New Haven Agrees to Pay $16.5 Million to Wrongfully Convicted Man

Two months before a federal trial was set to begin, the City of New Haven agreed to pay KLLF client Adam Carmon $16.5 million to resolve his claims. Mr. Carmon was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1994 and served more than 28 years in prison before being exonerated and released in late 2022.

“Nothing can ever make up for the years that were taken from me, but I find some solace in the fact that they’re coming to grips with their wrongdoing,” Mr. Carmon said.

Mr. Carmon’s lawsuit, which he filed in 2023, alleged that police fabricated evidence against him, coerced false statements, and hid exculpatory evidence. Mr. Carmon also intended to prove at trial that the New Haven Police Department had a longstanding practice of suppressing exculpatory evidence and fabricating evidence. This past spring, a jury found that New Haven had a “widespread practice” of hiding exculpatory evidence in the 1990s. KLLF partners Doug Lieb and Ali Frick and attorney Shirley LaVarco represented Mr. Carmon in his federal civil rights case.

“We are deeply proud of this result and of Adam Carmon’s incredible resilience,” Mr. Lieb said. “But this case shows why there are no winners when police departments turn a blind eye to misconduct. Wrongfully convicted people lose precious freedom, victims are denied closure, and citizens pay the price. All these years later, we believe this settlement represents an important step toward imperfect justice.”

David Keenan, a solo practitioner, and Mr. Lieb led the successful effort to overturn Mr. Carmon’s conviction, along with attorneys from Arnold & Porter and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.

In announcing the settlement, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said: “As mayor, I am deeply sorry for the injustice that Mr. Carmon has experienced and endured. While no amount of money can give Mr. Carmon back the nearly three decades of his life spent in prison, I hope this settlement will provide Mr. Carmon with some sense of justice and peace moving forward. I wish him and his family well.”