New Haven has so far paid outside attorneys nearly $1.15 million for legal defenses in Stefon Morant’s wrongful conviction lawsuit — including $121,000 for the lawyers defending Vincent Raucci, the corrupt cop at the center of the case.

City’s Legal Strategy

The Elicker administration has now severed ties with the city’s former lawyer, Thomas Gerarde of the law firm Howd & Ludorf, while appealing a federal jury’s decision to award Morant $38 million. Gerarde had spearheaded a legal strategy involving doubling down on the validity of Morant’s conviction.

The city is required to pay legal fees not only for its own outside counsel, but for the lawyers representing all former city employees. Thus far, the city has paid the following law firms for defense in the lawsuit, which Morant first filed in 2022.

In addition to finding the city, Raucci, and former Det. Vincent Maher liable for $38 million in connection with Morant’s wrongful conviction, the jury also found that Morant’s conviction was predicated on evidence fabrication, witness coercion, and a policy or practice of police misconduct in the New Haven Police Department.

Cost of Legal Fees

The cost of the Morant lawsuit may serve as a barometer for future legal costs facing the city from other wrongful conviction lawsuits in motion. In addition to Morant, six other people have wrongful conviction lawsuits in progress against the city.

The city has so far spent $858,001.80 defending itself and former New Haven detectives in those six lawsuits. Outside lawyers have cost the city $120,483.75 for a linked pair of lawsuits from George Gould and the surviving family of Ronald Taylor, $615,326.97 for a lawsuit by Adam Carmon, and $122,191.08 for a lawsuit by Maceo Troy Streater.

In total so far, the city has accumulated $2,007,963.49 in legal fees for all seven lawsuits.

Original reporting: New Haven Independent — read the source article.