Filed Date: Aug. 18, 2011
Case Ongoing
Clearinghouse coding complete
On August 18, 2011, a class of incarcerated people filed this lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York under 42 U.S.C. 1983 for cruel and unusual punishment against the New York City Department of Corrections (DOC). The plaintiffs, represented by the Legal Aid Society and Emery Celli, asked the court for declaratory relief, injunctive relief, and damages, claiming that DOC officers routinely inflicted wanton physical violence on prisoners and deliberately falsified records to prevent discovery of their illegal actions.
Claims against the New York City DOC have been numerous and often successful over the past twenty-five years (Fisher v. Koehler, Reynolds v. Ward, Jackson v. Montemango, Sheppard v. Phoenix, Ingles v. Toro). The plaintiffs claimed that former policies were re-instituted as soon as the injunctions expired, or that the injunctions were interpreted narrowly enough to provide room for explicit cruelty. The plaintiffs claimed that officers frequently took prisoners to areas without video cameras or other witnesses, and then beat them. The plaintiffs claimed to have suffered multiple injuries as a result of these abuses, including broken bones, concussions, and other emergency conditions requiring hospitalization and surgery. Finally, the plaintiffs claimed that the defendants routinely falsified documents or fabricated disciplinary charges to cover up their own unlawful conduct or that of their colleagues. The city often would allegedly promote the worst offenders.
On January 7, 2013, the Court (Magistrate Judge James C. Francis IV) granted class certification to the plaintiffs, defining the class as: all present and future inmates confined in jails operated by the New York City DOC, except for the Elmhurst and Bellevue Prison Wards.
Meanwhile, on January 12, 2012, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York informed the city that they were undertaking an investigation of the prison conditions on Rikers Island under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act. The DOJ issued a findings letter in that matter, reporting the frequent use of excessive force, inadequate systematic supervision, and prolonged punitive solitary confinement on August 4, 2014. A press release is available on the Department of Justice's website. That is discussed in the CRIPA investigation page.
On December 18, 2014, the Department of Justice filed a motion seeking permission to intervene in this case and pursue its action under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act. The Court granted the unopposed motion to intervene on December 23, 2014. Settlement negotiations were immediately initiated.
On July 1, 2015, the plaintiffs filed a motion to approve a consent settlement. The DOJ issued a statement on their website the same day. The consent settlement included provisions completely prohibiting certain types of force. The DOC also agreed to report all incidents where the staff used force on a prisoner. All Use of Force incidents resulting in major injuries to the prisoner resulted in a mandatory video-recorded interview of the injured prisoner and other witnesses, and referred for an investigation to the Investigation Division of the DOC. The DOC agreed to install 7,800 wall-mounted cameras and at least 100 body-worn or hand-held cameras to facilitate the investigations. Staff that violate the use of force guidelines will be disciplined, up to termination. Staff could not be promoted if they had a poor disciplinary use of force record or a pending disciplinary investigation.
The DOC agreed to no longer put prisoners under 18 in any punitive isolation. Prisons housing youth were required to have certain staffing levels and routine examination of the premises to ensure security and safety of the prisoners. The DOC also agreed to begin searching for an alternative location, off Rikers Island, for prisoners under 18.
Finally, the parties agreed to a monitor, who visited the prisons and wrote a progress report every four months, penologist Steve Martin.
On October 21, 2015, the Court (Judge Laura Taylor Swain) approved the consent judgment and implementation began, enforced by the court.
On December 4, 2019, Judge Swain issued an order and modified the consent judgment, adding "[a]ny Board employee who witnesses a Use of Force Incident must report the incident in writing directly to the area Tour Commander or to a supervisor who is responsible for investigating the incident. This shall include, but not be limited to, filling out the narrative section of any witness report."
The monitor's ninth report raised concerns about the defendants' efforts to advance reforms and the treatment of 16 and 17 year olds. The report raised non-compliance issues with "(1) implementing the Use of Force Directive; (2) addressing the backlog of investigations and improving use of force investigations going forward; (3) improving Staff discipline and accountability; and (4) addressing the high level of disorder at RNDC, where most of the 18-year-old inmates are housed."
