New York—July 19, 2022 – Barket Epstein Kearon Aldea & LoTurco, LLP, a boutique criminal defense and civil rights firm with offices in New York City and on Long Island, today announced it has filed a lawsuit against Suffolk County and a series of individual police officers on behalf of their client, Rodolfo Taylor, who was wrongfully convicted of a series of robberies and incarcerated for 27 years for crimes he did not commit.
On January 18 and January 27, 2022, respectively, Mr. Taylor’s convictions were vacated and the charges against him were dismissed by the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of Suffolk, which held that law enforcement’s behavior surrounding his prosecutions, including rampant failures to disclose material exculpatory information, represented a violation of his constitutional right to due process. He brings the present action seeking compensation for the extraordinary damages he has suffered.
The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court in the Eastern District by Bruce Barket, John LoTurco and Alexander Klein, Esqs., of Barket Epstein Kearon Aldea & LoTurco, LLP, seeks both compensatory and punitive damages.
“Nothing can truly compensate for the time and opportunities Mr. Taylor lost serving 27 years for crimes he did not commit. He and his family will never be the same for the anguish this has caused them,” Mr. Barket said. “We must call law enforcement to task for the consequences of this grievous miscarriage of justice – yet again – and do everything we can to right these wrongs to the extent we can, one case at a time.”
On January 27, 2022, when the charges against Mr. Taylor were dismissed, he spoke in court about having lost more than a quarter century of his life to prison. He said, “I was 24 years old when I was wrongfully charged with these robberies, and I spent the next 27 years of my life behind bars … think for a moment what you did throughout those years. Attended law school? Started a legal career? Became a judge? Perhaps you got married, had a family, watched your children grow. I sat in prison while people closest to me lived their lives and my life stood still.”
Barket Epstein Kearon Aldea & LoTurco, LLP is recognized nationally as a leader in criminal defense, personal injury law, appellate, commercial litigation and civil rights issues. With more than 200 years of experience and a team of former prosecutors, public defenders, exonerees and judges, BEKAL is uniquely capable of representing clients in an array of complex legal matters. The firm has offices in Manhattan, Garden City and Huntington, New York. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @barketepstein.
