2017 NEWS ARCHIVE
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DECEMBER 8, 2017
shanies law OBTAINS $14 MILLION FOR WRONGFULLY CONVICTED MAN
On December 7, 2017, the David B. Shanies Law Office settled a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of New York, the second wrongful conviction action brought by Ruddy Quezada, who was exonerated in 2015. News of the settlement was first reported by ProPublica and the New York Daily News, both of which extensively covered the case in its criminal post-conviction and civil litigation phases. The settlements, which represent one of the largest recoveries for a wrongful conviction in New York State history, were widely covered by dozens of media outlets.
“I'm very happy that this settlement will allow Ruddy to live the rest of his life in peace and comfort after the nightmare he endured,” David told the Daily News. “Even $14 million can't give him back 24 years, but this is a just resolution to a very troubling case.”
JUNE 29, 2017
DAVID B. SHANIES RECEIVES THE FEDERAL BAR COUNCIL'S THURGOOD MARSHALL AWARD FOR EXCEPTIONAL PRO BONO SERVICE
From L-R: Federal Bar Council First Decade Committee Chair Travis Mock; David B. Shanies; Willkie Farr & Gallagher partner and co-recipient of the Marshall Award Mary Eaton; Federal Bar Council President David Schaefer; and Federal Bar Council Public Service Committee Chair Lewis Liman. (NYLJ/David Handschuh)
Today David was honored by the Federal Bar Council, which presented him with its Thurgood Marshall Award for Exceptional Pro Bono Service. The Marshall award was presented by Federal Bar Council President David Schaefer and Public Service Committee Chairman Lewis Liman during the Federal Bar Council's Summer Kick-Off Reception at Battery Gardens in Lower Manhattan.
David was introduced at the award ceremony by Edward J.M. Little, Partner at Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP and Chair of the firm's White Collar group. Mr. Little, who worked with David on numerous pro bono cases at Hughes Hubbard, described David's tireless pro bono work on cases involving wrongful convictions, prisoners' rights, LGBTQ rights, workplace and housing discrimination, and police misconduct. David's co-recipient of the award, Mary Eaton, was honored for her own outstanding pro bono work, including high-profile wins in the areas of transgender rights and marriage equality. Mary was introduced by Judith Goldiner, Attorney-In-Charge of the Legal Aid Society's Civil Law Reform Unit.
The award ceremony was covered by the New York Law Journal.
MAY 26, 2017
shanies law SCORES IMPORTANT WIN IN FEDERAL WRONGFUL CONVICTION SUIT
Yesterday David and his co-counsel, Ronald L. Kuby, notched an important victory in Carlos Davis' wrongful conviction lawsuit. Mr. Davis was exonerated through the Brooklyn District Attorney's comprehensive investigation of cases handled by disgraced NYPD detective Louis Scarcella. David and Ron filed a civil rights lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in July 2016. Yesterday the Court issued its ruling on the City's motion to dismiss the suit, rejecting most of the City's arguments and denying the bid for dismissal.
"This is a positive first step that will allow the case to go forward," David told the New York Daily News. "We look forward to proving our client's claims."
MAY 9, 2017
shanies law OBTAINS $4.5 MILLION FOR WRONGFULLY CONVICTED MAN
Today the New York Daily News and ProPublica covered David's recent multi-million dollar settlement of a wrongful conviction lawsuit in the New York Court of Claims. We are very proud of the outstanding result we achieved for our client and our ongoing efforts to obtain justice for the wrongfully convicted.
MARCH 13, 2017
DAVID B. SHANIES critiques queens d.a.'s opposition to conviction review units
The New York Law Journal published David's Letter to the Editor regarding Queens District Attorney Richard Brown's staunch refusal to join the nationwide trend toward establishing independent "conviction review" units to investigate possible wrongful convictions.
D.A. Brown wrote a Letter to the Editor last week, explaining that he does not support a specialized unit to review suspect convictions because "every man and woman" in the D.A.'s Office shares the responsibility to prevent miscarriages of justice from occurring.
In response, David argued that independent and specialized review units are far more effective in identifying and correcting wrongful convictions than an "ad hoc" approach entrusted to the very prosecutors who obtained the suspect convictions and their close colleagues. David noted that a growing number of prosecutors, including those in three of the five boroughs of New York City, have come to recognize the value of independent conviction review units as a prosecutorial "best practice."
In 2014, David authored the New York City Bar Association's recommendations to then-newly elected Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth P. Thompson regarding the D.A.'s expanded and revitalized conviction review unit. Mr. Thompson's groundbreaking work in this area has received national attention and has been hailed as "visionary." David has commended Mr. Thompson and his successor, Eric Gonzalez, for their noteworthy efforts to correct wrongful convictions, and David's own work on wrongful conviction cases (including his recent work on the cases of Ruddy Quezada, Carlos Davis, and Vanessa Gathers) keeps him engaged in this important and developing area of the law.