In response to the issues raised in the ninth monitor report, the court ordered the Monitoring Team to file a status report by July 2, 2020. This report from the monitor outlined the progress that the parties had made and indicated that the parties "are in a position to reach a joint agreement." In this report, the monitor noted that the parties have not decided how to treat 16 and 17 year olds in compliance with the terms of the consent judgment and new legislation in New York that created a new legal status for 16 and 17 year olds arrested for felonies. After the monitor filed this status report, the court urged the parties to continue to work towards a finalized joint proposal.
On August 14, 2020, the court issued a remedial consent order addressing the defendants' non-compliance on use of force. The order instructed Facility Wardens to promptly review all incidents involving use of force to determine if any corrective action was warranted. Among other changes to the consent decree, this remedial order instructed the defendants to take immediate corrective actions to determine whether any staff members "should be subject to immediate corrective action pending the completion of the use of force investigation."
The Tenth Monitoring Report and Eleventh Monitoring Reports expressed similar concerns as prior reports by noting that "[t]he City and Department have established a record of non-compliance in the most fundamental goals of the Consent Judgment, most especially regarding the use of force and accountability for violations of these requirements."
Meanwhile, the monitor began filing status reports about the remedial order from August 14, 2020. The First Remedial Report, issued on December 8, 2020, noted that investigations into use of force had begun, but little corrective action had been taken. The Second Report, issued on June 3, 2021, focused on "problem-solving efforts designed to advance the overall reform."
On August 24, 2021, the Monitoring Team filed a letter to Judge Swain advising the court of the Team's "grave concerns about the conditions and pervasive high level of disorder and chaos in the New York City jails." The letter stated that the conditions in the jails have deteriorated from the dismal state reported in previous monitoring reports, resulting in a steady increase in serious use of force incidents, a rise in the level of security lapses and unchecked breaches, and instances of inadequate supervision. Judge Swain endorsed the report the following day, finding it “deeply disturbing.”
Judge Swain issued a Second Remedial Order on September 29, 2021, which adopted the recommendations of the Monitoring Team, which included obligations to: address unsecured doors; communicate their obligations under the Suicide Prevention Policy; assign incarcerated people to housing within 24 hours of their intake; maintain video monitoring; hire a consultant to advise on safely housing people in consideration of gang affiliation; expand criteria for who may serve on facility leadership teams; and appoint an external Security Operations Manager.
In response to a Monitoring Report submitted on September 30, 2021, which documented over 1,900 pending disciplinary cases related to use of force violations including 600 cases involving conduct that occurred over three years prior, Judge Swain issued a Third Remedial Order on November 22, 2021. The court ordered the Trials Division to select at least 400 cases to be prioritized for expeditious resolution and increased the number of pre-trial conferences the defendants must hold each month. The defendants were also ordered to improve procedures to allow for more timely review and increase staffing for the Trials Division.
Citing 18 deaths on Rikers Island in the prior year, in addition to several other grave concerns, the plaintiffs requested appointment of a federal receiver on November 14, 2022. Judge Swain denied this request on November 21, 2022 and referenced her comments from an earlier hearing in which she stated that the defendants needed more time to comply with recent court orders.
On December 5, 2022, Judge Swain adopted the Monitoring Team’s recommendation to abolish the position of Warden and ordered the defendants to establish a new Facility Supervisor role and expand the criteria for application to allow applicants from outside the department.
On December 13, 2022, the court ordered the defendants to file a status update outlining the steps being taken to comply with the court’s Second Remedial Order. On January 10, 2023, the defendants filed their status report, which detailed improvements in the intake process for new admissions and changes in the Inmate Tracking System for transfers. As a result, defendants argued there was no basis for plaintiffs’ contemplated contempt motion. Nonetheless, plaintiffs filed their motion on January 25, 2023, arguing that the defendants had failed to properly track intake and transfers.
Later that year, on February 3, the parties informed the court they had reached a revised agreement about 16- and 17-year-olds at Horizon Juvenile Center, which would extend through June 30, 2023. Under the new agreement, the monitor would file two public reports, and if the monitor found that the defendants made good faith efforts to comply with the consent decree, the parties would agree to exclude adolescent offenders from the consent decree.
A month later, on March 13, the court denied without prejudice plaintiffs’ motion to hold defendants in civil contempt because the defendants had recently made changes to try to address the issues raised by the plaintiffs. Therefore, the court instead ordered the defendants to file status reports on their continued effort to comply.
