False Arrest Attorney Brooklyn

When Brooklyn police arrest you without legal justification, they don’t just violate procedure. They violate you. I help wrongfully arrested Brooklynites demand accountability and recover compensation for the harm done.

Justice for Brooklyn Clients

How a False Arrest Turns Your Life Upside Down

You didn’t see it coming.

Maybe you were walking home from work in Bed-Stuy. Or grabbing groceries in Sunset Park. Could’ve been leaving your building in Crown Heights. Doesn’t matter. One second you’re living your life, and the next you’re in handcuffs being shoved into a police car.

The metal cuts into your wrists. Your arms pulled behind your back at an uncomfortable angle. Officers are talking about you like you’re not even there. Like you’re already guilty of something you didn’t do.

They don’t tell you why. Or they give you some vague reason that doesn’t make sense. They just took your freedom, and there’s nothing you can do about it in that moment. You’re completely powerless.

What happens in those first hours:

Your phone gets taken away so you can’t call anyone
Neighbors and strangers watch as you’re put in the car
You’re driven to the precinct and processed like a criminal
Fingerprints, mugshots, strip searches
Hours in a holding cell with no explanation
Your family has no idea where you are

This happens across Brooklyn every single day. From Brownsville to Bay Ridge. In predominantly Black and brown neighborhoods in East New York and Flatbush. In Williamsburg and Park Slope too. Police take people’s freedom without having legal authority to do it.

I’m sorry this happened to you. I’m sorry they treated you this way.

The Damage That Lasts Long After Release

Getting released doesn’t mean it’s over. That’s actually when some of the worst damage begins.

Your arrest shows up permanently in the system. Every background check, every job application, every apartment search. People see “arrested” and they make assumptions. They don’t care that charges were dropped or dismissed. They just see the arrest.

You lose work because you were locked up or had to go to court. If you’re lucky, your employer understands. More often, you get written up. Lose shifts. Maybe lose the job entirely. The bills don’t stop coming just because you were wrongfully arrested.

The ways this violation affects your life:

Job applications that go nowhere after the background check
Professional licenses get delayed or denied
Landlords reject your rental application
Family relationships strained by the stress and financial burden
You can't sleep without reliving the arrest
Panic attacks when you see police cars
Hypervigilance in your own neighborhood

The emotional scars run deep. You trusted the system to protect you, and instead it hurt you. You feel violated. Anxious. Angry. Some people develop full PTSD from being arrested. That’s how traumatic this experience is.

Your reputation in the community takes a hit you don’t deserve. People talk. Word spreads. Even when everyone knows you didn’t do anything wrong, there’s still that whisper of doubt. The arrest itself becomes the story.

Here’s what I need you to know: what happened wasn’t your fault. Even if you did something minor that caught police attention, that doesn’t give them the right to arrest you without probable cause. What they did was wrong, and you didn’t deserve it.

What Officers Are Actually Required to Have

Police can’t just arrest people because they feel like it. The Fourth Amendment exists to stop exactly that kind of abuse.
Officers need probable cause. That’s the legal standard. It means they need specific, observable facts that would make a reasonable person believe you committed a crime. Not a hunch. Not a feeling. Facts.

Let me break down what I mean by “specific facts.” It’s not enough for an officer to say you were “acting suspicious” or that you “matched a description.” They need to point to actual things they saw or heard that connect you to a specific crime.

Things that don’t constitute probable cause:

Walking in your own neighborhood late at night
Being near where a crime allegedly occurred
Matching a vague description like “Black male, 20s”
Looking nervous when police approach you
Running away when officers show up
Being in a “known drug area”
An officer’s unsubstantiated claim without evidence

There’s also a difference between being stopped and being arrested. Police can stop you briefly if they have reasonable suspicion that you’re involved in criminal activity. That’s a lower standard than probable cause. But to actually arrest you and take you into custody, they need probable cause.

If police arrest you for a misdemeanor, they generally need to witness the crime themselves or have probable cause to believe you just committed it. For felonies, they can arrest you based on probable cause even if they didn’t see it happen. But either way, they need that foundation of specific facts.

