The Elicker administration formally submitted a request to New Haven’s Board of Alders to issue up to $17.5 million in general‑obligation bonds. The bonds would finance the city’s $16.5 million settlement with Adam Carmon, who was wrongfully convicted of a 1994 murder and released in 2023.
Bond proposal and debt impact
The proposal, listed on Thursday’s full Board agenda, now moves to an aldermanic committee for review before returning for a final vote. A Debt Service Impact Statement estimates total borrowing costs of $26.25 million over 20 years, including $8.75 million in interest.
Background on the Carmon case
Mayor Elicker announced on Oct. 22 that the city had agreed to pay $16.5 million to settle a federal civil‑rights lawsuit stemming from Carmon’s 28‑year imprisonment for a shooting that killed a 7‑month‑old girl and paralyzed her grandmother. A judge later declared Carmon’s 1994 conviction a miscarriage of justice due to police and prosecutorial misconduct. After his release in June 2023, Carmon sued New Haven for fabricated evidence and other violations.
City financing details
City Controller Michael Gormany explained that the bonds could be issued directly to a bank, with issuance costs drawn from the principal rather than from a public‑offering premium. He also noted that existing bond proceeds could be used for other projects, with the new bonds reimbursing those projects once settlements are paid— a method the city employed for a prior settlement.
Related wrongful‑conviction settlements
The Carmon settlement follows a state‑awarded $7.9 million compensation to Carmon and a recent $30.5 million settlement for Vernon Horn and Marquis Jackson, for which Alders approved $27 million in borrowing. In May, a federal jury in Hartford awarded $38 million to Stefon Morant in another wrongful‑conviction case, which the city is currently appealing.
Future litigation outlook
New Haven also faces potential trials for lawsuits filed by George Gould, the family of Ronald Taylor, and Alderman Maceo Troy Streater, who represents Ward 21. The city’s Litigation Settlement Committee approved the Carmon settlement on Oct. 28, pending the Board’s bond approval.
Original reporting: New Haven Independent — read the source article.