Two months later, on May 26, the monitor filed a report detailing five recent “disturbing incidents involving harm to incarcerated persons” that revealed dangerous conditions, unsafe practices, and a lack of transparency from the defendants. A few days later, the court ordered the defendants to provide more information in response to the report. A few weeks later, the court ordered the defendants to produce a plan of action addressing these incidents, including appointing a manager to interface with the monitor, and ordered the monitor to file a status report about the sufficiency of the plan.
On July 10, 2023, the monitor filed a report explaining that the defendants were not properly communicating with the Monitoring Team and that there had been “regression” in carrying out the overall remedial plan. The following week, the court ordered defendants to explain what steps they planned to take to address security and harm, supervision and training, and consultation and collaboration.
On August 10, 2023, the court ordered the defendants to implement several steps by the end of the year in response to ongoing problems identified by the monitor. These steps included establishing data about use of force, changing search and escort procedures and security protocols, and creating new policies involving training and supervision.
Two months later, after a monitor’s report that described worsening conditions surrounding security, staffing, and incident reporting, the court ordered the defendants to meet with the monitor to create an immediate plan to “ameliorate the unacceptable levels of harm in the New York City jails.”
Later that year, on November 15, the monitor wrote a letter to the court alleging that the defendants had opened and operated a new specialized housing unit without consulting the monitor, in violation of the court’s orders. The next day, the court ordered the defendants to explain why it should not hold them in contempt for this violation as well as their overall lack of transparency. The following day, the plaintiffs filed a motion for a contempt order and asked the court to appoint a receiver to oversee the Department of Correction and ensure compliance with the consent decree. The plaintiffs detailed how, after eight years, the defendants had failed to remedy the violations, making a receiver necessary to comply with the prospective relief. Various organizations filed amicus briefs in support of a receivership, including the New York Attorney General’s Office.
The following month, on December 8, the mayor of New York City appointed a new commissioner of the Department of Correction.
About a week later, on December 14, the court found the defendants in contempt, and explained that the defendants could purge the contempt order if they took various steps to implement the court’s orders and communicate with the monitor. The following day, the court also ordered the defendants to create a new policy for incident reporting.
As of December 23, 2023, the case was ongoing, with the issue of contempt still pending.
Summary Authors
Kya Henley (4/7/2014)
Kathryn DeLong (10/27/2015)
Sam Kulhanek (2/10/2019)
Sabrina Glavota (7/30/2020)
Justin Hill (9/2/2021)
Robin Peterson (12/1/2022)
Venesa Haska (11/23/2023)
CRIPA investigation of NYC Department of Correction Jails on Rikers Island, No Court (None)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4349463/parties/nunez-v-nyc-department-of-correction/
Abady, Jonathan S. (New York)
#14, John Doe (New York)
Abeysekera, Samantha (New York)
Abt, Uriel Benjamin (New York)
, (New York)
Francis, James C. IV (New York)
Swain, Laura Taylor (New York)
