Press Room
For press inquiries, contact:
Pat Bath
Communications Director
The Legal Aid Society
pbath@legal-aid.org
212-577-3346
Redmond J. Haskins
Deputy Communications Director
The Legal Aid Society
rhaskins@legal-aid.org
929-441-2384
Current Press Releases and Statements:
April 2020
04/09/20 LAS Wins Release of 28 New Yorkers Illegally Incarcerated at Rikers Island
04/07/20 LAS Calls on Gov. Cuomo, DOCCS to Release Over 100 Incarcerated New Yorkers
04/06/20 LAS Statement on Michael Tyson, LAS Client who Died from COVID-19
04/04/20 NYCLU and LAS Sue for Release of People Jailed for Alleged Parole Violations
04/03/20 LAS Files Fourth Lawsuit to Free 100 Incarcerated New Yorkers at a High Risk of COVID-19
04/03/20 NYC Defenders Statement on Legislative Rollback of Bail and Discovery Reforms
04/02/20 LAS Statement on NYS Senate Vote Passage to Roll Back Bail Reform
04/02/20 LAS Calls on Gov. Cuomo to Release Four Incarcerated People At High-Risk of COVID-19
04/01/20 NYC Defenders Condem Effort to Gut Progressive Bail Reform in Emergency Budget
March 2020
03/31/20 LAS Statement Condemning Governor’s Attempt to Cut Medicaid Funding for Essential Care
03/30/20 LAS Demands Transparency from City on COVID-19 Data at Rikers Island and Other Local Jails
03/30/20 LAS Calls on City Hall and State to Ensure All Homeless New Yorkers Have Access to Shelter
03/27/20 LAS Secures Release of 106 Incarcerated New Yorkers at High Risk of COVID-19 From Rikers
03/27/20 LAS and Bronx Defenders Win Immediate Release of 4 Immigrants in ICE Detention
03/26/20 LAS Wins Release of 16 Incarcerated New Yorkers at a High Risk of COVID-19 From City Jails
03/26/20 LAS Launches Online Hub for COVID-19 Resources for Clients and Communities in NYC
03/26/20 LAS Files Lawsuit to Release Incarcerated Young New Yorkers at a high risk of COVID-19
03/25/20 NYC Jails – Including Rikers Island – Lead Nation in Terms of COVID-19 Infection Rate
03/25/20 LAS Files Third Lawsuit to Release 110 Incarcerated New Yorkers at a high risk of COVID-19
03/24/20 NYIFUP Statement on First Detainee Testing Positive For COVID-19 at Bergen County Jail
03/24/20 LAS Files Second Lawsuit to Release 32 Incarcerated New Yorkers at a high risk of COVID-19
03/23/20 LAS Requests Temporary Restraining Order to Free Clients at High Risk of COVID-19
03/22/20 LAS Echoes Call from NYC BOC to Release Incarcerated New Yorkers Vulnerable to COVID-19
03/22/20 Joint Statement Calling for Increased Support and Guidance for Runaway and Homeless Youth
03/20/20 LAS, Bronx Defenders Sue for Release of High Risk Clients From Immigrant Detention
03/20/20 NYIFUP Reports Immigrants Organize Second Hunger Strike in NJ Detention Center
03/20/20 Advisory: Council Member Lander, Worker Justice Advocates to Hold Virtual Press Conference
03/20/20 LAS Files Lawsuit to Release 116 Incarcerated New Yorkers at a High Risk of COVID-19
03/19/20 NYIFUP Statement on Bergen County Corrections Officer Testing Positive for COVID-19
03/19/20 LAS Urges ACS to Ensure Children in ACS Custody Have Technology to Access Family, Services
03/18/20 LAS Statement Responding to Reports of Positive COVID-19 Tests in New York City Jails
03/18/20 LAS Calls to Fire Officers in Marijuana Planting Scheme at Routine Traffic Stop
03/18/20 Immigrants in NJ Detention Organize Hunger Strike; NYIFUP Condemns Jail Conditions
03/18/20 NYC DOI Halts City Marshalls From Commencing Evictions Indefinitely
03/17/20 LAS Calls for Release of All Held at Rikers on Parole Violations, Use of Video Conferencing
03/16/20 LAS Calls for Immediate Moratorium on NYPD Arrests
03/16/20 NYC Defenders Call for Hearing on NYPD’s Manipulation of Stats to Undermine Bail Reform
03/15/20 Statement On First Confirmed COVID-19 Case Among NYC Department Of Correction Staff
03/15/20 LAS Statement on OCA Housing and Civil Court Closures Amid COVID-19 Crisis
03/15/20 Joint Defender Statement Condemning Gov. Cuomo’s Attempt to Roll Back New Bail Laws
03/15/20 Civil Legal Services Providers Call on Albany, City Hall to Stay Evictions
03/13/20 NYIFUP Demands ICE Release Immigrants in Local Jails and Halt All Arrests
03/13/20 Incarcerated Clients Report Absence of Basic Measures to Prevent the Spread Of COVID19
03/13/20 Emery Celli, Legal Aid File Lawsuit on Behalf of Client who was Illegally Shackled During Labor
03/12/20 Joint Defender Statement on Immediate Release of Vulnerable Incarcerated New Yorkers
03/12/20 Despite Over $340 Million in Revenue Corcraft Continues to Pay Pennies on the Dollar
03/09/20 LAS Condemns Governor for Exploiting Incarcerated New Yorkers to Produce Hand Sanitizer
