The Legal Aid Society has released an analysis of City data finding that New York City taxpayers paid $117,251,230.82 in 2025 to resolve lawsuits alleging misconduct by members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD). The analysis further details that, since 2019, taxpayers have paid more than $796 million to settle such claims.

Included in that number is a $2M+ settlement to Brigid Pierce. A federal jury found the City of New York liable for assault and battery during a protest in Downtown Brooklyn and determined that an NYPD officer negligently failed to provide her with medical care following the use of force. According to the evidence presented at trial, after her release from custody, Ms. Pierce sought emergency medical treatment for a head injury and was later diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury. She testified that she continues to experience neurological and vision problems, including headaches, blurred vision, and flashes of light.

Ms. Pierce also testified that her injuries affected her ability to continue working in marketing and to work in front of a computer. In addition to her physical injuries, she described ongoing emotional and psychological effects, including anxiety and panic attacks, which she said have altered her sense of safety in public spaces and around law enforcement.

“New Yorkers are once again paying the price for alleged police misconduct, and the numbers from the full 2025 calendar year make clear that this pattern continues,” said Jennvine Wong, Supervising Attorney with Legal Aid’s Cop Accountability Project.

“The officers named in these cases continue to cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in settlements and legal fees. In most professions, conduct that repeatedly exposes an employer to that level of financial liability would trigger serious scrutiny and consequences,” she continued. “When meaningful accountability is absent, it reinforces a culture of impunity within the NYPD and further erodes trust among the communities the Department says it exists to protect and serve.”

This analysis comes after Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that the City is facing a historic budget crisis and grappling with multibillion-dollar deficits. 

Total payouts for police misconduct are likely to be substantially higher because this data does not account for matters that were settled with the New York City Comptroller’s office before formal litigation.