A $17.5 Million Win!

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Friend,

I’ve been proud to share a lot of S.T.O.P. victories over the years, but this news really stands out. Today, I’m overjoyed to tell you that S.T.O.P. filed our first ever class action settlement, winning $17.5 million for New Yorkers who have been harmed by the NYPD.

This case goes back to the organization’s earliest days, when we learned that religious New Yorkers who wear yarmulkes, hijabs, turbans, and other head coverings were forced by the NYPD to remove them for mugshots. You can wear a religious head covering for your driver’s license photo, for your passport, so why not for your arrest photo? Soon after allegations would emerge that the NYPD was illegally using these same mugshots to build a facial recognition database, running even those acquitted of crimes through a perpetual line up.

Thanks to our growing legal team, our amazing co-counsel at Emery Celli Abady Brinckerhoff Ward & Maazel LLP, and our brave clients, we’re now able to secure payments of $7,000 to $13,000 for the thousands of people whose rights were violated. If you or someone you love was impacted by this NYPD policy between March 16th, 2014 and August 23rd, 2021, please make sure you file a notice at https://headcoveringcase.com to ensure you get the money you deserve.

And to all of you whose support made this victory possible—who allowed us to stand up to America’s largest police force from even our earliest days—from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

With thanks,
Albert Fox Cahn
Executive Director

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NewsletterLeticia MurilloApril 7, 2024