The NYPD pulled over our client for allegedly running a red light in Manhattan. The client was then arrested for an alleged DWI. Our client maintained that he neither ran a red light nor did he drink and drive but that the police had been targeting him instead and that the same police officers had stopped his car on a few other occasions. Video obtained of the incident in question clearly showed that the client, in fact, did not run a red light and that the police officers had lied in order to purposefully stop his vehicle. The New York District Attorney’s Office dismissed the matter altogether after reviewing the video and false reports from the police which does not happen often in NY county.
Lebedin Kofman immediately filed a Notice of Claim against the City for False Arrest and Malicious Prosecution. We were immediately referred to the early settlement pre-litigation unit to try and resolve the matter as the City understood that this was a clear-cut case for us as there was no probable cause for our client’s arrest. Our client spent a night in jail, was forced to attend multiple court appearances, incurred thousands of dollars of legal fees to defend himself in the DWI matter, and ultimately lost a lucrative DJ position that he had previously accepted in Japan because he had to stay in the United States to defend himself in the DWI matter. The City agreed to settle the matter for $67,500 in compensation to our client before we ever had to step foot in the court room-saving our client years of time in litigation. We were able to deliver a compensation check to the client within 6 months of filing the notice of claim!