False Imprisonment Attorney Queens

Police in Queens cannot lawfully detain you without reasonable suspicion or probable cause. When officers hold you on the sidewalk, confine you in a cruiser, or keep you in custody without legal grounds, they violate your constitutional freedom. I pursue justice and damages for unlawful detention.

Queens Clients Who Demanded Accountability for Unlawful Detention

The Violation of Being Held Captive

You’re walking in your Queens neighborhood when officers stop you and tell you to wait. You ask why. They don’t answer.

You ask if you’re free to go. They tell you no. You ask what you did wrong. They tell you to be patient while they “check something.”

So you stand there. On the sidewalk where you live. Watching neighbors pass by and wonder what you did. Feeling the weight of their stares while officers take their time running your information for reasons they won’t explain.

Maybe they put you in the back of a police vehicle. Maybe they keep you standing on the corner with your hands behind your back. Either way, you can’t leave.

The minutes stretch into what feels like hours. Your phone buzzes in your pocket with calls you can’t answer. You had somewhere to be. Someone waiting for you. Responsibilities that don’t pause just because officers decided to detain you without justification.

Inside, you know something is wrong. This doesn’t feel legal. This doesn’t feel right. But you’re powerless to walk away because they’ve made it clear that trying to leave isn’t an option.

That cage-like feeling settles in, even though you’re technically not under arrest. You’re trapped. Controlled. Treated like a suspect when you’ve violated no law.

This is what false imprisonment looks like in Queens. It’s being physically controlled by officers who can’t or won’t tell you why. It’s the indignity of being detained when you know you’ve done nothing wrong. It’s the violation of having your freedom stolen without legal justification.

+1 (718) 662 8265

How False Imprisonment Disrupts Your Life

The detention doesn’t end when they finally let you go. The damage ripples outward in ways that follow you for days, weeks, or longer.

At work, you’re written up for being late. Or suspended for a no-call, no-show. Maybe you lose the job entirely because this isn’t the first time you’ve been detained, and your boss doesn’t want to hear excuses about police stops anymore.

The financial hit comes fast. Missed work means lost wages. That rental car you were supposed to return three hours ago? The late fees are piling up. The appointment you missed requires a cancellation fee to reschedule.

Your family is in chaos. Your kids waited at school wondering where you were. Your elderly parent needed their medication picked up, but you were sitting in a precinct instead. The calls and texts from worried family members stack up on a phone you couldn’t access.

If you’re a student, you missed the exam. The class. The study group. The deadline that determines whether you pass or fail. Professors don’t always accept “I was detained by police” as a valid excuse, especially when you weren’t charged with anything.

The physical toll matters too:

The emotional impact lingers longest. You develop anxiety around police. You change your routes to avoid certain blocks. You wonder if it’ll happen again, and when.

People in your community saw you detained. They don’t know you weren’t charged. They don’t know it was unlawful. They just know they saw you in police custody, and that changes how they see you.

Here’s what matters: You shouldn’t have to prove your innocence to be free. Officers need justification to hold you. When they detain you without that justification, everything that follows is their responsibility, not yours.

When Police Can and Cannot Restrict Your Freedom

The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution protects you from unreasonable seizures. That includes being detained or arrested without legal justification.

Officers can briefly stop you if they have reasonable suspicion that you’re involved in criminal activity. This is called an investigative stop, and it has to be brief. We’re talking minutes, not hours.

To arrest you and take you into custody, they need probable cause. That means specific facts that would lead a reasonable person to believe you committed a crime. Not a hunch. Not a feeling. Facts.

Here’s what doesn’t meet the legal standard:

“You look suspicious”
“You fit the description” (when the description is vague)
“We’re just checking things out”
“We need to run your name”
“You’re in a high-crime area”

If officers detain you to “check something out” but can’t tell you what specific facts made them suspicious of you personally, they’re exceeding their authority. If they hold you while they run your information without having reasonable suspicion to stop you in the first place, that’s unlawful.

You have the right to ask, “Am I free to leave?” If they say no, they must have legal justification for keeping you there. If they can’t articulate specific facts about why they’re detaining you, they’re violating your rights.

Duration matters too. Even if the initial stop was justified, holding you longer than necessary to resolve the reason for the stop becomes unlawful. If they had reasonable suspicion to stop you about one thing, they can’t keep you there indefinitely hoping to discover something else.

Taking you to a precinct transforms a stop into an arrest. That requires probable cause, not just reasonable suspicion. If they put you in a police vehicle and transport you to a station, they need to be able to articulate probable cause for arrest.

