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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.
Kansas Wrongful Conviction Lawsuit Reaches $12.5 Million Settlement
NSB has won a $12.5 million settlement on behalf of Lamonte McIntyre and his mother Rosie, after he spent 23 years in prison for a double murder he did not commit. According to the Associated Press, “McIntyre was 17 in 1994 when he was arrested in Kansas City for the shooting deaths of 21-year-old Doniel Quinn and 34-year-old Donald Ewing…. McIntyre and his mother have said Golubski coerced her into sex and then framed her teenage son for the double homicide because she rejected the detective’s later sexual advances. They also allege Golubski abused dozens of Black women for years and many officers were aware of his conduct.” Mr. McIntyre was freed in 2017 after a local prosecutor asked the court to vacate his convictions and drop all charges, calling his case an example of “manifest injustice.” Prosecutors had presented no physical evidence tying McIntyre to the killings and their case
Idaho City to Pay $11.7 Million to Man Wrongfully Convicted in 1996 Killing
NSB today announced that it has won an $11.7 million settlement on behalf of Christopher Tapp, who was psychologically coerced by police into confessing to a 1996 murder he did not commit. The settlement also provides that the City of Idaho Falls discuss possible reforms to its interrogation techniques with leading experts in the field. Shortly before the settlement was announced, Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper issued a letter apologizing to Mr. Tapp for the city’s role in his conviction and 20 years of incarceration, saying she hoped that the settlement and apology would help bring closure, The New York Times reported. According to the Times, Mr. Tapp was cleared in 2019 of the murder of Angie Dodge after DNA evidence from the crime scene was matched—using genetic genealogy—to the true perpetrator, Brian Dripps. Dripps was caught and pled guilty to the crime in 2021. “Chris Tapp’s wrongful conviction never
NSB Secures $12 Million Settlement from NYPD for Wrongful Conviction
NSB and co-counsel Paul, Weiss have successfully resolved a federal civil rights case on behalf of Pablo Fernandez, securing one of the largest-ever wrongful conviction settlements to be paid by the City of New York. The case, brought in the Southern District of New York against the City and former NYPD officers, sought compensation for Mr. Fernandez’s wrongful conviction in 1996 for a homicide that he did not commit. In March 2022, following mediation facilitated by U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert. W. Lehrburger, the City agreed to settle the case for $12 million before any depositions had been taken in the case. Mr. Fernandez was just 22 years old and a recent immigrant from the Dominican Republic when he was charged in the 1993 murder-for-hire slaying of a gang leader on a crowded Harlem street. His civil suit, filed by NSB and the pro bono law firm Paul, Weiss, details the
Detroit Council Approves $7.5M Settlement for Wrongfully Imprisoned Teen
NSB has won a $7.5 million settlement on behalf of Davontae Sanford, who entered prison as a teenager and spent eight years there before he was freed. As reported by The Detroit News, Davontae Sanford was just 15 when he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the fatal shootings of four people at a drug house on Runyon, two blocks from his home on Detroit’s east side in 2007. Two weeks after the teen went to prison, professional hit man Vincent Smothers confessed to 12 killings, including the September 17, 2007 homicides on Runyon – but police suppressed the information and fought attempts by innocence advocates to exonerate Mr. Sanford. Mr. Sanford was released on June 8, 2016 and on July 19, 2016, the charges were dismissed. In September 2017, NSB lawyers filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on Sanford’s behalf, seeking damages from the police officers involved and the city of
NSB Brings Class Action Suit Against Rochester PD for Excessive Use of Force Disproportionately Against People of Color
On April 5th, 2021, NSB attorney Katie McCarthy joined members of Free the People Roc, the National Lawyers Guild Rochester, and ten individual plaintiffs on the steps of city hall in Rochester NY after filing a “landmark civil rights lawsuit” to address a decade-long pattern of racist violence by the Rochester Police Department. The 96-page complaint outlines a systemic use of excessive force on the residents of Rochester, notably during protests in September 2020 that resulted from the release of the footage of the treatment of Daniel Prude at the hands of officers in March 2020, ultimately leading to his death. The plaintiffs are represented by NSB partners Nick Brustin and Emma Freudenberger, associate Katie McCarthy and fellow Julian Clark, with case support by paralegal Kayla Jessup, along with co-counsel Roth & Roth, LLP; BakerHostetler; Easton Thompson Kasperek Shiffrin LLP; and Joshua S. Moskovitz, Esq. Read the complaint here. Read
City of Philadelphia to settle wrongful conviction case for NSB client Chester Hollman
NSB has won a $9.8 million pre-filing settlement against the City of Philadelphia for client Chester Hollman. Mr. Hollman spent 28 years wrongfully imprisoned for a 1991 murder he did not commit before he was exonerated in 2019. Mr. Hollman’s wrongful conviction was the result of police misconduct: Philadelphia homicide detectives not only coerced two witnesses to sign fabricated statements falsely implicating Mr. Hollman, but also hid powerful evidence that other people with no connection to Mr. Hollman had committed the crime. The $9.8 million payout is one of the largest wrongful conviction settlements in Philadelphia history. Mr. Hollman is represented by NSB partners Amelia Green, Emma Freudenberger, and Peter Neufeld, and fellow Yasmin Dagne. NSB Paralegal Ty Parks provided case support to Mr. Hollman’s matter Read the Philadelphia Inquirer’s coverage here.
NSB Client Valentino Dixon Honored by the Obamas
Valentino Dixon received accolades this past holiday season for his incredible artwork. Former First Lady Michelle Obama purchased one of Valentino’s works, “Augusta The Beautiful”, as a gift for former President Barack Obama, who was so moved by the piece and the story behind the artist that he posted about it on his Instagram account. Read more about this incredible honor and Valentino’s story here.
NSB sets Ninth Circuit precedent in win for client Susan Mellen
On August 17, 2018, in a precedent-setting decision, the Ninth Circuit reinstated NSB client Susan Mellen’s wrongful conviction lawsuit. Ms. Mellen, a single mother of three, spent more than 17 years incarcerated for a brutal murder she didn’t commit. She was convicted by the perjured testimony of June Patti, an infamous liar with a long history of making false accusations to police. In her lawsuit, Ms. Mellen alleged that LAPD detective Marcella Winn, whose role in causing two other wrongful convictions has cost Los Angeles more than $13 million in settlements, buried a damning statement from Patti’s sister, a police officer, eviscerating Patti’s credibility. The Ninth Circuit ruled that Detective Winn should have produced the statement, that “other evidence suggests that Detective Winn would have taken any means necessary to secure Mellen’s conviction,” and remanded for trial. Ms. Mellen is represented by NSB partners Nick Brustin and Anna Benvenutti Hoffmann