Civil Rights, Employment Law, and Appellate Attorney
William “Bill” Riback has been practicing law for approximately 30 years. In 2003, Hilda Perez came to Bill’s office because Rent-A-Center was suing her for repossession of her furniture. Hilda bravely fought Rent-A-Center for five years. In 2006, after losing at the trial and appellate level, the New Jersey Supreme Court decided for Hilda. Bill worked with a team of attorneys in that case, which settled for $109,250,000.00, where each consumer received about $1,000.00.
*DISCLAIMER: The outcomes represented in these cases should not be used as a benchmark for estimating the value of your individual case. They merely showcase previous successes and do not guarantee similar results.
Attorney Riback Leads Charge Against Unlawful Strip Search Policies, Securing Millions in Settlements
In 2007, Bill worked with other attorneys in class action civil rights litigation challenging county strip search policies and practices. Those cases involved thousands of pretrial detainees recovering approximately $1,000.00 each. The total settlements of these cases reached into the millions. Bill continues to litigate individual and class actions on behalf of pretrial detainees who were strip-searched in the Salem County Correctional Facility.
Thanks to Bill's Tireless Efforts, School Janitor Secures $175,000 Settlement
In 2023, Bill settled a single incident racial harassment case for a school janitor in the amount of $175,000.00. In that case, Bill’s client walked into the breakroom during working hours and found a noose. When confronted, his co-workers claimed that the prank was merely a joke intended for a different white employee and was not racially motivated. Bill worked tirelessly to get justice for his client.
On May 16, 2023, the Egg Harbor Township Board of Education (Atlantic County, NJ) agreed to pay $175,000 to a former custodian who claimed that coworkers racially harassed him by placing a teddy bear with a noose around its neck in the breakroom. Read more on TransparencyNJ.
Cases With Court-Published Opinions
- Perez v Rent-A-Center, Inc., 186 N.J. 188 (2006) (reversing summary judgment finding Defendant liable: New Jersey Retail Installment Act applies to rent-to-own agreements) - Show publication
- Thomas v Cumberland County, 749 F. 3d 217 (3d Cir. 2014) (reversing summary judgment: County had legal obligation to provide de-escalation training to correction officers in light of prior history of violence at jail) - Show publication
- Karraker v Rent-A-Center, 411 F. 3d 831 (7th Cir. 2005) (MMPI is a confidential medical test under the ADA) - Show publication
- Karraker v Rent-A-Center, 492 F.3d 896 (7th Cir. 2007) (injunctive relief is sufficient to be a prevailing party under the ADA)
- Haas v. Burlington County 955 F.Supp.2d 334 (2013) (Plaintiffs granted leave to amend complaint in the wake of United States Supreme Court ruling in Florence v. Burlington County) - Show publication
- Wilson v. Gloucester County, 256 F.R.D. 479 (D.N.J. 2009) (certified class on behalf of thousand of non-indictable detainees who were strip searched)