Beckles, Nairuby L. (New York)
Bonynge, Bradley G. (New York)
Chasan, Jonathan S. (New York)
Conniff, Christopher P (New York)
Dyer, Susanna G (Massachusetts)
Flowers, Jodi Westbrook (New York)
Frandsen, Nicholas Ushio (New York)
Friedberg, Anna Elizabeth (New York)
Georgeson, C. Russell (New York)
Greenberger, Debra L. (New York)
Haefele, Robert Turner (New York)
Hagood, Marghretta A (New York)
Hong, Shunyi Joonho (New York)
Hsu, Caroline Sandra (New York)
Jr, John Christopher (New York)
Kellogg, Paul Schuyler (New York)
McJessy, Kevin Patrick (New York)
Novins, Gary Robert (New York)
Prieto, Ricardo Jose (New York)
Rosenfeld, Katherine (New York)
Salzman, Zoe Antonia (New York)
Shoemake, Derek Alan (New York)
Sopata, John Joseph (New York)
Tackett, Claudius Orville (New York)
Abeysekera, Samantha (New York)
Abt, Uriel Benjamin (New York)
Akina, William Keaupuni (New York)
Alfaro, Elida Maria (New York)
Alibey, Fayola Naila (New York)
Allen-Knecht, MaryBeth Catherine (New York)
Alvarez-Calderon, Aurora Andrea (New York)
Anakhu, Joy Tolulope (New York)
Anderson, Robert James (New York)
Aribakan, Suzanne Emily (New York)
Arko, Christopher G. (New York)
Auletta, Steven Joseph (New York)
Bahrenburg, Richard (New York)
Balog, Aliza Jordana (New York)
Bardauskis, Elizabeth Barrett (New York)
Barnett, Camille Danielle (New York)
Bartlett, Caroline Firth (New York)
Bauman, Wesley Eugene (New York)
Beath, Patrick Neil (New York)
Bensinger, Virginia Brette (New York)
Bergman, Zachary Russell (New York)
Birnbaum, Brooke Allyson (New York)
Birnbaum, Janice Louise (New York)
Bogart, Russell Lewis (New York)
Bogni, Jason Robert (New York)
Bonillas, Adria Jasmine (New York)
Booth, Amatullah Khaliha (New York)
Bouriat, Christopher Saleh (New York)
Braun, Daniel Michael (New York)
Breslow, Stephanie Marie (New York)
Brocker, Peter William (New York)
Brooks, Jeffrey Charles (New York)
Bruzzese, Sheryl Ann (New York)
Buckwalter, Ellen Lori (New York)
Buhta, John Michael (New York)
Burleson, Shana Lynn (New York)
Byrns, Katherine Abigail (New York)
Cahill, Kathleen J. (New York)
Calhoun, Martha Anne (New York)
Calistro, Phyllis Gail (New York)
Campbell-Priveterre, Joyce D. (New York)
Canfield, Donna Anne (New York)
Carberry, Andrez Shumree (New York)
Cardinale, Richard J. (New York)
Cardozo, Michael A. (New York)
Carey, Charles Edward (New York)
Castro, Johana Vanessa (New York)
Catalano, Thomas A. (New York)
Cavalieri, Meghan Ann (New York)
Ceballo, Brian Paul (New York)
Chen, Caroline Ling-Yu (New York)
Ciappetta, Nicholas Robert (New York)
Clark, Shawn Raymond (New York)
Cohen, Jessica Talia (New York)
Collyer, Adam Edward (New York)
Colon-Pagan, Francisco J. (New York)
Conger, Megan Patricia (New York)
Connelly, Elizabeth Colette (New York)
Cooke, Brenda Elaine (New York)
Cooper, David Allen (New York)
Coughlan, Barbara L. (New York)
Coyne, Jennifer Angela (New York)
Coyne, Christopher John (New York)
Crisp, Martin Jonathan (New York)
Crowe, Alicia Marie (New York)
Daitz, Elizabeth M. (New York)
D'Andrea, Theresa Jeanine (New York)
Dandrige, Danielle M. (New York)
Dantowitz, Jeffrey Scott (New York)
Dawkins, Julinda A. (New York)
DeCastro, Maria Fernanda (New York)
Deconinck, Magda M. (New York)
Degori, Elizabeth Carolyn (New York)
DePaul, Philip Rudolph (New York)
Depoian, Carolyn Kay (New York)
Dervin, James Monroe (New York)
Desmond, James Finbar (New York)
Devlin, Austa Starr (New York)
DiSenso, Anthony M. (New York)
Donohue, Michael J. (New York)
Dougherty, Jeffrey Anthony (New York)
Dunn-Jones, Felicia (New York)
Eichenholtz, Seth D. (New York)
Eichenholtz, Eric Jay (New York)
Elfenbein, Randall M. (New York)