03/09/20 LAS Calls on BOC to Address Plans to Protect Incarcerated From Potential COVID-19 Spread
03/09/20 NYIFUP Demands Answers from ICE on How Detention Centers Will Respond to Coronavirus
03/06/20 FOIL Disclosure Reveals Tens of Thousands of NYCHA Residents Suffered Outages
03/05/20 Joint Defender Statement on Citywide Decrease In Docketed Cases of Grand Larceny Auto
03/03/20 Joint Defender Statement Ahead of NYPD Monthly Crime Briefing
03/02/20 LAS Releases 2019 List Of NYPD Police Officers Most Frequently Sued For Alleged Misconduct
03/02/20 LAS Announces Class Action Settlement in Landmark Homeless Youth Lawsuit
February 2020
02/27/20 Advisory: Immigrant Rights Advocates Urge Court to Block Latest “Public Charge” Rules
02/26/20 Statewide Criminal Defense Organizations Set The Record Straight On Bail Reform Fact Sheet
02/25/20 Advisory: Statewide Criminal Defense Organizations Set the Record Straight on Bail Reform
02/24/20 New Edition of Public Charge Screening Tool for Community-Based Advocates Now Available
02/20/20 LAS Statement on NYPD Proposal to Amend DNA Collection, Storage Practices
02/20/20 Assemblymember Pichardo, LAS and More Call on City to Save Rent-Stabilized Building
02/19/20 Advocates, Tenants to Call on City to Save Deteriorating Rent-Stabilized Building in the Bronx
02/14/20 LAS Statement on New Trump Decision to Deploy BORTAC to Sanctuary Cities
02/12/20 Legal Aid, Cleary Gottlieb in Court to Continue Fighting Against ICE Courthouse Arrests
02/12/20 Statement on NYS Senate Majority Proposal to Roll Back Bail Reform
02/11/20 Executed Evictions Continue to Plunge Since Rent Laws Enacted in June/Right to Council
02/10/20 Legal Aid Decries 22 Percent Spike In Racially Biased Stop-And-Frisk Procedures
02/07/20 NYPD Data Reaffirms Need For Albany to Enact the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act
02/06/20 Joint Statement on Misinformation by Law Enforcement Regarding Nassau County Tragedy
02/06/20 NY Leaders Demand Passage of “Good Cause” Eviction Legislation in New Video
02/05/20 LAS Statement on NYS DOS Guidance Which Will Require Landlords to Pay Broker Fees
02/05/20 LAS & Weil, Gotshal & Manges Secure Due Process in Hearings for Domestic Violence Survivors
02/04/20 LAS Statement on NYPD Monthly Crime Briefing
02/03/20 Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Advocates Call on Albany to Combat NYS Housing Crisis
02/02/20 Council Speaker, Advocates and Tenants to Call On Albany to Fund Public Housing
January 2020
01/31/20 New Yorkers Filed Roughly 1,400 Lawsuits Against The NYPD For Alleged Misconduct in 2019
01/28/20 LAS Statement on Prosecutorial Misconduct Commission Court Ruling
01/28/20 NYCHA Residents Filed Almost 32,000 Work Orders To Address Mildew Complaints
01/27/20 Attorneys Condemn Supreme Court Ruling Temporarily Allowing “Public Charge” Rule
01/23/20 LAS Applauds Governor for Condemning Requirement That Judges Predict Future Crimes
01/22/20 Motion Filed in U.S. Supreme Court to Continue Blocking “Public Charge” Immigration Rule
01/22/20 NYS Appeals Court Reverses City’s Motion To Dismiss NYCHA Rent Abatement Case
01/22/20 Immigrant Rights Advocates File Petition to Block Three Interrelated “Public Charge” Rules
01/21/20 LAS Statement on Statement on Governor Andrew Cuomo’s 2020 Budget Address
01/21/20 LAS Statement in Response to NYPD Whistleblower Letter on “Subway Diversion Program”
01/21/20 Housing Maintenance Violations Decrease Following Historic Rent Reforms
01/15/20 NYCHA Residents Have Filed Over 130k Heat/Hot Water Outage Complaints this Season
01/14/20 NYC Defenders Applaud Speaker Heastie’s Support of Pretrial Reforms
01/14/20 Response to Trump’s “Desperate” Appeal to Lift Order Blocking “Public Charge” Rule
01/13/20 NYCHA Residents Filed Nearly 60k Insect Complaints in Nine Months Data File .xls
01/10/20 LAS Applauds Newly Adopted Reforms to NYS Juvenile Parole System
01/09/20 Joint Statement on State of the State, Defenders Urge Criminal Justice Reforms
01/08/20 Court Denies Trump Request to Lift Last Remaining Nationwide “Public Charge” Injunction
01/07/20 LAS Statement on Proposal to Ban New Yorkers with Past Conviction from Mass Transit
01/06/20 LAS Statement on NYPD Monthly Crime Briefing
01/06/20 Evictions in NYC Down Over 18% Since Rent Laws Enacted in June
01/02/20 Corey Stoughton Joins LAS as Head of Criminal Defense Special Litigation
01/01/20 Joint Statement from NYC Defenders on First Day of Historic Criminal Justice Reforms
Visit our press archive for older releases and statements.