I spent eight years as an NYPD detective. I know exactly what legal justification looks like, and I know when officers are making excuses. If your detention didn’t meet these standards, I can prove it.

They Had No Right to Keep You There

Being detained feels official and legitimate, but that doesn’t mean it was lawful. If officers couldn’t articulate specific facts justifying your detention, held you longer than necessary, or escalated a simple stop into custody without probable cause, they violated your Fourth Amendment rights.

False imprisonment claims don’t require you to have been formally arrested or charged. I’ll examine what happened and fight for your right to compensation.

Investigating the Unlawful Detention

I’m so sorry this happened to you. This was extremely unfair, and I’m truly sorry to hear about how the police treated you. As someone who worked inside this system for eight years, I know exactly how to fight back.

Building your case starts immediately. Every piece of evidence matters, and some of it disappears if we don’t act fast.

First, I collect everything you have:

Any paperwork officers gave you (summons, appearance tickets, receipts)
Your own notes about what happened while the details are fresh
Contact information for anyone who witnessed the detention
Documentation of everything you missed (pay stubs, appointment confirmations, school records)

Then I go after the official records. I file Freedom of Information Law requests for precinct logs showing exactly when you were brought in and when you were released. Every minute of unlawful detention counts.
Body camera footage is critical. I request video from every officer present during your detention. This shows the initial encounter, what was said, how long you were held, and whether officers could articulate legal justification.

Precinct surveillance video captures your time in custody. It proves how long you were there and shows the conditions of your confinement.

Radio transmissions between officers reveal what they were saying about you and your detention when they thought no one was listening. These communications often contradict their later explanations.

I interview witnesses who saw what happened. Neighbors who watched the stop. People who were nearby during the detention. Anyone who can testify to the circumstances.

I work extensively in Queens and know the precincts:

104th Precinct (Ridgewood, Middle Village, Maspeth, Glendale)
105th Precinct (Queens Village, Cambria Heights, Rosedale)
108th Precinct (Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside)
109th Precinct (Flushing, Whitestone, College Point)
110th Precinct (Elmhurst, Corona, Lefrak City)
111th Precinct (Bayside, Douglaston, Little Neck, Auburndale)
112th Precinct (Forest Hills, Rego Park, Kew Gardens)
113th Precinct (Jamaica, Hollis, St. Albans, South Jamaica)
114th Precinct (Astoria, Long Island City, Woodside)
115th Precinct (Jackson Heights, East Elmhurst, North Corona)

I analyze the officers’ stated reasons for detaining you against the actual legal standards. A “hunch” isn’t enough. “High-crime area” isn’t enough. I compare what they claim justified the detention with what the Fourth Amendment actually requires.

I examine how long the detention lasted compared to what’s legally permissible. If they kept you for two hours to “check your ID,” that’s not a brief investigative stop. That’s unlawful detention.

If needed, I consult with Fourth Amendment experts who can explain to a judge or jury exactly why your detention violated constitutional standards.

I gather evidence of your damages. Medical records if you were injured. Documentation of lost wages. Evidence of job consequences. Proof of appointments you missed and opportunities you lost.

Let me be honest with you about what we can expect. I’m building the strongest possible case to secure the justice you deserve. The city will try to justify what happened, but I know their tactics because I worked for them. I know how to counter their excuses and prove your detention was unlawful.

I can't take away what happened, but I can help you get financial justice for the harm you suffered and hold NYPD financially accountable for their actions.

You're entitled to compensation for every hour you were unlawfully held. Even if the detention seems brief to others, your time has value. Your freedom has value.

You can recover for:

Lost earnings during the detention period
Job consequences like termination, demotion, or discipline
Emotional suffering and mental anguish from being trapped
Public humiliation of being detained in your community
Physical discomfort or pain during detention
Family disruption and personal obligations you missed

If officers acted with reckless disregard for your rights, you may be entitled to punitive damages. These are designed to punish the officers and deter this behavior in the future.

Here's something important: You can recover compensation even if you were never charged with a crime. In fact, the lack of charges strengthens your false imprisonment claim because it suggests officers knew they lacked probable cause.

If charges were filed but later dismissed, that also supports your case. It shows the initial detention lacked sufficient basis.

The amount you recover depends on multiple factors. How long were you detained? What were the conditions? What did you lose as a result? What harm did you suffer?

Based on my experience working with the city, I can give you an honest assessment of what your case is worth. I don't make promises I can't keep, but I fight to maximize your recovery within realistic bounds.

This is about more than money. It's about restoring your dignity. It's about holding officers accountable when they violate constitutional rights. It's about giving you your voice back.

