NYC to Pay Up to $75 Million for Bogus Summonses

New York City has agreed to pay up to $75 million to settle a federal class-action lawsuit that accused police officers of writing at least 900,000 summonses for offenses like trespassing, disorderly conduct and urinating in public that were later dismissed because of legal insufficiency.

The lawsuit was filed in 2010 by seven men and two women who said they were wrongly slapped with summonses. The lawsuit alleged that police officers issued nearly 1 million legally baseless criminal summonses over several years because they were under pressure to meet quotas.

The settlement announced Monday would allow people issued court summonses for offenses such as trespassing, disorderly conduct and urinating in public to get $150 per case, if the summons was tossed because it was deemed insufficient.

Under the agreement, the city said the NYPD was updating and expanding training and guidance reiterating to officers and their superiors that quotas are not allowed, and officers must not be mandated to make a particular number of summonses, street stops or arrests.

2 Comments

  • So When NYC pays a fine, who foots the bill????

    Yup, its you the tax payer getting screwed twice. Ein Mohl when you get the ticket and Di Tzveite Mohl when the city pays a settlement to a few lawyers.

  • "Legal insufficienties"

    What does “legal insufficiencies” mean exactly? If someone is urinating in public and are issued a summons why would it be invalid? I understand the cops had quotas but to make up that someone is doing that in public?! Very strange.