Named in 2 known lawsuits, $140,000 total settlements.
Pickett, Taohn vs City of New York, et al.
Case # 14CV09505,
U.S. District Court - Southern District NY, December 3, 2014, ended July 1, 2015
$10,000 Settlement
Complaint
Description: On August 29, 2013, Taohn Pickett was wrongfully detained by NYPD officers near St. Nicholas Avenue and 149th Street, New York, without probable cause. The officers, including Detective Edward Gorczynski and Sergeant Mark Siley, excessively tightened the handcuffs and refused to explain the arrest or loosen the handcuffs despite Pickett's requests. No contraband or evidence of a crime was found on Pickett. The officers engaged in "flaking" by falsely attributing illegal drugs to Pickett, leading to his arraignment and a bail set at $7,500. The charges against Pickett were dismissed on March 20, 2014.
Griffin, Anthony vs City of New York, et al.
Case # 13CV02773,
U.S. District Court - Southern District NY, May 7, 2013, ended March 10, 2014
$130,000 Settlement
Complaint,
First Amended Complaint
Description: On December 20, 2011, Anthony Griffin was arrested under allegations of drug sales in Manhattan, leading to a series of legal and procedural missteps by law enforcement. Despite the claim that Griffin sold drugs to Ruth Bennette, evidence and timelines provided in court documents and surveillance footage contradicted these allegations. Griffin underwent a humiliating strip search, including a humiliating and degrading strip and visual body cavity search, in which he was forced against his will to take all his clothes off, squat, spread his buttocks and cough. Griffin was brought before a judged and arraigned on a felony complaint which charged him with Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in Third Degree, an...
