Wrongful Conviction Lawyer

A wrongful conviction lawyer helps people who were convicted of crimes they did not commit, both by working to overturn the conviction and, once it is undone, by pursuing compensation for the misconduct that caused it. When police fabricate evidence, hide proof of innocence, or coerce a confession, a wrongful conviction can become a civil rights case.

Few injustices are as devastating as being imprisoned for something you did not do. Justin A. Palmer built the firm to hold police and public agencies accountable, and our civil rights attorneys handle these cases in house. As part of the firm's broader California civil rights practice, a wrongful conviction lawyer can help you understand your options and what it would take to seek justice.

What Is a Wrongful Conviction?

A wrongful conviction happens when a person is found guilty of a crime they did not commit. It can result from honest mistakes, unreliable evidence, or, in the most serious cases, deliberate misconduct by police, investigators, or others in the system.

Wrongful convictions are more common than most people realize, and they happen across every kind of case. Some come from genuine error, such as a mistaken eyewitness or flawed forensic testing. Others come from misconduct, such as an officer who hides evidence of innocence or pressures a frightened person into a false confession.

The distinction matters for what comes next. A wrongful conviction caused by official misconduct is not just a tragedy, it is a civil rights violation. Our wrongful conviction attorneys look closely at how a conviction was obtained, because the cause often determines whether there is a claim.

What Causes Wrongful Convictions?

Wrongful convictions are usually caused by mistaken eyewitness identification, false or coerced confessions, fabricated or planted evidence, the suppression of evidence that would have shown innocence, unreliable forensic science, jailhouse informants, tunnel vision, and inadequate legal defense. Several of these often appear together.

The most common causes our wrongful conviction attorneys see include:

• Mistaken eyewitness identification, which is far less reliable than juries once believed.
• False or coerced confessions, often from long interrogations, threats, or vulnerable defendants.
• Fabricated or planted evidence, where officers manufacture or alter proof of guilt.
• Suppressed evidence of innocence, where the state hides proof that would have helped the defense.
• Unreliable forensic science, including outdated methods and overstated lab testimony.
• Jailhouse informants, who trade testimony for leniency and sometimes lie.
• Tunnel vision, where investigators lock onto one suspect and ignore contrary evidence.
• Inadequate defense, where an overworked or underprepared lawyer misses what matters.

When one or more of these involves official misconduct, rather than honest error, the case may support a civil rights claim on top of the effort to clear a person's name.

Are Wrongful Convictions Common?

Wrongful convictions are more common than most people assume. Across the country, thousands of people have been exonerated after being imprisoned for crimes they did not commit, and each exoneration usually represents years, sometimes decades, of a life taken.

The growth of DNA testing and the work of innocence organizations have revealed just how often the system gets it wrong. Cases that once seemed airtight have collapsed when old evidence was retested, when the real perpetrator came to light, or when hidden misconduct finally surfaced. Behind each of those numbers is a person who lost time that can never be returned.

California has seen its share of these cases, and the causes tend to repeat, from mistaken identifications to concealed evidence. Our wrongful conviction attorneys understand both the human toll and the legal path forward, and treat every case with the seriousness it deserves.

How Does a Wrongful Conviction Lawyer Help?

A wrongful conviction lawyer works on two fronts. The first is undoing the conviction itself, through the available legal channels. The second, once a conviction is overturned, is pursuing compensation for the harm and holding the responsible officials accountable through a civil rights claim.

Clearing a person's name usually comes first, because the civil rights side of a wrongful conviction case generally cannot move forward until the conviction has been overturned or vacated. That step can involve new evidence, proof of misconduct, or other grounds recognized by the courts, and it is the foundation everything else is built on.

Once a conviction is undone, the focus shifts to accountability and compensation. Our wrongful conviction attorneys investigate what actually went wrong, identify the officials responsible, and pursue the claims and compensation available to someone who lost years to a conviction that should never have happened.

Can You Sue for a Wrongful Conviction in California?

Yes, in many cases, once the conviction has been overturned. A civil rights claim can be brought against the police officers or investigators whose misconduct caused the wrongful conviction, such as fabricating evidence, hiding proof of innocence, or coercing a confession, along with the agency that employed them.

A federal civil rights claim lets you sue a state or local officer for violating your constitutional rights, and a parallel claim under California's civil rights law can add another path to recovery. These claims usually focus on police and investigators, because that is where the misconduct that causes wrongful convictions most often occurs.

The agency behind those officers can also be responsible when the misconduct grew out of its own policy, a longstanding custom, or a failure to train and supervise. It is worth knowing that prosecutors have broad legal protection for their courtroom role, so wrongful conviction claims typically center on investigative misconduct rather than a prosecutor's trial decisions. Our civil rights attorneys sort out exactly who can be held responsible, and for people searching for lawyers that sue police departments, the firm handles these claims directly.

What Compensation Is Available After a Wrongful Conviction?

Compensation can come from two places, a civil rights lawsuit against the officials responsible, and California's state program that pays people who were wrongfully incarcerated. The two are separate, and a person may be able to pursue both. Every case is different, and no honest lawyer can promise a specific result or amount.

California has a compensation program for people who were wrongfully convicted and imprisoned, which provides a set payment for each day of wrongful incarceration through a state claims process. That program is separate from a lawsuit, and it has its own rules and requirements. Our wrongful conviction attorneys can explain how it works and the current rate that applies.