Englert, Eviana Linnea (New York)
Faddis, Hannah Victoria (New York)
Farmer, Gary Michael (New York)
Farrar, Brian Jeremy (New York)
Farrell, Odile Maun (New York)
Farrell, Peter Gerard (New York)
Ferrell, Erin Laree (New York)
Fett, Baree Nichole (New York)
Fihma, Allison Naomi (New York)
Fitzgibbon, Kaitlin Elizabeth (New York)
Fleming, Michael Friel (New York)
Fogarty, Peter John (New York)
Fraenkel, William Solomon (New York)
Francolla, Brian Christopher (New York)
Friedman, Joshua Mathew (New York)
Friedman, Steven A. (New York)
Frommer, Hillary A. (New York)
Fudim, Elissa Paulette (New York)
Funes, Suzanne Emily (New York)
Garman, Ashley Rebecca (New York)
Gertzer, Michael Keith (New York)
Goldberg-Cahn, Michelle L. (New York)
Gomez-Sanchez, Daniel Sergio (New York)
Graziadei, John Hopkins (New York)
Greenfield, Blanche Jayne (New York)
Grenon, Karen Leser (New York)
Gugel, Alison Elaine (New York)
Gumpert, Frank George (New York)
Gutmann, Joseph Aaron (New York)
Haber, Erica Michelle (New York)
Hackworth, Thaddeus Jeremiah (New York)
Hagopian, Caleb Charles (New York)
Haider, Bilal Husain (New York)
Hall, Randolph Warren (New York)
Hallman, James Lamar (New York)
Harvis, Gabriel Paul (New York)
Heim, Douglas William (New York)
Helferich, Joanna R. (New York)
Henretty, Lyle Kevin (New York)
Herr, Leonard Charles (New York)
Hesse, Curt Christopher (New York)
Hirschklau, Rebecca Rachel (New York)
Horowitz, Aviva Yocheved (New York)
Horton, James Fredrick (New York)
Houghton, Jonathan Morgan (New York)
Hueston, Michael O. (New York)
Jacob, Agnetha Elizabeth (New York)
Jacobs, Michael David (New York)
Jacobs, Elissa Beth (New York)
Johnson, Porsha Requel (New York)
Johnson, Paul Hasan (New York)
Jones, Felicia Dunn (New York)
Joy, Daniel Lawrence (New York)
Julie, Richard Spencer (New York)
Kantor, Scott Justin (New York)
Kasbohn, Madonna Marie (New York)
Kelly, Matthew James (New York)
Kirkpatrick, Steven Nelson (New York)
Kitzinger, Stephen Edward (New York)
Koduru, Jennifer Lilly (New York)
Kogel-Smucker, Sarah A. (New York)
Koster, Jeannette Arlin (New York)
Koutsoudakis, Andreas (New York)
Krasnow, Elizabeth N. (New York)
Kretz, Walter Aoysius Jr. (New York)
Krueger, Jenna Lynn (New York)
Kruk, Carolyn Elizabeth (New York)
Lanzito, Dominick L (New York)
Larkin, Arthur G. III (New York)
Lichterman, Ariel Shaun (New York)
Lipkin, Andrew Gary (New York)
Lippin, Louise Hari (New York)
Lively, Lauren Almquist (New York)
Lockinger, Joseph D. (New York)
Longley, Serena Mabel (New York)
Lucas, Andrew Joseph (New York)
Lydon, James Matthias (New York)
MacFarlane, Katherine Alice (New York)
MacLeod, Shawna Currie (New York)
Magsino, Teresita Villaseca (New York)
Mahon, Pamela Lynam (New York)
Manningham, Nicholas Daniel (New York)
Mansoor, Dustin Peter (New York)
Markos, Dimitrios T. (New York)
Marks, Paul Frederick (New York)
Marutollo, Joseph Anthony (New York)
Maxey, Brian Guenther (New York)
Mbabazi, Deborah L. (New York)
Mbaye, Lesley Berson (New York)
McGlothlin, Lauren B. (New York)
McGoldrick, John F. (New York)
McGovern, Michael P (New York)
McGuinness, Lawrence Joseph (New York)
McIntosh, Kristen Monet (New York)
McKinney, Morgan Chmiel (New York)
Mechmann, John Raymond (New York)
Melissinos, Nicholas (New York)
Meltzer, Hilary Michele (New York)
Mettham, Suzanna Publicker (New York)
Meyer, Deborah Ilene (New York)
Mindrutiu, Linda Margareta (New York)
Minnah-Donkoh, Kuuku Angate (New York)
Mirabile, Catherine Mary (New York)
Mitchell, Alison Sue (New York)
Modafferi, Matthew Joseph (New York)
Moe, Alison Gainfort (New York)
Molfetta, Michele Ann (New York)
Molloy, Anthony Molloy (New York)
Montaque, Tristan George (New York)
