SRZ Sues New York State to Meet Public Defense Obligations

Schulte Roth and Zabel LLP, Felicello Law P.C. and the New York Civil Liberties Union sued New York State in Albany County for failing to meet its public defense obligations under the historic settlement reached in Hurrell-Harring v. New York.

“This lawsuit seeks to hold the State accountable for its persistent and unjustified failure to raise assigned counsel rates,” said SRZ associate Hannah M. Thibideau. “This has led to attorneys leaving assigned counsel programs in droves and to a significant deterioration in the ability of those attorneys who remain to properly represent their clients. Schulte Roth [& Zabel] is committed to protecting indigent defendants’ constitutional right to counsel and to ensuring that the State lives up to the commitments it made in the Hurrell-Harring settlement.”

Read the NYCLU press release here.