City Agrees to Pay Brooklyn Man Who Alleged He Was Falsely Arrested $15K Settlement

NEW YORK - Aug. 23, 2013 - PRLog -- On August 22, 2013, United States District Court Judge for the Eastern District of New York, The Honorable Raymond J. Dearie, approved the settlement as between Yusuf Smith and the City of NY - and Yusuf Smith has agreed to settle Case No.: 12-CV-6392 for $15,000.00. In his Amended Complaint filed on April 17, 2013, Mr. Smith alleged that he was stopped for no reason within the lobby of a NYCHA building, where his friend lived. Yusuf Smith further alleged that after he was stopped for no reason, an NYPD Officer patted him down and frisked him, and that said "pat down and frisk" failed to produce any contraband. Within his Amended Complaint, Yusuf Smith, a 22 year old African American man, also pled that within the past year alone, he had been stopped by NYPD Officers within his own NYCHA residence on more than ten occasions.

Recently U.S. District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled in an almost 200 page opinion, that "furtive movements" which is a reason cited in some NYPD stops, is not sufficient - and neither is simply being present in a "high crime area." Judge Scheindlin also ruled that a person cannot be stopped just for matching a vague description such as "young black male, 18-24."

According to Yusuf Smith's attorney, Michael J. Redenburg, Esq., it is a far too common occurance, that young men of color are often afraid to walk through the streets in their own neighborhoods without the fear that they will be stopped - for no reason - by the very individuals who are charged to protect them - The New York City Police Department.

Plaintiff's Legal Counsel:

Michael J. Redenburg

212-240-9465

http://www.mjrlaw-ny.com/Brooklyn-Criminal-Defense-Blog/2012/October/Brooklyn-False-Arrest-Lawyer.aspx 

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