Jones v. City Of New York
- John Koeltl
- 1:16-cv-08080
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Jones v. City of New York, Judge Koeltl reinstated the excessive-force verdict and entered damages against Lieutenant Treubig.
Matthew Jones received judgment for $0.25 in nominal damages and $30,000 in punitive damages against Lieutenant Christopher Treubig. The complaint against Officer Adam Muniz, Officer Michael Vaccaro, and Undercover Officer #349 was dismissed with prejudice.
What happened
In Jones v. City of New York, a jury found that Lieutenant Christopher Treubig used excessive force against Matthew Jones in violation of the Fourth Amendment. The jury awarded Jones $0.25 in nominal damages and $30,000 in punitive damages, while finding no liability for three other officers.
The district court later granted Treubig protection from the lawsuit based on qualified immunity and dismissed the complaint against all defendants. The Second Circuit then held that Treubig was not entitled to that protection and directed that the jury’s verdict be reinstated.
The court reinstated the excessive-force verdict, entered judgment for Jones against Treubig for $0.25 in nominal damages and $30,000 in punitive damages, and dismissed the complaint against the other three officers with prejudice. Judge John G. Koeltl signed the order.
The detailed version
- Jones v. City Of New York · No. 1:16-cv-08080
- John Koeltl
- Aug. 7, 2020
Background
After a jury trial on May 23, 2018, the jury found that Lieutenant Christopher Treubig used excessive force against Matthew Jones, violating Jones’s constitutional right under the Fourth Amendment. The jury awarded Jones $0.25 in nominal damages and $30,000 in punitive damages against Treubig. The jury found no liability for Officer Adam Muniz, Officer Michael Vaccaro, and Undercover Officer #349.
Prior rulings
In an opinion and order dated November 21, 2018, the district court found that Treubig was entitled to qualified immunity, a legal protection that can shield certain government officials from liability. On November 27, 2018, the court entered judgment recording the jury’s verdict and damages, granting Treubig qualified immunity, and dismissing Jones’s complaint against all defendants with prejudice.
On June 26, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that Treubig was not entitled to qualified immunity as a matter of law and instructed that the jury’s verdict against him be reinstated.
Ruling
The court reinstated the jury’s excessive-force verdict against Treubig. It entered judgment for Jones against Treubig for $0.25 in nominal damages and $30,000 in punitive damages. It also entered judgment dismissing Jones’s complaint against Muniz, Vaccaro, and Undercover Officer #349 with prejudice. Judge John G. Koeltl signed the order.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.