Fighting for justice
The Premier Law Firm for Wrongful Death in Jail
Our Mission — Accountability:
Our mission at Budge & Heipt is to hold jails, prisons, police, and private correctional companies legally accountable for constitutional violations that cause wrongful death or serious injury.
Ed Budge
ATTORNEY/PARTNER
A highly skilled trial attorney with more than 28 years of litigation experience, Ed fights for families. Known for his courtroom skill, he has won some of the highest verdicts and settlements in the country for victims of jail/prison abuse and police brutality.
Erik J. Heipt
ATTORNEY/PARTNER
A veteran courtroom litigator with nearly three decades of trial experience and a passion for civil rights, Erik has won many multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements in high-profile police brutality and jail/prison misconduct cases.
In The News
Due to the important nature of the jail and police cases we handle at Budge & Heipt, our cases are frequently featured in the news.
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Budge & Heipt congratulates Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sarah Stillman on her groundbreaking piece, Starved
April 14, 2025
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The Washington Post has reported on a $7.25 million settlement achieved by the law
December 19, 2023
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Budge & Heipt has obtained a $7 million settlement for the death of a
May 1, 2023
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The Guardian is reporting on a federal lawsuit being handled by Budge & Heipt,
April 17, 2023
If you or a loved one has been a victim of serious injury and/or death at the hands of police or in jail or prison, tell us about your case.
We are trial lawyers. Our philosophy is simple: We put our heart and soul into every case we take, and we do everything in our power to achieve the best possible result for our clients.
What sets us apart from other civil rights attorneys is the small number of cases we accept and our willingness to go all the way to trial. We will never allow ourselves to be overburdened by a large caseload. We purposefully take only a few select cases each year, so that every client receives the proper respect and personal attention that he or she deserves.
We handle civil rights cases involving catastrophic personal injuries and wrongful death. We focus on cases involving egregious instances of jail or prison abuse or neglect resulting in death or serious injury. We also take select police misconduct cases involving police brutality, excessive force, and in-custody deaths.
Budge & Heipt has the skills and resources to go toe-to-toe with anyone. Time and again, we have successfully taken on the government, the police, public and private jails, state prisons, and large correctional corporations.
Budge & Heipt is based in Seattle, but we take federal civil rights cases around the country. We have handled cases in the federal district courts of Washington, Alaska, Oregon, Hawaii, Nevada, Colorado, Texas, Ohio, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Arkansas, Arizona and Indiana, and we routinely review cases in other states as well.
Our track record speaks for itself. Since the firm was founded in 1998, we have obtained a total of more than $155 million in jury verdicts and settlements, including some of the largest jury verdicts and settlements in the United States for victims of civil rights violations. We have achieved record-setting results for jail wrongful death and excessive force cases in several jurisdictions, including Washington, Texas, Wisconsin, Oregon, Arkansas and Indiana. Our litigation success is directly related to hard work and a passion for what we do.
If your civil rights have been violated or if you would like to discuss a case involving significant injuries or the death of a loved one, we are interested in speaking with you.
Please contact our law office for a free consultation.