New York law requires you to file a Notice of Claim within 90 days of the incident. Not 91 days. Not three months and a day. Exactly 90 days.

The clock starts on the date of your unlawful detention, not when you realized it was unlawful. Not when your criminal charges were dismissed. Not when you decided to sue. The day it happened.

Missing this deadline permanently bars your lawsuit against New York City. The courts have no discretion to extend it. No exceptions. No second chances.

I've seen people lose valid claims because they waited. They thought they had time. They wanted to "see what happens" with the criminal charges. They didn't realize the civil deadline was separate and absolute.

Your criminal case timeline has nothing to do with the 90-day civil deadline. Even if your criminal case is ongoing, that Notice of Claim deadline is running. Even if charges were dismissed last week, if the detention happened more than 90 days ago, you've lost your civil claim.

Early involvement protects your case in other ways:

Precinct video recordings get overwritten after their retention period
Officer memories (or fabrications) become more entrenched over time
Witnesses forget details or become harder to locate
Documentation gets lost or destroyed

I file the Notice of Claim while simultaneously addressing any criminal matter you're facing. Protecting your civil rights doesn't interfere with criminal defense. They work together.

Let me walk you step by step through the process and make this as simple as possible. I handle the filing requirements. I preserve the evidence. I meet the deadlines. You focus on moving forward with your life.

Don't wait. Every day that passes is one day closer to losing your right to justice.

I spent eight years as an NYPD detective. I know how the system works because I was part of it. I know the tactics officers use to justify unlawful detentions. I know the excuses the city makes to avoid accountability.

Now I use that insider knowledge to fight for people who've been victimized by police misconduct. I switched sides because I saw too many good people get crushed by a system designed to silence them.

I have proven results in false imprisonment cases against NYPD. I understand detention law and Fourth Amendment protections because I enforced them as a detective and now I hold officers accountable when they violate them.

I know Queens precincts and their detention tactics. I know which commands have patterns of unlawful stops. I know the neighborhoods where this happens most frequently. I know the community you're coming from because it's the community I serve.

When you work with me, you get:

Someone who believes you and takes your experience seriously
Direct communication without corporate runaround
Honest assessments based on insider knowledge
Aggressive litigation when the city won't settle fairly
Simultaneous handling of criminal and civil aspects

I work on contingency for civil rights claims. You pay nothing upfront. I only get paid if I recover compensation for you. This is about making justice accessible, not creating another financial burden.

I can help you hold the NYPD financially accountable for their actions and the harm they caused. This is about getting your dignity back. You deserve justice, and I'm going to fight to get it for you.

Queens False Imprisonment Questions

Is it false imprisonment if I was only detained for 30 minutes?

Yes. Duration doesn’t determine whether detention was unlawful. Even brief detention without reasonable suspicion or probable cause violates your rights. You can recover damages for any period of unlawful detention, whether it’s 30 minutes or 30 hours. What matters is whether officers had legal justification to hold you.

What if officers said I "matched a description"?

Vague descriptions typically don’t provide sufficient basis for detention. “Black male wearing jeans” describes thousands of people. Officers need a specific, detailed description with unique characteristics. I examine whether the description actually justified detaining you specifically, or whether it was just an excuse to stop you.

Can police detain me while they bring a witness to identify me?

It depends on the circumstances. Brief detention to arrange an identification may be lawful if they have reasonable suspicion. Prolonged detention while they hunt for a witness likely exceeds legal bounds. Duration matters, and I analyze whether the detention was reasonably brief given the circumstances.

What if I was detained during a traffic stop?

A traffic stop allows brief detention for the purpose of the stop (checking your license, writing a ticket). Detaining you beyond that scope or duration without additional justification can be false imprisonment. I analyze whether the detention exceeded what’s allowed for a traffic stop.

Do I have a case if charges were eventually filed?

Possibly. The question is whether officers had probable cause when they detained you. Charges filed hours later don’t retroactively justify earlier unlawful detention. I examine the facts known to officers when the detention began, not what they discovered afterward through the unlawful detention.

What if I was held at precinct but never put in a cell?

False imprisonment includes any unlawful restraint of freedom. Being held in a precinct interview room, waiting area, or any location where you’re not free to leave counts if the detention lacks legal justification. The location doesn’t matter. What matters is whether you were unlawfully restricted.

Don't Accept Unlawful Detention as Normal

Being detained by police should only happen when legally justified. Your freedom is protected by the Constitution. False imprisonment claims vindicate your rights and compensate for your losses. Every case of unlawful detention deserves a legal response. I offer free consultations on a contingency fee basis. The 90-day deadline requires immediate action. Your experience matters and your rights deserve protection.