Plaintiff, represented by NPAP member law firm Sivin & Miller, accused the officers of beating him while he was handcuffed at Southport Correctional Facility in 2008.  5 of the 6 accused officers were found to be liable and the jury awarded $65k in compensatory and $55k in punitive damages.  New York State is only required to indemnify the officers for the compensatory damages.

After 10 days of evidence, a Santa Ana Federal Court jury returned a verdict against two Long Beach police officers who shot and killed Douglas Zerby on December 12, 2010.  While waiting for a friend, Mr. Zerby had been holding a garden hose nozzle, which Defendants claimed to have mistook for a weapon.

On March 25th, the Human Rights Defense Center submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission regarding exorbitant calling fees for inmates and their families. The comments were submitted in response to the Commission's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and intend to inform the Commission's effort to ensure just and resonable interstate phone rates for prisoners and detainees and their families.

On February 19, 2013, U.S. District Court Judge Michael Simon ruled that the AMA Coalition for Justice and Police Reform can participate in mediation with the City of Portland, the Department of Justice and the Portland Police Union to address a settlement agreement on police reforms. The settlement agreement arises out of a suit by the U.S. Department of Justice, which alleges that Portland Police use excessive force in interactions with people who are mentally ill, or who are perceived to be mentally ill.