Advocacy Group Says That NYC Has Spent $82 Million On Police Misconduct Lawsuits This Year

According to the Legal Aid Society, the city has paid over $82 million in police misconduct lawsuits this year, a 61% increase from the same period last year. Since 2018, these awards and settlements have cost taxpayers more than $500 million, with just ten NYPD officers responsible for $68 million in payouts from 2013 to 2023. Legal Aid attorney Jennvine Wong criticized the city's handling of discipline, stating, "What other employer would keep an employee who costs them that much?"

Records show the city's police oversight agency has substantiated complaints against nearly 5,000 of the NYPD's 36,000 officers. However, the NYPD commissioner adhered to the oversight agency's disciplinary recommendations in only 55% of cases last year, down from 71% in 2021. Patrick Hendry, president of the city's largest police union, argued that settlements often do not reflect officers' actions. "The city frequently decides to settle lawsuits for reasons that have little to do with the conduct of the individual police officers named in the suit," Hendry said. "Often, police officers don't know the case is being settled and have no opportunity to fight the case and clear their reputation, especially when there are dozens of other cops named in the suit."

An NYPD spokesperson highlighted a decrease in lawsuits since 2013, attributing this to improved policy and training, and noted that many awards are from arrests made decades ago. This year's settlements include cases from as far back as the 1990s. One notable case from 1996 resulted in a $14.8 million settlement. Norberto Peets, wrongfully convicted of a 1996 shooting, spent nearly 26 years in prison before DNA evidence exonerated him. The lawsuit alleged police fabricated and withheld evidence that would have freed him.

Officer Claude Staten, involved in Peets' case, remains active with the NYPD despite accusations of fabricating and withholding evidence. Staten is named in several other lawsuits, including one pending case where he allegedly punched and dragged a man. He has also received 15 complaints of misconduct through the city's police oversight agency. An attorney for Staten declined to comment.

Link: Gothamist