New York City Police Brutality and Civil Rights Lawyer
The New York Police Department has a documented history of misconduct and excessive force that has resulted in billions of dollars in settlements for victims’ families. If you or a loved one has experienced police violence in New York City, you have legal rights and options for seeking justice, and an NYC civil rights lawyer can help.
Attorneys that work with Police Brutality Center may be able to assist you.
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Content Last Updated: March 6, 2026
Were you or a loved one a victim of police brutality?
A 2021 analysis by the New York Civil Liberties Union examined over 180,000 police misconduct complaints involving 35,000 NYPD officers from 2000 through 2020 and found that only 1% of cases resulted in “serious” disciplinary action, such as forfeiture of vacation days, suspension, probation, or termination. The study also found that people of color are three times more likely to be injured by police misconduct than white people, and Black people are six times more likely. For complaints involving children, 93 percent involved children of color.
If you or a loved one has been a victim of an act of police misconduct or brutality, you aren’t alone, and Police Brutality Center can help.
Connect With Our Experienced Attorneys
Police Brutality Center is proud to partner with Alex Straus, Chair of the Civil Rights Department at Milberg PLLC, and Solomon Radner at Radner Law Group to help victims of civil rights abuses.
Why Work With A New York City Police Brutality Lawyer?
If you’ve been a victim of an act of police brutality, representation by an experienced police brutality lawyer can significantly increase your odds of receiving compensation for your injuries and suffering.
New York City police brutality and civil rights attorneys know the city’s legal landscape well and often have experience with claims against the NYPD and the New York Department of Corrections. An experienced local attorney can investigate, gather evidence, and help you navigate the complexities of police misconduct claims in a city that fights back against them aggressively.
How to File A Police Misconduct Lawsuit in New York
Filing a police misconduct lawsuit in New York City typically starts with filing a complaint with the appropriate oversight agency, whether the police department, the city, or the civilian review board. Meanwhile, work with a civil rights attorney who can investigate, gather evidence to support your claim, protect your rights, and ensure you file your lawsuit on time.
Engaging a Police Brutality Lawyer in New York City
Before taking any action, hire an attorney to begin the process of filing a police misconduct claim. A New York City police brutality lawyer can investigate the incident, gather evidence, and handle all communications with the department and its representatives, protecting your rights throughout the process.
Initiating the Complaint Process
To file a police misconduct lawsuit in New York City, you’ll likely also need to file a police misconduct report with the police department, the chief of police, the civilian review board, or another organization, depending on the circumstances of the incident. After gathering evidence and filing a report with the proper agency, that agency will investigate the claim, which can take months.
Legal Proceedings
Your lawyer will prepare and file documents and represent you at any necessary hearings. Your lawyer will build your case with evidence, engage expert witnesses to bolster your claim, gather relevant records, and file suit within the statute of limitations. After you file a New York City police misconduct lawsuit, the city may attempt to negotiate a settlement. Otherwise, the case may proceed to a trial, where your attorney will represent you before a judge and jury.
Notable New York City Police Misconduct Settlements
In fiscal year 2024, New York City resolved more than 13,000 claims against it for nearly $2 billion. Claims against the New York Police Department accounted for the largest share of tort claims, with 9,036 claims filed against the NYPD—a 30% increase from the previous year.
NYPD settlements cost taxpayers more than $300 million in fiscal year 2024, making up about 30% of all tort claim settlement funds. Of the 15 largest individual tort claims against the city in fiscal year 2024, 13 were civil rights claims filed with the Department of Corrections and the NYPD.
In the first half of 2025 alone, the City has paid out more than $77 million in settlements for lawsuits alleging police misconduct. Since 2018, these lawsuits have cost taxpayers over $834 million.
Multiple large settlements occurred following the nationwide protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020. Several peaceful protestors in NYC secured a $500,000 settlement with NYC and the NYPD for excessive force by police. Additionally, in 2023, the city agreed to pay more than $13 million to a class of thousands of people who were arrested or beaten by NYPD officers during social justice protests in 2020.
The NYPD’s History of Misconduct
One New York Civil Liberties Union analysis examined more than 5,000 reported use-of-force incidents among the New York State Police from 2000 through 2020. It found that an average of 264 incidents of physical force by police are reported in New York annually. The report names 3,725 individual officers, and nearly 50 were involved in more than 10 incidents involving the use of force. Also, 393 officers were named in at least five incidents, and those officers were involved in nearly half of all incidents.
