V&E Secures Pro Bono Victory in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of NY

The suit, filed on June 29, 2018 against the City of New York (the City) and various employees of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), alleged that the TLC refused to process Mr. Jeanty’s timely-filed application for renewal of his For-Hire Vehicle license, and in doing so, violated the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment.

V&E associates Bryan Hogg and Milan Sova, supervised by V&E counsel Marisa Antonelli, joined the case as counsel to Mr. Jeanty in mid-February of 2020, after being referred to it by the Office of Pro Se Litigation at SDNY.

After months of negotiations, the parties jointly submitted a Stipulation as to Liability and Proposed Order on April 27, 2020, in which the City admitted to liability as to Mr. Jeanty’s constitutional claims, as well as municipal liability. Following the Stipulation, Hogg and Sova led a fast-tracked discovery process to prepare for a one-day bench trial held on July 27, 2020 to resolve the issue of damages, which included two depositions that were conducted over video conference.

Their efforts ultimately led to a favorable resolution for Mr. Jeanty, including compensatory damages for economic losses in the amount of $20,681.10, compensatory damages for emotional distress in the amount of $35,000.00, and prejudgment interest on his economic damages.

On page 1 of the decision, found here, Judge Failla thanks V&E for “excellent work on this case.”