Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP

Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP is a litigation boutique that focuses on civil rights, commercial, criminal, and ethics matters.

We represent individuals, businesses, and institutions in all aspects of litigation and pre-litigation.

On July 18, 2026, the Staten Islander News Organization reported on ECBAWM’s class action lawsuit filed with co-counsel ...
07/27/2026

On July 18, 2026, the Staten Islander News Organization reported on ECBAWM’s class action lawsuit filed with co-counsel Vladeck, Raskin & Clark P.C. challenging UPS’s package delivery practices at the Park Hill and Fox Hill apartment complexes on Staten Island.

The case challenges a policy that UPS has maintained for decades, which requires residents of those complexes to retrieve packages from a designated UPS truck pickup location, rather than receiving direct building delivery. ECBAWM’s lawsuit brings claims under a disparate impact theory: that UPS treats the residents of Park Hill and Fox Hill complexes, who are 99% non-white, less well than similarly situated neighboring complexes with a higher proportion of white residents.

Read our article for more - https://ecbawm.com/news/local-staten-islander-news-outlet-covers-ecbawms-lawsuit-challenging-upss-staten-island-delivery-practices/

On July 20, 2026, U.S. District Court Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald for the Southern District of New York denied the City’s...
07/27/2026

On July 20, 2026, U.S. District Court Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald for the Southern District of New York denied the City’s motion to dismiss key claims in ECBAWM’s lawsuit against the City of New York and individual New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Council on American-Islamic Relations New York (CAIR-NY), Zarmeen Azam, and Shajnin Howlader, who allege that they were brutally assaulted, strangled, and had their hijabs forcibly removed by NYPD officers while peacefully protesting for Palestine.

In an important ruling on organizational standing, the Court held CAIR-NY had adequately alleged a direct organizational injury sufficient to establish standing. Relying on ECBAWM’s Amended Complaint, the Court noted that the NYPD’s alleged practice of forcibly removing Muslim women’s hijabs during protests “has left CAIR-NY less well able to carry out several of its established, preexisting core activities, including empowering Muslims to exercise their First Amendment rights, defending religious liberty, and amplifying speech about Islam and Muslims.” The Court found that these claims demonstrated that NYPD’s conduct impaired CAIR-NY’s ability to carry out its mission and core activities on behalf of New York’s Muslim community.

Read our article for more - https://ecbawm.com/news/ecbawm-defeats-citys-motion-to-dismiss-in-nypd-hijab-removal-case-federal-court-holds-that-cair-ny-has-organizational-standing-to-challenge-nypds-hijab-removals-at-protests-for-palestine/

Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP secured a $2.4 million federal jury verdict on behalf of veteran PIX11 ...
07/23/2026

Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP secured a $2.4 million federal jury verdict on behalf of veteran PIX11 anchor/reporter Ojinika Obiekwe in her retaliation lawsuit against WPIX-TV and Nexstar Media Group. Following trial, a federal jury found that PIX11 and Nexstar unlawfully retaliated against Ms. Obiekwe after she complained about race discrimination in the workplace and awarded her $2.4 million in damages.

Ms. Obiekwe, an Emmy Award-winning journalist who worked at PIX11 for more than two decades, alleged that she was subjected to unequal treatment because of her race. She alleged that, compared to similarly situated white male colleagues, she received less staffing support, was required to perform substantially more work, and was paid less despite her years of service. She further alleged that, rather than addressing those concerns after she repeatedly complained of race discrimination, PIX11 and Nexstar retaliated against her for engaging in protected activity.

“In 2023, PIX11 and Nexstar fired Emmy Award-winning journalist Ojinika ‘Oji’ Obiekwe, the culmination of an ugly, years-long campaign to retaliate against her and destroy her professional reputation, all because she dared to call out racial discrimination in her workplace,” said ECBAWM’s Eric Abrams and Andrew G. Celli, Jr. “But Oji refused to be silenced, and she refused to accept her retaliatory firing after 22 years of flawless service at PIX11. This case was about ensuring that Oji’s voice would be heard and her reputation restored — and that’s exactly what happened at trial this week. Eight jurors heard the evidence and vindicated our client. We are incredibly thrilled by this result and are so proud of, in awe of, and inspired by Oji. She was fired for speaking up about discrimination and never once considered stopping, even after she was terminated. She was the driving force behind this case and deserves this vindication more than anyone.”

