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In a Historic Settlement, Texas School District Pays Six Figures to Students Barred From Class and Graduation Over Their Locs
[Mont Belvieu, TX] — Barbers Hill Independent School District has agreed to a six-figure settlement resolving Arnold v. Barbers Hill Independent School District, compensating former students De’Andre Arnold and Kaden Bradford, who were represented by the Legal Defense Fund (LDF), Neufeld Scheck Brustin Hoffmann & Freudenberger (NSBHF), Akin, and Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Mensing (AZA). The families sued in May 2020 after the district barred De’Andre and Kaden from regular classes, extracurricular activities, and graduation ceremonies unless they cut their locs, which reflect their Black and Trinidadian heritage. Last month, the court ruled that the race and sex discrimination and First Amendment claims were viable and should proceed to trial. “A student’s constitutional rights to express themselves and to be free from discrimination don’t end the moment they walk into a school building,” said Alaizah Koorji, Senior Associate at NSBHF. “This case marks a significant achievement for De’Andre and Kaden, and for every student who has been told their natural hair doesn’t belong in the classroom.” Read LDF’s press release on the settlement here.
Family of Victoria Lee, Killed by Fort Lee Police, Sues Over Wrongful Death
Lawsuit seeks accountability after family’s call for mental health assistance is met with police officers’ unjustified use of lethal force, causing the tragic death of 25-year-old Victoria Lee (FORT LEE, NJ) — The national civil rights law firm Neufeld Scheck Brustin Hoffmann & Freudenberger, LLP and the Lee Law Firm filed a wrongful death lawsuit today on behalf of the estate of Victoria Lee, a 25-year-old woman who was killed on July 28, 2024 by Fort Lee Police Department (FLPD) officers who were sent in response to a 911 call for mental health help, but instead of assisting Victoria, broke down her apartment door and fatally shot her in the chest two minutes after their arrival. “Individuals experiencing a mental health episode or crisis deserve to access services without the threat of violence, and their families should be able to call for help without the fear that such a
Jury Awards Stefon Morant $38,000,000 for Wrongful Conviction
Verdict Comes After Jury Finds the City of New Haven and Individual New Haven Police Department Officers Liable for Putting an Innocent Man in Prison for 21 Years (Hartford, CT) After a month-long trial in the District of Connecticut, a jury has awarded Morant $38,000,000, the national civil rights firm Neufeld Scheck Brustin Hoffmann & Freudenberger, LLP announced today. Morant was wrongfully convicted in 1994 for a crime he had nothing to do with. Though no amount of money can make up for what he went through, the verdict is powerful proof of what Morant has always maintained—he is innocent and his conviction happened because of egregious police misconduct. The jury found not only that NHPD detectives made up false evidence and lied to frame Morant, but that the City of New Haven was directly responsible. Specifically, the jury found the City liable for its widespread custom and practice of suppressing evidence
Baldwin Park Police Department Pays Exoneree Daniel Saldaña $19.1 Million for Wrongful Conviction
Settlement Comes After Attorneys Uncovered Damning Evidence of a Frame-up That Put an Innocent Man Behind Bars for 33 Years (BALDWIN PARK, CA) The City of Baldwin Park has agreed to pay $19.1 million to settle a wrongful conviction lawsuit brought by exoneree Daniel Saldaña, the national civil rights firm Neufeld Scheck Brustin Hoffmann & Freudenberger, LLP announced today. At age 22, Saldaña was just starting out his life when he was wrongfully convicted of charges relating to a 1989 attempted murder. His nightmare began when a Baldwin Park Police Department (BPPD) detective framed him for the drive-by shooting. Saldaña steadfastly maintained his innocence until he was exonerated in 2023 at age 55. “Mr. Saldaña’s wrongful conviction resulted from the egregious misconduct of a Baldwin Park detective who systematically fabricated evidence and pressured witnesses throughout a fundamentally flawed investigation,” said NSBHF partner Amelia Green. “While no amount of money can
Domonique Moore and Cedric Warren Sue Kansas City, Kansas Police for Over 15 Years of Wrongful Imprisonment
