Our Practice Areas
Police Misconduct
Rickner Moskovitz LLP attorneys have represented people victimized by every kind of police abuse. Our clients have been falsely arrested, subjected to excessive force, maliciously prosecuted, and wrongfully imprisoned for years based on police misconduct.
Our results include:
$4,500,000 verdict against the County of Nassau in an excessive force case where police beat Roger Basile while he was handcuffed, causing a traumatic brain injury.
$2,550,000 for the Estate of Barrington Williams, who died while in police custody after officers failed to render life-saving aid during an asthma attack.
$2,000,000 for Julian Douglas and Sahel Green, who were wrongfully imprisoned for years, before trial, because the police withheld key forensic evidence that conclusively proved they were innocent.
$600,000 after a federal jury trial for a woman who was waiting for her young son in a police precinct and then falsely arrested when she refused to leave.
$280,000 for a man subject to excessive force by NYPD warrant squad officers and falsely accused of assaulting officers.
$220,000 for a woman whose house was destroyed during a police search because of the NYPD’s lack of training.
$157,500 for a woman who was taken to a psychiatric ward by police, for no reason, and held for several days.
$97,500 for a man arrested after officers ignored surveillance video that showed he was innocent of false criminal allegations.
$85,000 for a juvenile abused by police officers while being transported to a precinct.
$40,000 for a woman who was falsely arrested and held for 45 minutes.
A new trial for Dushanne Ashley, who was a victim of fabricated evidence, after a successful appeal to the Second Circuit, where we won punitive damages.
Wrongful Convictions
Rickner Moskovitz LLP attorneys have recovered millions of dollars for clients wrongfully convicted because police coerced false confessions, prosecutors withheld key evidence, and witness tampering. We litigate every case with attention, working them from the ground up, fighting for big settlements, and even going to trial.
Our results include:
$12,000,000 in settlements for Eric Glisson, one of the Bronx 6, who was wrongfully convicted and spent 18 years in prison, after NYPD detectives bribed and coerced witnesses.
$11,700,000 in settlements, working with Glenn A. Garber, for Edward Garry, who spent 22 years in prison because a district attorney in the Bronx withheld key evidence about the real killer.
$9,900,000 in settlements, working with Glenn A. Garber, for John Bunn, who spent 16 years in prison after being targeted by the notorious Detective Scarcella.
$5,670,833 verdict in a § 8-b wrongful conviction case following a 13-day bench trial.
$4,500,000 settlement for a man who was wrongfully convicted after police officers coerced a false confession.
$2,500,000 settlement for a man who was wrongfully convicted because the district attorney withheld Brady evidence.
$850,000 after a federal jury trial for a man who spent seven months in prison after high-ranking prison officials wrongfully placed him on parole.
Prison Litigation
Rickner Moskovitz LLP attorneys have deep experience fighting for people brutalized at Rikers Island and in New York state prisons. We have represented clients who have been assaulted by correction officers, attacked by other inmates, and denied medical care and other basic necessities while in custody.
Our results include:
$9,250,000 jury verdict - the highest known verdict in the Northern District of New York in a prison litigation case - for the Estate of Terry Cooper, who was beaten to death by officers at Clinton Correctional Facility. The case settled after trial for $8,900,000, which was the highest known settlement for an in-custody case in the same court.
Victory at trial for a man who was slashed in custody because the State of New York refused to protect him in prison.
Currently representing the New York City Council and Public Advocate in their efforts to end solitary confinement on Rikers Island.
$465,000 for a man who lost his big toe in federal prison after medical staff ignored his diabetic infection.
$350,000 settlement for juvenile subject to excessive force in ACS facility
$150,000 settlement for man assaulted by officers at Orleans Correctional Facility.
$105,000 for a man who was dragged down the stairs, while in handcuffs, by officers who were moving him between criminal court and prison.
$95,000 for a man who was beaten with a lock-in-a-sock during a riot in federal prison.
$40,000 for a man who was pepper-sprayed on Rikers Island.
Free Speech
Rickner Moskovitz LLP attorneys have defended their clients’ First Amendment rights in state and federal courts around the country. We have secured important victories for clients whose free speech was infringed by government misconduct and clients who were victims of frivolous SLAPP suits.
Our results include:
Multi-million dollar class action settlement for Black Lives Matter protestors targeted by high-ranking NYPD officers and “kettled” in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx during the 2020 George Floyd protests. The settlement represents the largest per-person settlement in a protest mass arrest case anywhere in the nation.
Successful dismissal of a defamation suit filed by a wealthy real estate developer against a member of a condominium board who discovered corrupt self-dealing.
Successful settlement of claims for a man who was wrongfully denied access to a cell phone and the Internet after he was released from prison.
$515,000 settlement, after successful appeal to the Second Circuit, on behalf of a former NYC school principal for a First Amendment retaliation claim.
Religious Freedom
Rickner Moskovitz LLP attorneys have fought and won ground-breaking lawsuits to protect their clients’ religious freedoms.
Our results include:
Won class certification and secured a permanent injunction against the State of New York for state corrections officers who suffered religious discrimination in their jobs.
Secured temporary restraining order against the enforcement of the NYPD’s “no beard” policy against a Muslim police officer leading to a class action settlement that permanently changed the NYPD’s religious accommodation policy.
Won summary judgment after an evidentiary hearing before Hon. Jack B. Weinstein in a case addressing the right to practice religion without interference.
Employment Discrimination
Rickner Moskovitz LLP attorneys have won substantial recoveries for clients who suffered discrimination from their employers and in their workplace.
Our results include:
Won summary judgment on Title VII claims for employees subject to unlawful workplace discrimination.
$340,000 in settlements for employees subject to unlawful discrimination from their employer.
Negotiated substantial severance package for executive wrongfully terminated because of her pregnancy.
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