Nearly one in three of the examined incidents of use of force arose during traffic stops, and 10 percent of incidents between 2000 and 2017 occurred during a mental health response. Beginning in 2018, officers brandished weapons in a far greater percentage of the incidents—from 2018 to 2020, almost half of all incidents fit this description.
The NYPD has a troubling history of burying cases of police misconduct. In particular, police commissioner Edward Caban has a record of preventing misconduct cases from going to court, overturning plea deals, and reducing punishments using an authority called “retention.” Caban has used his power to intervene in dozens of disciplinary cases against officers found by oversight agencies to have committed misconduct.
Notable Police Misconduct Cases in New York City
Eric Garner
Eric Garner was a 43-year-old Black man who was killed in Staten Island by an NYPD officer on July 17, 2014. The officer used a prohibited chokehold while arresting Garner, who repeated the words “I can’t breathe” 11 times while lying face down on the sidewalk before passing out. Officers originally approached Garner on suspicion of selling single cigarettes from packs without tax stamps—a wholly nonviolent crime.
After the medical examiner ruled Garner’s death a homicide, the city of New York settled with the Garner family for nearly $6 million out of court. However, a grand jury decided against indicting the officer who killed Garner, and the officer was not fired until five years later.
Akai Gurley
Akai Gurley, a 28-year-old Black man, was fatally shot in Brooklyn on November 20, 2014, by a New York Police Department officer. Several officers were patrolling stairwells in the area, one with his gun drawn, and when Gurley entered the stairwell below the officers, one officer fired, hitting Gurley in the chest.
The officer who shot Gurley was convicted on manslaughter charges, but a court later reduced the conviction to criminally negligent homicide. He was sentenced to five years of probation and 800 hours of community service. The City of New York reached a $4 million agreement with Gurley’s family after the police commissioner declared the shooting an accident and said Gurley was a “total innocent.”
Police Reform and Misconduct Legislation in New York City
The main law governing police misconduct in New York is New York Penal Law § 195.00, a criminal statute prohibiting official misconduct. The law criminalizes any instance in which a public servant uses their position to obtain a personal benefit or to harm someone else. Conviction can result in job loss, fines, and potential imprisonment. Additionally, in 2021, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order requiring local governments in the state to adopt a police reform plan by April 1 of that year.
The main agency responsible for preventing and remedying misconduct by law enforcement professionals is the Law Enforcement Misconduct Investigative Office, or LEMIO. LEMIO investigates wrongdoing, examines departmental policies and procedures, makes recommendations for reform, and publicly reports its findings. LEMIO was created by Executive Law 75, which also requires that law enforcement agencies report all instances of wrongdoing.
What is the Statute of Limitations for Civil Rights Cases in New York City?
The statute of limitations for a police misconduct case in New York depends on the circumstances of the incident. There are separate statutes of limitations for civil cases and criminal charges. The deadlines for police brutality lawsuits and criminal cases are as follows:
Criminal Charges
- Assault and battery: Two or five years for criminal cases, depending on the facts
- Manslaughter: Five years for criminal charges
- Murder: No time limit for criminal charges
Civil Lawsuits
- Assault and battery: One year and 90 days from the incident date
- False imprisonment: One year and 90 days from the incident date
- Other negligence resulting in personal injury: Three years from the incident date
- Wrongful death: Two years from the date of death
However, note that if you are filing suit against the city or a municipal entity, you must file a formal notice of claim within 90 days of the incident. Therefore, acting immediately is crucial to preserving your rights.
Well, they certainly want somebody that has handled police brutality cases in the past. Oftentimes, they also look to see whether or not that lawyer has had any prior experience in the criminal justice system, either as a criminal defense attorney or as a former prosecutor, and particularly at my law firm. We do have multiple former prosecutors as well as multiple former criminal defense attorneys that now do handle police brutality cases.
Get Legal Help
Police misconduct and brutality have become near-everyday occurrences in New York City despite laws and regulations put into place to prevent them. If you or a loved one has been a victim of an incident you believe qualifies as police misconduct, you may be entitled to compensation for your suffering.
Contact Police Brutality Center today, and we’ll connect you with a local lawyer who can evaluate your claim and guide you through the legal process. We hear you, we see you, and we believe you.