, in preparation for the final shuttle launch, the City of Titusville cleared 11 homeless encampments, destroying the personal property of a number of individuals who lived at these camps. The City used industrial equipment, employed temporary workers, and used pick-up trucks to sweep the property of homeless individuals. The City’s unlawful actions deprived people of personal belongings that are critical to their survival, such as clothing, medication, tents and blankets, as well as irreplaceable personal possessions, such as family photographs, a WWII flag, personal records, identification documents, and even the ashes of a deceased parent contained in an urn.
Stone v. City of Fort Lauderdale
In May 2017, the City of Fort Lauderdale designed a plan to temporarily close Stranahan Park and the camp adjacent to the park by clearing out all debris and personal property belonging to residents of the camp. Sixteen individuals experiencing homelessness filed suit alleging that the City unlawfully seized and destroyed the plaintiffs’ property during the City’s property sweep of the Stranahan park camp, and did not provide residents of the camp advance notice of the sweep, nor any means to retrieve their property to avoid the destruction of their belongings.