Civil rights violations occur when the wrongful conduct of any governmental employee, agent, or agency causes a personal injury to a person. Some examples are the wrongful conduct of the police, of prison or detention center employees or of hospital or school employees.

John Tiwald has been highly successful in representing victims of civil rights abuses, including police misconduct resulting in wrongful deaths, the sexual abuse and mistreatment of developmentally disabled persons and cases involving therapist sexual abuse.