Federal Jury Awards $500,000 in 8th Amendment Excessive Force Trial

On August 28, 2026, a jury found three Department of Corrections and Community Supervision employees liable for violating KLLF client Kahlil Jennings’s Eighth Amendment rights and awarded him $500,000 in damages.

Over the course of the week-long trial in federal court in Syracuse, KLLF proved that officers beat Mr. Jennings while he was handcuffed and shackled in a prison cell under the close watch of the sergeant, leaving Mr. Jennings with six broken bones and significant long-lasting psychological harm.

“We are gratified that the jury found that this brutal beating was totally unjustified and violated the Constitution,” KLLF attorney David Lebowitz said. “For Mr. Jennings to pursue this case over two-plus years took enormous courage and fortitude. We are extraordinarily proud to have represented him in this righteous case,” added Ali Frick.