Arrests based on false police reports are unlawful. Arrests based on planted evidence are unlawful. Arrests as retaliation for asserting your rights are unlawful. Federal law and New York State law both give you remedies when officers violate these standards.

Your Arrest May Have Been Illegal

Just because police arrested you doesn’t mean they had the right to. If officers lacked probable cause, violated procedure, or arrested you in retaliation, that’s a civil rights violation. I’ll examine every aspect of your arrest, gather the evidence police didn’t bother to collect, and pursue justice on your behalf.

Our Investigation Process

Evidence has a shelf life. Videos get deleted. Witnesses forget. Documents disappear. That’s why I move fast.

The moment you hire me, I start gathering everything related to your arrest. I file FOIL requests immediately because I know the city’s retention schedules. Body camera footage gets deleted after 30 days in some cases, 90 days in others. I don’t wait.

What I obtain and analyze:

Body camera footage from every officer present
Dash cam and surveillance video from nearby cameras
All police paperwork (DD5s, arrest reports, supporting depositions)
Dispatch records and radio communications
Officers' disciplinary history and complaint records
Precinct policies and training materials

I interview witnesses police never talked to. Often, officers only get statements from people who support their version of events. I find the people who saw what really happened and get their accounts on record.

Then I analyze the probable cause question from a legal perspective. I spent 8 years as an NYPD detective. I know how officers justify arrests that don’t meet the legal standard. I know what they’re trained to say and what courts actually require. I can spot the gaps in their justification.

When it’s time for depositions, I depose the officers and expose inconsistencies. I ask detailed questions about what they claim they saw, when they saw it, and why they believed it justified an arrest. I compare their deposition testimony to their written reports to what the video shows. The contradictions often speak for themselves.

I work with Brooklyn's precincts regularly

60th Precinct (Coney Island)
61st Precinct (Sheepshead Bay)
62nd Precinct (Bensonhurst)
63rd Precinct (Marine Park)
66th Precinct (Borough Park)
67th Precinct (East Flatbush)
68th Precinct (Bay Ridge)
69th Precinct (Canarsie)
70th Precinct (Flatbush)
71st Precinct (Crown Heights)
72nd Precinct (Sunset Park)
73rd Precinct (Brownsville)
75th Precinct (East New York)
76th Precinct (Red Hook)
77th Precinct (Crown Heights North)
78th Precinct (Park Slope)
79th Precinct (Bedford-Stuyvesant)
81st Precinct (Bedford-Stuyvesant)
83rd Precinct (Bushwick)
84th Precinct (Brooklyn Heights)
88th Precinct (Fort Greene)
90th Precinct (Williamsburg)
94th Precinct (Greenpoint)

I litigate in Brooklyn Supreme Court and in federal court in the Eastern District of New York. I know the judges. I know the local rules. I know how these cases play out in Brooklyn courtrooms.

Damages Available in False Arrest Cases
The 90-Day Rule That Can End Your Case

Compensation can’t undo what happened. I can’t take away the trauma or erase the arrest from your memory. But I can help you hold NYPD financially accountable for violating your rights.

You’re entitled to compensation for the unlawful detention itself. Every hour you spent in custody without probable cause is compensable. Whether it was three hours or three days, that wrongful loss of liberty has value.

Economic losses you can recover:

Wages lost while detained and attending court dates
Job opportunities you lost because of your arrest record
Business income you couldn’t earn
Money paid for bail bonds
Legal fees you paid to defend the criminal charges

Non-economic damages include:

Emotional distress, humiliation, and trauma
Anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms
Loss of dignity and sense of safety
Harm to your reputation in your family and community
Physical pain if force was used during the arrest

If officers acted with malice or showed deliberate indifference to your rights, you may also recover punitive damages. These are designed to punish the misconduct and deter it from happening again. I pursue punitive damages when appropriate.

The amount varies based on how long you were detained, the circumstances of your arrest, and the impact on your life. Even if you weren’t physically injured, you can still recover substantial compensation. The violation of your liberty and dignity matters.

