JDC congratulates and thanks Keker, Van Nest & Peters for its pro bono representation of a prisoner in a civil rights case.

“Mr. C” is a JDC client who was the victim of multiple coerced sexual acts by a staff member at state prison. When Mr. C attempted to stop these acts, the staff member retaliated against him and Mr. C served nine months in solitary confinement. Mr. C filed suit in 2012 and represented himself until Keker took the case pro bono in 2016.

Keker associates Ben Rothstein and Julia Allen, with the supervision of partner Dan Purcell, represented Mr. C.

The case culminated in a six-day federal jury trial in early 2018, in which the jury returned a verdict in favor of Mr. C, awarding him $15,414 in compensatory damages and $50,000 in punitive damages. This is a tremendous result, as prisoner civil rights cases rarely ever go to trial.

JDC is grateful to Ben, Julia, Dan, and the support staff at Keker for taking on this pro bono case and working tirelessly to achieve justice for Mr. C.

To learn more about the Federal Pro Bono Project, please contact Supervising Attorney Manjari Chawla at mchawla@sfbar.org.