Schwartz v. City of New York
May 05, 2014OUTCOME: Settlement
In Schwartz v. City of New York, the firm challenged the highly controversial NYPD policy known as "Operation Lucky Bag," in which officers plant purses and other property in City subways and parks and ... arrest whoever picks it up, even if that person is a good samaritan. After defeating the City's summary judgment motion, the City appealed the district court's decision denying qualified immunity to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. After argument, the Circuit issued a Summary Order, holding that the officers had failed to establish even arguable probable cause for plaintiff's arrest. While the appeal was pending, the Firm successfully opposed the City's motion to stay Monell discovery, and compelled the production of a broad range of policy disclosures.