This deadline is non-negotiable.

If you want to sue New York City, you must file a Notice of Claim within 90 days of your arrest. The count starts immediately from the arrest date. Not from when you got out. Not from when charges were dropped. From the day you were arrested.

Miss this deadline and your case is over. Done. Courts almost never grant extensions. They don’t care that you didn’t know about the requirement. They don’t care that you were dealing with the trauma of the arrest. The deadline is strict, and judges enforce it strictly.

I’ve seen people lose meritorious cases because they waited too long. They spent months or even years dealing with the criminal charges before realizing they could sue for the false arrest. By then, it’s too late. The Notice of Claim deadline has passed, and there’s nothing anyone can do.

Beyond the 90-day deadline, time matters because:

Body camera footage gets deleted according to retention schedules
Surveillance videos from businesses get recorded over
Witnesses move away or forget crucial details
Documents get misplaced or destroyed
Officers have time to coordinate their stories

There are also statutes of limitations for the actual lawsuit. For federal civil rights claims under Section 1983, you generally have three years. For state law claims, it varies. But none of that matters if you miss the 90-day Notice of Claim deadline first.

Getting an attorney involved immediately protects all your rights. I handle the paperwork, meet the deadlines, and start preserving evidence while you focus on getting your life back together. Don’t let a deadline you didn’t know about cost you justice.

Committed to Brooklyn and Your Rights

I’m rooted in this community. I understand the dynamics of Brooklyn neighborhoods and how policing affects different communities differently.

I’ve held the NYPD accountable in Brooklyn cases before. I know how the system works because I was part of it for 8 years as an NYPD detective. I switched sides because I saw how the city protects officers who violate people’s rights. Now I use that insider knowledge to fight back.

When you talk to me, I believe you. Your experience is valid regardless of the circumstances. I don’t judge you based on where you live, what you look like, or what’s in your past. I see you as a person whose rights were violated, and I’m here to help you get justice.

What working with me looks like:

Accessible communication (I return calls and emails promptly)
Personalized strategy for your specific situation
Regular updates so you always know what’s happening
Preparation for depositions and testimony
Willingness to take cases to trial when necessary
Respect and dignity throughout the process

I work on a contingency fee basis. That means you don’t pay anything upfront. I invest in your case, and I only get paid if I recover compensation for you. This ensures you have access to justice regardless of your financial situation.

Brooklyn False Arrest Legal Questions

What if police claim they "observed" me doing something I didn't do?

Officer testimony isn’t automatically credible. I challenge it using body camera footage, witness statements, and physical evidence. I also look at the officer’s history of complaints and false statements. If their story doesn’t match the evidence, I expose those contradictions.

Can I sue if my case was dismissed with an ACD (Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal)?

Yes. An ACD is often offered when the DA knows the case is weak. It doesn’t mean the arrest was lawful. The disposition of your criminal case is separate from your civil rights claim. I analyze whether probable cause existed at the time of arrest.

What if I accepted a plea deal to avoid trial?

This complicates things but doesn’t always bar your civil claim. It depends on what you admitted to and the specific circumstances. Some pleas include language that affects civil cases. I need to review the plea agreement and the facts of your arrest.

How much is my false arrest case worth?

There’s no fixed formula. Value depends on detention length, conditions, harm suffered, officer conduct, and evidence strength. Cases can range from thousands to hundreds of thousands. I can provide an estimate after reviewing your case details during the consultation.

Will I have to go to court and testify?

Likely yes. You’ll give a deposition where city lawyers question you under oath. If the case goes to trial, you’ll testify in court. I prepare you thoroughly for both. Your story is powerful evidence. Many cases settle before trial.

What if officers "said" they found something on me that I didn't have?

Fabricated evidence and planted drugs or weapons are serious violations. I challenge this through video evidence, lack of proper documentation, chain of custody issues, and officer credibility problems. This type of misconduct often warrants punitive damages.

Ready to Fight Back?

False arrest robs you of liberty and dignity. You don’t have to accept injustice silently. Free consultation. Contingency fee. I fight for Brooklyn.