Read our article for more - https://ecbawm.com/news/ecbawm-wins-2-4-million-jury-verdict-veteran-pix11-anchor-reporter-ojinika-obiekwe-retaliation-lawsuit/

ECBAWM has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Brian Kendall, whose 1989 conviction for the murder of Rap...
07/09/2026

ECBAWM has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Brian Kendall, whose 1989 conviction for the murder of Raphael Reyes was vacated in 2025 following an investigation by the Kings County District Attorney’s Conviction Review Unit.

The lawsuit seeks damages from the City of New York and former New York City Police Department detectives involved in the investigation and prosecution. It alleges that Kendall was wrongfully arrested and convicted as a result of constitutional violations, including the fabrication of evidence and suppression of evidence supporting his innocence.

Filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, the complaint asserts federal civil rights and New York state law claims, including fabrication of evidence, malicious prosecution, denial of due process, and suppression of exculpatory evidence.

The lawsuit seeks compensatory damages, attorneys’ fees as authorized by law, and other relief the Court deems just and proper.

In addition to Julia P. Kuan, ECBAWM attorneys Vasudha Talla and Hafsa S. Mansoor represent Mr. Kendall.

Read our article for more - https://ecbawm.com/news/ecbawm-files-federal-civil-rights-lawsuit-on-behalf-of-brooklyn-man-whose-murder-conviction-was-vacated-after-nearly-four-decades/

Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Leon Jones, who alleg...
07/08/2026

Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Leon Jones, who alleges that NYPD officers beat him unconscious, denied him prompt medical care, and falsely arrested him after he approached officers to check on the welfare of his daughter following her arrest at a Fourth of July gathering in Queens.

The lawsuit asserts claims under federal, state, and New York City law, including excessive force, false arrest, malicious prosecution, denial of medical care, assault and battery, and related civil rights violations.

ECBAWM attorneys Richard Emery, Laura Kokotailo, Sara Estela, and paralegal Toby Shore represent Leon Jones.

Read our article for more - https://ecbawm.com/news/ecbawm-files-federal-civil-rights-lawsuit-alleging-nypd-officers-beat-father-unconscious-after-he-sought-information-about-his-daughter/

On June 23, 2026, ECBAWM filed a lawsuit against Jamaica Hospital, MediSys Health Network, Inc., and Associate Surgeon i...
06/26/2026

On June 23, 2026, ECBAWM filed a lawsuit against Jamaica Hospital, MediSys Health Network, Inc., and Associate Surgeon in Chief Dr. Robert Laskowski, on behalf of Rita Bahnan, a physician’s assistant employed at Jamaica Hospital.

Despite multiple reports of sexual misconduct, the hospital allegedly failed to discipline Dr. Laskowski or take effective action to protect its employees. Instead, it promoted him. Ms. Bahnan and other hospital staff formally reported the alleged harassment to the hospital administration and submitted written complaints to Human Resources, but the Hospital failed to take any meaningful action.

ECBAWM attorneys Zoe Salzman, Vivake Prasad, and paralegal Jasmine Diaz represent plaintiff Rita Bahnan.

Read our article for more - https://ecbawm.com/news/ecbawm-files-sexual-harassment-lawsuit-against-jamaica-hospital-medisys-health-network-inc-and-dr-robert-laskowski/

On Tuesday, June 16, State Senator Jessica Scarcella Spanton, District Attorney Michael McMahon and residents of Park Hi...
06/18/2026

On Tuesday, June 16, State Senator Jessica Scarcella Spanton, District Attorney Michael McMahon and residents of Park Hill & Fox Hill, an affordable housing community on Staten Island, called for a borough-wide boycott of United Parcel Service (UPS) over its unfair delivery practices in the area. If any of the residents in the 1,500 units at Park Hill & Fox Hill receive a delivery from UPS, they must walk up to twenty minutes to the UPS truck checkpoint and wait in line with other residents. In a quote to silive.com, DA McMahon called for a boycott: “If possible, if [Staten Islanders] have the choice, they should pick a different carrier,” McMahon said. “This is a flagrant example of unfair practices.”