Named defendants in federal lawsuits include the estate of notoriously corrupt Police Captain Roger Golubski, as well as police responsible for fabricating a false eyewitness identification and hiding evidence (KANSAS CITY, KANSAS) The national civil rights law firm Neufeld Scheck Brustin Hoffmann & Freudenberger, LLP (NSBHF), and the local firm Morgan Pilate LLP and national firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP today filed wrongful conviction lawsuits on behalf of Domonique Moore, age 41, and Cedric Warren, age 35, who were imprisoned for a combined total of more than 31 years for a 2009 double homicide that they did not commit. Moore and Warren were released from prison late last year on December 11, 2024. They are not available for interview but have issued the following statements: Domonique Moore: “No one should have to endure what I went through. I’m so happy for my freedom, but I want justice and accountability for the
In California’s Largest-Ever Wrongful Conviction Settlement, the City of Inglewood Pays a Record-Breaking $25 Million to Exoneree Maurice Hastings
Inglewood Police Department knowingly put an innocent man behind bars for more than 38 years while the real killer went free [Inglewood, CA] — With a trial date approaching this month, the City of Inglewood agreed to pay a record $25 million to settle a wrongful conviction lawsuit brought by exoneree Maurice Hastings, the national civil rights law firm Neufeld Scheck Brustin Hoffmann & Freudenberger (NSBHF) announced today. The agreement is believed to be the largest wrongful conviction settlement in California history. Following the settlement, the lawsuit has now been officially dismissed. “This historic settlement is a powerful vindication for Mr. Hastings, who has shown remarkable fortitude first in fighting to prove his innocence, and then in showing that he was framed,” said NSBHF partner Nick Brustin. “Police departments throughout California and across the country should take notice that there is a steep price to pay for allowing such egregious
NSBHF Brings Lawsuit on Behalf of Man Killed in BOP Custody
The national civil rights law firm Neufeld Scheck Brustin Hoffmann & Freudenberger, LLP (NSBHF), together with co-counsel Kaufman Lieb Lebowitz & Frick LLP (KLLF), Kairys, Rudovsky, Messing, Feinberg & Lin LLP, and Levy Firestone Muse LLP, has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of the Estate of David Blakeney and his mother Ginetta Bynum, seeking justice for Mr. Blakeney’s brutal and entirely preventable death while incarcerated at United States Penitentiary (USP) Canaan in the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons (“BOP”). Mr. Blakeney was only 32 years old when he died. “My son was in pain and asking for help, and they just ignored him until it was too late,” said Ginetta Bynum, Mr. Blakeney’s mother. “I think about it every day, how he must have been crying out for someone to help him, and no one came. They let my baby die like he was nothing.”
Ricky Kidd receives $14 million settlement in wrongful conviction case against Kansas City, Missouri detectives
(KANSAS CITY, MO) The Kansas City, Missouri Board of Police Commissioners on April 29th, 2025 approved a $14 million settlement in the wrongful conviction case of Ricky Kidd, who spent over 23 years wrongfully incarcerated for a 1996 double homicide he did not commit. Mr. Kidd was exonerated in 2019. In 2021, the law firms of Neufeld Scheck Brustin Hoffmann & Freudenberger, LLP and Lathrop GPM LLP filed a lawsuit on Mr. Kidd’s behalf against the Kansas City, Missouri Board of Police Commissioners and former Kansas City Police Department detectives alleging violations of Mr. Kidd’s constitutional rights during the 1996 homicide investigation. In December 2024, the federal district court denied defendants’ motion for summary judgment and ruled that Mr. Kidd’s claims against the detectives would proceed to trial. “This 14 million dollar settlement speaks unequivocally to Mr. Kidd’s innocence, and to his unwavering perseverance, dignity, and strength in the face
NSBHF Joins Amicus Briefs to Support Law Firms Facing Unlawful Executive Orders
NSBHF joined amicus briefs supporting Jenner & Block and WilmerHale, and now Susman & Godfrey, as those firms challenge the White House’s unlawful Executive Orders targeting them and flouting the basic principles that underlie our profession. You can read each brief together with the appendix noting the firms that signed on below. Jenner & Block v. U.S. Department of Justice Wilmer Cutler Puckering Hale and Dorr LLP v. Executive Office of The President Susman & Godfrey LLP v. Executive Office of the President