Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf is a New York Plaintiff's personal injury law firm specializing in automobile accidents, construction accidents, medical malpractice, products liability, police misconduct and all types of New York personal injury litigation.

Articles Posted in Police Brutality

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Cleveland%20Police.jpgA 12 year old boy who was killed by a Cleveland Police Officer is the last victim of a long history of police brutality in the city of Cleveland. A year and half ago the feds launched an investigation of the Cleveland Police Department after several high profile use of force incidents and numerous public demands for a federal investigation by civic leaders and local politicians. The Justice Department released their report Thursday afternoon. The report found that officers used on a regular basis unjustifiable force not only against criminals but also against innocent victims of crime. Among the allegations, the feds report that Cleveland officers in recent years punched a handcuffed 13 year old boy who was shoplifting. They also shot an unarmed kidnapping victim who was only wearing his underwear.

Read more in the Huffington Post.

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Two New York police officers have been charged for assault and police misconduct after they were caught on tape beating Kahreem Tribble, a 16 year old teenager with their fists and a gun (see video below). David Afanador and Tyrane Isaac were caught on a video chasing and catching the teenager on a Crown Heights street. After the boy surrendered, one of the cops is seen throwing a punch at the boy’s face before his colleague joined in, whipping his head with a drawn pistol.

Brooklyn DA Kenneth Thompson said the video was troubling and “if any police officer has crossed the line – we have to hold him accountable”.

Afanador was charged with felony assault and misdemeanor counts of criminal possession of a weapon and official misconduct. He faces up to seven years in prison.

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New York personal injury lawyer Anthony Gair discusses the Amadou Diallo Criminal Prosecution.
Gair Gair Conason Steigman Mackauf Bloom & Rubinowitz represented the Estate in the wrongful death action brought pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §1983 of The Civil Rights Act. The Diallo case was settled for $3 Million. This amount is the largest amount ever paid by the City of New York in a wrongful-death action for the death of a single individual with no dependents.

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To prevail in a civil rights action under 42 USC §1983, plaintiff must establish that defendants deprived decedent of a right secured by the constitution or laws of the United States and that such deprivation was committed by person(s) acting under color of state law (see, Spell v. McDaniel, 591 F.Supp. 1090 [1984]). Officially promulgated ordinances, regulations and departmental directives give rise to municipal liability under section 1983 if such policies and decisions lead to a deprivation of constitutional rights (Id.). Municipalities are liable under section 1983 for de facto policies or practices which engender constitutional deprivation; informal actions, if they reflect general policy, custom, practice or pattern of official conduct which even tacitly encourage conduct depriving individuals of their constitutional rights, satisfies section 1983 standards (Id.).

Legal Standard For Discovery

Federal, and not State law, governs questions of discoverability, confidentiality and privilege in federal civil rights actions (see, King v. Conde, 121 F.R.D. 180 [EDNY 1988]; Fed. R. Civ. P. 26[b][1]). Under Rule 26 (b)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, any information that is not privileged is discoverable if it is relevant to the action or reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence.

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It is doubtful the the U.S. Dept of Justice will Prosecute the New York City Police Officers who shot and killed Sean Bell under 18 U.S.C. Section 242 for willfully violating his constitutional rights. The Guidelines in the U.S. Attorney’s manual governing Dual and Successive Prosecutions known as the Petite Policy require that three substantive prerequisites be satisfied;

1. The matter must involve a substantial Federal interest.

2. The prior prosecution must have left that interest demonstrably unvindicated.

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