New York Legal Blog
NYC cop arrested after shoving George Floyd protester
When George Floyd died while under arrest in Minneapolis, his death sent shock waves across the country. Once again, video showed an unarmed black man begging for his life while a police officer pinned down Floyd’s neck with his knee. Within days, large protests...
Legislators extend the window for Child Victims Act lawsuits
Because the criminal justice system does not always protect the survivors of childhood sexual abuse, New York lawmakers passed the Child Victims Act (CVA) in 2019. This law made it easier for adults who experienced sexual abuse as children to file lawsuits against...
Public protests and personal injury claims
Personal injuries can occur anywhere at any time. One example is the recent injury suffered by a 75-year-old constitutional rights advocate in New York who is now in serious but stable condition in a local hospital. He was reportedly shoved to the ground on a concrete...
Know your rights when the scales are tipped
In recent years, accusations of police using excessive force have become the subject of widespread national discussion. In many of these cases, the targets themselves or their families and communities have spoken out and urged lawmakers to tighten the laws overseeing...
Study finds too few legal challenges to psychological tests
Legal experts recently joined forces with experts in the science of clinical psychology to study how successful the legal system is in weeding out questionable evidence. The researchers say the results are troubling. The two sets of researchers did a two-part,...
Charges of homicide after an overdose stir fear and debate
The Reagan-era war on drugs pioneered it 35 years ago, and now it is back. Increasingly, prosecutors charge people with murder or manslaughter when a friend or loved one dies of an overdose. Experts seem divided on whether the changes are ethical, effective or do...
Sex abuse victims sue the Catholic church
Late last year, sex abuse victims of the Catholic church’s New York clergy filed a lawsuit against the pope. The class-action suit claims that he and the Vatican knew and kept secret that several clergymen in New York were molesting children. The seven victims have...
Time is running out for many NY sexual abuse lawsuits
For New Yorkers who have experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, the legal options for seeking justice are changing fast. Historic moves by New York and Vatican officials have recently opened new legal doors and revealed new information. But at the same time,...
Entrapment defense not easy, but may be the right thing to do
Entrapment is one of those legal terms that sound familiar to most Americans, but many think entrapment is much more common than it really is. Some think police do little else but entrap for a living. Others believe dangerous criminals often get to just “plead...
Child Victims Act ‘look-back’ window still open
It's been nearly three months since New York's Child Victims Act became law. Victims and advocates had been fighting lobbyists and some politicians for 13 years. New York's Catholic Conference and the Boy Scouts of America, perhaps not surprisingly, were among its...
