August 06, 2020

City and State agree to $2.4 million settlement for wrongful conviction lawsuit


The City of New York has agreed to pay $1.7 million to settle a wrongful conviction lawsuit brought by Shuaib O’Neill. As alleged in the lawsuit, NYPD officers falsely claimed to have found marijuana and a gun on Mr. O’Neill during a stop-and-frisk, and coerced a false confession from him. Mr. O’Neill served three years in prison and more than two years on parole before his conviction was reversed on direct appeal.

The firm previously won a settlement of $699,000 for Mr. O’Neill in a parallel action in the New York Court of Claims.