Fourth Amendment

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In Matter of People of the State of N.Y. v. Commons West, LLC, 2026 NY Slip Op 01253 (N.Y. App. Div. 3d Dept. March 5, 2026), the court upheld a lower court’s determination that New York’s law prohibiting housing discrimination based on lawful source of income, N.Y. Executive Law § 296 (5)(a)(1), is unconstitutional on…

Read More New York’s “Source of Income” Housing Discrimination Law Held Facialy Unconstitutional on Fourth Amendment Grounds
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The Second Circuit’s decision in Shamir v. City of New York, No. 14-3606, 2015 WL 6214708 (2d Cir. Oct. 22, 2015) (Newman, Walker, Jacobs) is instructive on pleading police misconduct cases – namely, claims for excessive force. This case arises from plaintiff’s arrest after putting a sleeping bag on the ground while attending an Occupy Wall Street…

Read More Excessive Force/Tight Handcuffing Claim Sufficiently Alleged
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Here is the complaint filed on July 30th in Bronx Supreme Court by alleged “rape cop” Kenneth Moreno against various parties, including the woman he was accused (but acquitted) of raping, the City of New York, and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance. According to a Reuters article on the suit, plaintiff “claims that city prosecutors ignored credibility…

Read More Alleged “Rape Cop” Kenneth Moreno’s $175 Million Lawsuit Against Accuser and Others
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Today Judge Scheindlin found the City of New York liable, under Section 1983 and Monell v. Dept. of Social Services of the City of New York, for violating plaintiffs’ constitutional rights in connection with its stop-and-frisk program.  (Gothamist article here.) Her 198-page opinion (which mercifully has a table of contents) setting forth her findings of fact and conclusions…

Read More Floyd Plaintiffs Win Stop-and-Frisk Case
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A recent Second Circuit decision provides guidance on the appropriate standard to be applied in cases involving deadly police force against a suspect.  The case is Rasanen v. Brown et al., 12-680-cv, 2013 WL 3766538 (July 19, 2013). During a warranted search of John Rasanen’s home, defendant NYS trooper Brown shot and killed Rasanen.  The administrator…

Read More Citing Flawed Jury Instructions, Second Circuit Vacates Decision Denying Plaintiff New Trial in Fatal Police Shooting Case
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Most people are (or at least think they are) familiar with the amendments comprising the Bill of Rights, namely those involving (obviously paraphrasing and simplifying here) “free speech” (First), gun issues (Second), illegal searches and seizures (Fourth), the “right to remain silent” (Fifth), the right to counsel (Sixth), the right to a jury trial (Seventh),…

Read More There’s a THIRD Amendment Now?
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In Carroll v. County of Monroe (2d Cir. 12-975-cv, March 12, 2013), the Second Circuit affirmed the denial of plaintiff’s motion to set aside a jury verdict (or alternatively, for a new trial) after a jury found that plaintiff failed to prove her claim (brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983) that the shooting of her…

Read More 2nd Circuit: Police Not Liable For Killing of Dog During Execution of No-Knock Warrant
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