Milbank LLP, in partnership with The Legal Aid Society, has achieved a major pro bono victory with class certification granted in N.C., et al. v. City of New York, a civil rights lawsuit challenging the NYPD’s unlawful access and disclosure of sealed juvenile arrest records.
Filed on behalf of three young New Yorkers, the case alleges that the NYPD routinely accesses and shares sealed records of youth ages 7 to 17—despite state law requiring strict sealing of those records following favorable case outcomes. These records have been used to inform arrest and detention decisions and shared with prosecutors and the media, violations that harm all young New Yorkers but disproportionately impact Black and Latinx youth.
Milbank’s litigation team led the effort to certify a class that could include thousands of affected individuals, successfully arguing that the systemic nature of the NYPD’s conduct warranted collective relief. The New York Supreme Court’s ruling affirms the enforceability of youth sealing statutes and sets a precedent for future litigation involving government misuse of protected records.
The Milbank team includes partner Tawfiq Rangwala, special counsel Melanie Westover Yanez, and associates Davis Campbell, Philip Flowers and Jordan Samaroo.