Montoya, Concepcion A. (New York)
Mouton, Gregory Paul (New York)
Muschenheim, Mark W. (New York)
Mustokoff, Michael M. (New York)
Myerberg, Andrew Thomas (New York)
Naughton, Kathleen Erin (New York)
Neufeld, Sheryl Rebecca (New York)
Nimick, Virginia Jackson (New York)
Noble, Alexander Macrae (New York)
Nunez-Figueroa, Bridgette Marie (New York)
O'Brien, John Charles (New York)
O'Connor, Andrea Mary (New York)
O'Flynn, Mary Theresa (New York)
Okereke, Amy Nkemka (New York)
Owen, Andrew Galway (New York)
Passeser, Daniel Louis (New York)
Pasternack, Scott M. (New York)
Patrick, Bradford Collins (New York)
Perry, Devor Deland (New York)
Pollack, David Michael (New York)
Pordy, Hope Allison (New York)
Profeta, Lawrence John (New York)
Pullio, Robyn Nicole (New York)
Rabinowitz, Lisa Susan (New York)
Rauchberg, Andrew James (New York)
Ravenborg, Daron R. (New York)
Reddy, Prathyusha Bandi (New York)
Reilly, Kathleen Deborah (New York)
Renaghan, Sean Robert (New York)
Richards, Camiel S. (New York)
Richardson, Lisa Marie (New York)
Rivera, Suzette Corinne (New York)
Rodriguez, Wilda J. (New York)
Rosen, Seth Mitchell (New York)
Rosencrantz, Caryn A. (New York)
Rosenkilde, Kiran Hans (New York)
Rosenthal, Chad Isaac (New York)
Rosinus, David Alan (New York)
Rossan, Jennifer Amy (New York)
Rubin, Jennifer Lindsay (New York)
Saavedra, Daniel Guillermo (New York)
Sampale, Suvarna S. (New York)
Santiago, Leticia Joy (New York)
Sarpong, Nana Kwame (New York)
Schaerf, Carl Judah (New York)
Scharfstein, Susan P. (New York)
Schatz, Julie Pearlman (New York)
Scheiner, Alan Howard (New York)
Schemitsch, John Edmund (New York)
Schuman, Jennifer Helen (New York)
Schwarz, Frederick A. (New York)
Seacord, Christopher Aaron (New York)
Seemen, Karen Jayne (New York)
Seligman, Rachel Amy (New York)
Serrano, Leah Sharon (New York)
Shaffer, Ryan Glenn (New York)
Shammas, Cheryl Leah (New York)
Shannon, Robert Thomas (New York)
Shtelmakher, Milena (New York)
Siaw, Stephanie Ahyemah (New York)
Sibley, Mara Jeanne (New York)
Siddiqi, Omar Javed (New York)
Signorelli, Richard (New York)
Silver, Cecilia Ann (New York)
Silverberg, Janice Casey (New York)
Silverberg, Steven Mark (New York)
Singleton, Gerald E. (New York)
Siskind, Shira Rachel (New York)
Sitaras, Basil Constantine (New York)
Smith, Qiana Charmaine (New York)
Smith, Katherine Elizabeth (New York)
Smith, Jordan Michael (New York)
Smith, Valerie Elizabeth (New York)
Smith-Williams, Qiana Charmaine (New York)
Sorich, Michael Jude (New York)
Speight, Melanie Mary (New York)
Sperry, Gretchen Harris (New York)
Sprayregen, Sharon Vicky (New York)
Squitieri, Olimpio Lee (New York)
Stackhouse, Noreen M. (New York)
Stannard, Geoffrey M. (New York)
Steimel, Emma Dorothy (New York)
Stockman, Benjamin E. (New York)
Stodola, Damion Kenneth (New York)
Stolorow, Adam Michael (New York)
Strikowsky, Bruce Michael (New York)
Stripling, Clarence Daniel (New York)
Sullivan, Donald Christopher (New York)
Sweeting, J. Machelle (New York)
Telfort, Pernell Michael (New York)
Thadani, Kavin Suresh (New York)
Traverse, Benjamin John (New York)
Waldauer, Jonathan Max (New York)
Weall, Katherine Jane (New York)
Weber, Steven Douglas (New York)
Weiler, Fred Michael (New York)
Weir, Matthew Charles (New York)
Welch, Alicia Hayley (New York)
Wells, Elizabeth A. (New York)
Wenzel, Andrew Patrick (New York)
Wertheimer, Joshua Chanan (New York)
Winslow, Lamar Devaughn (New York)
Wise, Desiree Adams (New York)
Wolf, Joshua Matthew (New York)
Zangrilli, Joseph Peter (New York)
Zavareei, Hassan A. (New York)
Zgodny, Vicki Becker (New York)
Ahrens, James Henry (New York)
Allman, Christopher (New York)