Residents of Park Hill & Fox Hill, over 99% of whom are non-white, have been forced to endure this discriminatory practice for over 30 years. In response, ECBAWM Attorneys have filed a lawsuit, led by resident Gordon Flowers, asking the court to force UPS to offer the same services offered throughout Staten Island, as well as monetary damages for each failed delivery over the past decades. ECBAWM Attorneys Diane Houk, O. Andrew F. Wilson, and Laura Kokotailo and Paralegal Toby Shore, as well as co-counsel Maia Goodell of Vladeck Raskin Clark P.C. Aae proud to hold corporations accountable to discriminatory practices, and fight for justice for the residents of Park Hill & Fox Hill.

Access full coverage of proposed boycott on our website: https://ecbawm.com/news/state-senator-district-attorney-call-for-ups-boycott-following-ecbawm-lawsuit/

Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP (ECBAWM) and Caicedo & Queliz LLC have filed a federal civil rights law...
06/13/2026

Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP (ECBAWM) and Caicedo & Queliz LLC have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of former public defender Bernardo Caceres, alleging that he was falsely arrested, unlawfully detained, and defamed after being accused of attempting to bring narcotics into Rikers Island during a client visit. The lawsuit alleges that the arrest occurred before any confirmatory laboratory testing was conducted, despite acknowledgments by both the New York City Department of Investigation and the Department of Correction that such field tests are too unreliable to serve as the basis for an arrest without laboratory confirmation.

According to the complaint, Caceres was detained for several hours, denied requests to contact his supervisors, photographed while handcuffed, and publicly accused of criminal conduct. Subsequent laboratory testing allegedly found that the documents contained neither THC nor any other narcotics, and prosecutors later declined to pursue the charge.“Given the widely known unreliability of the field tests, the corrections officers should have known better, the City should have known better, and Benny Boscio should have kept his mouth shut,” said Earl Ward, partner at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP. “Instead, they intentionally and recklessly tarnished the reputation of a bright young lawyer.”

“Bernardo never should have been arrested in the first place. Instead of waiting for reliable test results, officials jumped to conclusions and put him in handcuffs. The New York City Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association then seized the opportunity to smear a young public defender dedicated to serving his community. When the lab results came back, they showed there were no drugs at all. This lawsuit is about accountability for the people who rushed to judgment and making sure this doesn’t happen again,” said Albert Huber, Associate at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP. Access the full press here :

https://ecbawm.com/news/ecbawm-and-caicedo-queliz-file-federal-civil-rights-lawsuit-on-behalf-of-public-defender-wrongfully-arrested-following-rikers-island-visit/

"Ohio State and 279 of the 280 individual remaining Richard Strauss survivors involved in the pending litigation have re...
06/05/2026

"Ohio State and 279 of the 280 individual remaining Richard Strauss survivors involved in the pending litigation have reached settlements in principle in a total amount of $100 million. The university’s Board of Trustees has now publicly ratified these agreements in principle, and all parties thank the mediators for their assistance. The mediation and its confidentiality are continuing as the parties work to finalize the details of the settlements, and additional information will be shared as appropriate."

To read more, please visit our website:

https://ecbawm.com/news/major-announcement-in-the-ohio-state-university-sex-abuse-case/

ECBAWM Partner Andy G. Celli will join noted First Amendment lawyers Jameel Jaffer, Director of the Knight First Amendme...
06/04/2026

ECBAWM Partner Andy G. Celli will join noted First Amendment lawyers Jameel Jaffer, Director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University; David McCraw, General Counsel of The New York Times; Amrit Singh, Professor and Founding Director of Rule of Law Lab at NYU School of Law; and Faiza Patel, Senior Director of the Brennan Center’s Liberty & National Security Program, to discuss the state of our constitutional free speech and free press guarantees and the role of the legal profession in preserving First Amendment rights.

To read more about the panel, please visit our website : https://ecbawm.com/news/ecbawm-partner-andrew-g-celli-jr-selected-as-panelist-at-new-york-city-bar-association-on-protecting-free-speech/

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