Federal Judge Upholds $112M Verdict Against Suffolk County

A federal judge has upheld a $112 million jury verdict against Suffolk County stemming from the county's policy of holding immigrants beyond the time they would otherwise have been released, a practice a court ruled unlawful in 2018.

In a 52-page decision issued this week, Judge William F. Kuntz II of the Eastern District Court in Brooklyn denied the county's motions to overturn the verdict, order a new trial, reduce damages or decertify the class.

The county had argued the November verdict was "fundamentally flawed" and that the trial featured "several substantial errors." The case arose from Suffolk's policy under then-Sheriff Vincent DeMarco to honor detainers issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Judge Kuntz ruled in early 2025 that the county violated the constitutional rights of hundreds of immigrants by detaining them past the point when they would otherwise have been freed. A jury in November awarded $75 million based on that ruling and an additional $37 million on a separate due process claim. The county had argued it was entitled to immunity because it acted under federal authority — a contention the court rejected. "The law and the facts in this case support the verdict and judgment this Court entered," Judge Kuntz concluded.

Aldo Badini, a partner at Winston Taylor, which filed the lawsuit alongside advocacy group LatinoJustice PRLDEF, called the decision an "across-the-board victory." "What the county tried to do here is create facts after the trial which were not supported by the trial testimony," Badini said.

The county has 30 days to file an appeal to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Mike Martino, a spokesman for County Executive Edward P. Romaine, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Andrew Case, supervising counsel at LatinoJustice PRLDEF, said an appeal, if pursued, would likely extend into 2027.