Amdur, Spencer Elijah (New York)
Anderson, Shelby Mitchell (New York)
Atkinson, Harold O. (New York)
Attorney, Noticing 2255 (New York)
Attorney-in-Charge, Attorney-in-Charge (New York)
Auerbach, Marcella Cohen (New York)
Axelrod, Matthew S. (New York)
Bailey, Terri Hearn (New York)
Barksdale, Antoinette (New York)
Beaumont, Katherine E. (New York)
Benedetto, James J. (New York)
Bennett, John Hunter (New York)
Bennett, Michelle Renee (New York)
Bharara, Preetinder S. (New York)
Biklen, Molly Knopp (New York)
Boesch, Victoria L. (New York)
Bonander, Laura Kennedy (New York)
Brodsky, Reed Michael (New York)
Calhoun, Daniel Joseph (New York)
Carroll, Jonathan D (New York)
Chapman-DOJ, Beverly Kristyne (New York)
Cohen, Bradley Heath (New York)
Cohen, Rebecca Shapiro (New York)
Creelan, Jeremy Micah (New York)
Cruz, Ignacio Perez (New York)
Cunningham, P Michael (New York)
Davis, Michael Scott (New York)
Dempsey, Jane Chang (New York)
Devine, Melissa Marion (New York)
Dickstein, Jeffrey Wynn (New York)
Diedrichs, Clayton R. (New York)
Doherty, Heather Noel (New York)
Dunn, Christopher Thomas (New York)
Dunn, Jason Anthony (New York)
Dunsmore, Carrie Anna (New York)
Edelman, Keith Daniel (New York)
Edelschick, Douglas Glenn (New York)
Erickson-Pogorzelski, Anthony (New York)
Evans, George Frederick (New York)
Farrell, Beverly A. (New York)
Farrior, William E. (New York)
Fernandez-Gonzalez, Myriam Y. (New York)
Fitzgerald, Scott Ivan (New York)
Flickinger, Nancy Ann (New York)
FOLIO, JOSEPH CHARLES (New York)
Francis, Victoria L. (New York)
Gagain, Michael Thomas (New York)
Galbreath, Robert L (New York)
Gallagher, Erin Healy (New York)
Giovanatti, Neil Anthony (New York)
Gonzalez, Dennis O. (New York)
Gonzalez-Rivera, Maritza (New York)
GOVT, Gregory Pearson (New York)
Granston, Michael E. (New York)
Groom, Deborah Fennell (New York)
Gryzlov, Mykhaylo Alexander (New York)
Gupta, Vanita (District of Columbia)
Handler, Stephen Elliot (New York)
Hanna, Brian Edward (New York)
Harrell-James, Veronica Vanessa (New York)
Harrington, Quinn Patrick (New York)
Harris, Reginald L. (New York)
Hasday-DOJ, Lisa Robin (New York)
Hayes, Rosemary Hanna (New York)
Healy, Christopher Robert (New York)
Hermann, Robyn Juanita (New York)
Hirst, Michael Andrew (New York)
Hitchings, Erica Blachman (New York)
Hofstetter, Shana Ann (New York)
Hogan, Tara Kathleen (New York)
Holder, Eric H. Jr. (District of Columbia)
Huber, Christopher J. (New York)
Hunsader, Joseph E. (New York)
Jarrett, Beth Dawson (New York)
Jennings, Guy Patrick (New York)
Jewell, Sarah Coppola (New York)
Jimenez, Marcos Daniel (New York)
Josephson, Matthew A (New York)
Kamons, Rachael Amy (New York)
Karpati, Elizabeth F (New York)
Kelleher, Finnuala M. (New York)
Kenny, Edward Francis (New York)
Kramer, Elizabeth Jane (New York)
Kurland, Joshua Ethan (New York)
Leonard, Nancy Cross (New York)
Lepore, Robert Austin (New York)
Lindsey, Marilynn Koonce (New York)
Link, Jessica Marie (New York)
Littleton, Judson O (New York)
Loyer, Henry Joseph (New York)
Luke, Winstanley F. (New York)
MacGriff, Scott Assiff (New York)
MacWilliams, Philip Davis (New York)
Magliolo-DOJ, Joseph Andrew (New York)
Mahoney, Kathleen Anne (New York)
Mancusi-Ungaro, Philip (New York)
Maraist, Catherine M. (New York)
Matchison, Amy Talburt (New York)
Mazumdar, Joseph Chandra (New York)
McBride, Scott Daniel (New York)
McCarthy, Patricia Mary (New York)
McNamara, Courtney Sheehan (New York)
Merchant, Orelia E. (New York)
Miller, Caroline Heck (New York)
Miller, Justin Reinhart (New York)
Minnis, Tarra DeShields (New York)
Mizoguchi, Brian A. (New York)
Moar, Daniel Barrie (New York)
