At Raynes McCarty we pride ourselves on our commitment to preserving civil rights by fighting discrimination and racism by private companies and the government alike. The Firm's civil rights practice is led by Harold Goodman, who is widely recognized for his skill in the courtroom and in appellate argument. Mr. Goodman has successfully argued several civil rights cases before the United States and the Pennsylvania Supreme Courts.
In one of his more far-reaching cases, Mr. Goodman represented black Pennsylvania state troopers who had been systematically discriminated against for decades. At the time he began his representation, only 40 of the 4100 state troopers were from minority groups. By the time the class action case was concluded, there were 620.
In 2002, Mr. Goodman won a unanimous decision from the United States Supreme Court, allowing a victim of discrimination greater latitude in developing his or her case after filing a lawsuit. In 2003, Mr. Goodman led the team of lawyers that persuaded the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that it was a violation of equal protection for employers to deny healthcare jobs to rehabilitated ex-offenders.
When a death bed confession re-opened a thirty year old investigation of the 1969 murder of a black woman by a white mob in York, PA, the family turned to Harold Goodman to guide them through the upcoming trial. Investigation revealed involvement by the City of York’s Police Department in both inciting and arming the mob, prompting a civil rights lawsuit. One of the most significant challenges Attorney Goodman faced was overcoming the normal two year time limit for the filing of a lawsuit related to a death, a time limit that expired in 1971! Goodman met that challenge and secured a record breaking $2,000,000.00 settlement for the family, described in the press as one of the largest in reopened segregation-era murder cases. Click here to read more about the case.
Another example:
- $3,750,000.00 recovery for officer slain by "friendly fire" Mike was an undercover police officer doing dangerous anti-drug work, who tragically lost his life when a fellow officer carelessly opened fire carelessly. Under Pennsylvania law, the officer's family had no remedy, so Raynes lawyers Jerry McHugh and Regina Foley looked to federal law, arguing that the officer who wrongly opened fire violated the slain officer's civil rights. This was a novel legal theory within this federal circuit. By careful investigation, with the assistance of leading experts on proper police procedure, the team negotiated a settlement which included a substantial award coupled with preservation of the workers' compensation benefits for the family.