A civil rights lawsuit is the other path, and it can seek compensation for the years lost, the harm to health and family, lost income and earning capacity, and the emotional toll of a wrongful conviction. When an official's conduct was malicious or reckless, punitive damages may also be available. Because these cases turn on the specific facts, our attorneys evaluate what any given case may realistically seek.

Who Can Be Held Responsible for a Wrongful Conviction?

The people usually held responsible are the police officers and investigators whose misconduct led to the conviction, along with the city, county, or agency that employed them. Claims most often target fabricated evidence, hidden proof of innocence, and coerced confessions.

The individual officers who manufactured evidence, buried proof, or forced a false confession are the most direct targets of a civil rights claim. Other officials who took part in or enabled the misconduct can also share responsibility. Where a department's policies, customs, or training failures allowed the misconduct to happen, the agency itself can be on the hook.

Prosecutors, by contrast, have strong legal immunity for their advocacy role in a case, which is why wrongful conviction claims usually focus on the investigative side rather than trial decisions. Our wrongful conviction attorneys map out every responsible party early, because naming the right defendants is essential to a case.

How Do You Prove a Wrongful Conviction Civil Rights Case?

You prove a wrongful conviction civil rights case by showing that official misconduct, such as fabricated or suppressed evidence or a coerced confession, caused the conviction, and that the conviction has since been overturned. The evidence includes case files, police records, lab reports, and the record of the exoneration itself.

These cases are built from the ground up out of the original investigation. Our civil rights attorneys obtain the police and investigative files, the forensic records, interrogation recordings, and the materials that were, or should have been, turned over to the defense. The goal is to show not just that the conviction was wrong, but that misconduct caused it.

The order of proof matters. Because a civil rights claim generally requires the conviction to be overturned first, the record of that reversal becomes a cornerstone of the case. From there, the focus is on connecting the misconduct to the years a person lost.

How Long Do You Have to File After a Wrongful Conviction?

Timing in wrongful conviction cases is different from other civil rights claims, because the deadline for a civil rights lawsuit generally does not start until the conviction is overturned or vacated. Once that happens, both a state government claim deadline and a federal deadline can apply, and they move quickly.

For most civil rights claims, the clock starts at the time of the incident. Wrongful conviction claims often work differently, because a person usually cannot sue until the conviction has been undone. That means the important deadlines frequently run from the date of the exoneration, not the date of the original arrest or trial.

Because the rules here are technical and the windows can be short, the safest step is to speak with a wrongful conviction lawyer as soon as a conviction is overturned, or as soon as you are working toward that. Our attorneys can identify exactly which deadlines apply to your situation and make sure none are missed.

What Should You Do if You or a Loved One Was Wrongfully Convicted?

Preserve everything related to the case, including court records, transcripts, and any new evidence of innocence, and speak with a lawyer who handles wrongful convictions. If a conviction has already been overturned, act quickly, because deadlines for a civil rights claim may already be running.

Keep every document connected to the case, including the charging papers, transcripts, appellate filings, and anything pointing to innocence or misconduct. New evidence, a recanting witness, or newly disclosed records can all matter, both to undoing a conviction and to a later civil rights claim.

If you are supporting a loved one who is still incarcerated, gathering and organizing that record is one of the most useful things you can do. Our wrongful conviction attorneys can review what you have, explain the realistic options, and lay out the steps involved in seeking to overturn a conviction and, where the facts support it, pursuing accountability afterward.

How Does the Firm Handle Wrongful Conviction Cases?

The firm approaches wrongful conviction cases in stages, first understanding how the conviction was obtained, then supporting the effort to overturn it, and then, once it is undone, building the civil rights case against the officials responsible and pursuing compensation. Justin Palmer Law Group keeps these cases in house from start to finish.

The work begins with a careful review of the record, including the original investigation, the trial, and any signs of misconduct. Our civil rights attorneys gather the files, identify the weaknesses and the wrongdoing, and map out what it would take to challenge the conviction.

Once a conviction is overturned, the focus turns to accountability. The team files the required claims within the applicable deadlines, names the officers and agency the facts support, and presses the case through negotiation, and through litigation and trial when a fair resolution is not offered. Throughout, clients are kept informed and involved, because it is their name and their life at stake.

Why Choose Justin Palmer Law Group for a Wrongful Conviction Case?

Justin Palmer Law Group brings focused civil rights experience, a willingness to take on police departments and public agencies, and a practice that keeps every case in house rather than referring it out. Clients work directly with a team that treats their case as the priority it is.

Justin A. Palmer has built a California civil rights and personal injury practice devoted to holding powerful institutions accountable, and has been recognized by Super Lawyers in recent years, a peer based honor. The firm serves clients across Los Angeles, Long Beach, Inglewood, and the wider Southern California region, and our wrongful conviction attorneys bring the same determination to these cases that they bring to any serious civil rights matter.

What sets the firm apart is not only experience, but approach. Our civil rights attorneys handle these matters directly, invest early in the records and the investigation, and prepare every case as if it will go to trial. That preparation is what gives clients real leverage, whether a case ultimately settles or is decided by a jury.

Contact a Wrongful Conviction Lawyer

If you or a loved one was convicted of a crime you did not commit, or a conviction has recently been overturned, talk with a lawyer as soon as possible, because the deadlines for a civil rights claim can move quickly. A free consultation costs nothing and can protect your case.