Monteleone, Robyn-Marie L (New York)
Moore, Tiffany Mallory (New York)
Mroczek, Cara Marie (New York)
Muchnick, Steven A. (New York)
Munoz-Acosta, Isabel (New York)
Nelson, David Christopher (New York)
O'Neil, Benjamin A. (New York)
O'Neill, Kathleen Suzanne (New York)
Orloff, Serena Maya (New York)
Outerbridge, Peter Burchell (New York)
Pahl, Michael Richard (New York)
Panzera, Michael David (New York)
Parascandola, Christina B. (New York)
Peoples, T. Monique (New York)
Perlin, Bonni Jessica (New York)
Peter-Griffith, Ann Marie (New York)
Pettis, Yohance Asim (New York)
Pfannenschmidt, Dennis (New York)
Pomeroy, Richard L. (New York)
Preheim, Loren Misha (New York)
Prescott, Yvette Rhodes (New York)
Price, Thomas Russell (New York)
Prince, Robert Joseph (New York)
Przywara, Kathleen M. (New York)
Richards, Nelson Ryan (New York)
Roberts, Charles E. (New York)
Robinson, Natasha Camille (New York)
Rolig, Whitney Marie (New York)
Rosen, Lawrence Nathan (New York)
Rosenbaum, Joseph Steven (New York)
Rubin, Amy Michelle (New York)
Sadowski, Robert Wayne (New York)
Saldana, Lois Teresa (New York)
Sampson, Colin Christopher (New York)
Samuels, Jocelyn (District of Columbia)
Schachner, Elliot M. (New York)
Schriltz, Karl Stuart (New York)
Shean, Daniel Patrick (New York)
Simmons, Zachary Scott (New York)
Sparkman, Emmitt L. (Mississippi)
Stengle, Linda Jeffries (New York)
Stier, Cynthia Lewis (New York)
Stoltz-DOJ, Brian Walters (New York)
Sverdlov, Alexander V. (New York)
Tatarka, Timothy A. (New York)
Theiss, Joanna Victoria (New York)
Tillman, St. Lutheran (New York)
Tosini, Stephen Carl (New York)
Vanderveer, Christina Bucci (New York)
Verschoor, Rudolf J (New York)
Viray-Fung, Nataline (New York)
Waldref, Vanessa Ruth (New York)
Weingarten, Richard Keith (New York)
Weinstein, Laurie J. (New York)
Wenthold, Rachel Elizabeth (New York)
Whitlock, Michael L. (New York)
Whittlesey, Brent A (New York)
Wilson, Edward Bryan (New York)
Wohlenhaus, Renee M (New York)
Wolverton, Caroline Lewis (New York)
Yavelberg, Jamie Ann (New York)
Yoma-Awin, Monica S. (New York)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4349463/nunez-v-nyc-department-of-correction/
Last updated March 19, 2024, 3:11 a.m.
State / Territory: New York
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Post-PLRA enforceable consent decrees
Key Dates
Filing Date: Aug. 18, 2011
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
All present and future inmates confined in jails operated by the New York City Department of Corrections, except for the Elmhurst and Bellevue Prison Wards.
Plaintiff Type(s):
U.S. Dept of Justice plaintiff
Attorney Organizations:
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: Yes
Class Action Outcome: Granted
Defendants
New York City Department of Corrections (New York), City
Defendant Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA), 42 U.S.C. § 1997 et seq.
Constitutional Clause(s):
Special Case Type(s):
Available Documents:
Injunctive (or Injunctive-like) Relief
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree
Amount Defendant Pays: $6,500,000
Order Duration: 2015 - None
Content of Injunction:
Other requirements regarding hiring, promotion, retention
Implement complaint/dispute resolution process
Issues
General:
Incident/accident reporting & investigations
Staff (number, training, qualifications, wages)
Policing:
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions:
Solitary confinement/Supermax (conditions or process)
Assault/abuse by staff (facilities)
Assault/abuse by non-staff (facilities)
Affected Sex or Gender:
Medical/Mental Health:
Mental health care, unspecified
Type of Facility: