Leonard Weinglass in Defense of Civil Liberties Award

Timothy Bechtold and John Heenan achieved exceptional results in jury and judge trials, respectively, in Lake v. CoreCivic and L.B. v. United States. These cases exemplify the highest standards of civil rights litigation, addressing serious abuses of power by those in positions of authority while providing justice and accountability for vulnerable individuals.

In Lake, they secured a $27.75 million jury verdict against a private prison corporation for its failure to protect an inmate with mental health issues who suffered severe brain damage after being assaulted by another prisoner. The case highlighted the systemic failures in privately operated correctional facilities, particularly regarding the protection of vulnerable inmates with mental health conditions. The substantial compensatory verdict sends a powerful message about corporate accountability in the prison industry.

In L.B., they successfully held the federal government accountable for a sexual assault committed by a Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) officer against a Northern Cheyenne tribal member. Their work culminated in a landmark Montana Supreme Court decision answering a certified question from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals: whether, under Montana law, law enforcement officers act outside the scope of their employment as a matter of law when they use their authority as on-duty officers to sexually assault a person they are investigating for a crime. On August 16, 2022, the Montana Supreme Court answered "no," allowing L.B.'s case against the federal government to proceed. Then, in February 2025, they achieved a $1.6 million judgment for L.B. with a Federal judge trial.