Antonio Ponvert, III

For decades, Antonio Ponvert, III has established himself as a fierce adversary against government overreach, police brutality, and correction-system violence. After joining Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder PC in 1999, Ponvert dedicated a core portion of his practice to confronting municipal police forces and state institutions that abuse their power. He has spent over twenty years holding law enforcement officers and institutional authorities accountable for violating the constitutional rights of the citizens they are sworn to protect.

His history in this field spans countless lawsuits targeting excessive force, police brutality, and lawless behavior by officers run amok. Ponvert's legal fights frequently address the intersection of race, mental illness, and law enforcement misconduct. By taking on entrenched municipal systems and state police departments, his work has not only brought justice to grieving families but has also targeted the cultural issues within law enforcement agencies that lead to systemic constitutional violations.

Beyond standard police encounters, Ponvert has a deeply rooted legacy of advocating for individuals who are stripped of their liberties and completely vulnerable to state abuse. He has aggressively litigated dozens of high-profile state and federal lawsuits on behalf of mentally ill prisoners, suicide victims, and individuals tortured or killed by prison guards and institutional staff. His commitment to taking on the state extends to defending Black law enforcement associations, such as his work with the Guardians Black Police Officers Association in one of the longest-running racial discrimination and police culture cases in the United States.

Antonio Ponvert, III is a seasoned civil rights and personal injury attorney at Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder, PC, one of Connecticut's most storied plaintiffs' litigation firms. With a track record spanning federal jury trials and high-stakes institutional litigation, Ponvert has established himself as a tenacious advocate for individuals whose rights have been violated by police departments and government entities across the state.

Ponvert has achieved landmark financial recoveries against law enforcement and state institutions, including a historic $41.75 million verdict and a $20 million verdict in a school abuse case. He is credited with securing the largest financial recovery ever won in Connecticut for the wrongful death of an unmarried man without heirs—a case rooted in institutional overreach—demonstrating his ability to challenge powerful governmental and institutional defendants.

In the realm of police misconduct, Ponvert has won significant verdicts and settlements on behalf of victims of excessive force and civil rights deprivations. He secured hundreds of thousands of dollars in a federal jury trial for the mother of a young man fatally shot by Bridgeport police, and has obtained numerous six-figure out-of-court settlements, including a $230,000 resolution against the City of Stamford and one of its officers following severe street-level police brutality.

Ponvert's civil rights work extends to cases involving vulnerable individuals under state care. He recovered $2.3 million for the wrongful death and deprivation of rights of a psychiatric patient under state-level supervision, underscoring his commitment to holding government institutions accountable when they fail those most in need of protection.