Comptroller Lander Announces Pre-Litigation Settlement for the Wrongful Conviction of Titus McBride

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander announced the $810,000 pre-litigation settlement of a claim filed by Titus McBride for his wrongful conviction. Mr. McBride was arrested in 2014 and convicted in 2017 for a string of newsstand robberies in Manhattan. Mr. McBride served 8.5 years in prison.  

“Titus McBride spent 8.5 years of his life behind bars because of a failure in our justice system,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. “By swiftly concluding this pre-litigation settlement, the City was able to provide a small bit of justice to Mr. McBride and his loved ones.” 

“I applaud the boldness of the early settlement unit and Comptroller Brad Lander to help victims of police misconduct obtain justice quicker than previously possible.  This early settlement process is incredibly beneficial to these victims as it helps them swiftly receive compensation for the injustices they suffered without forcing them to wait a number of years while living and reliving this experience over and over through discovery including depositions,” said Wylie Stecklow, civil rights attorney and Mr. McBride’s counsel. “As long as there is a component of police accountability coupled with these early settlements, this is an incredible program that primarily protects victims of police misconduct while saving the City taxpayer money with the added benefit of lessening the burden on the NYC Law Department. It should be both emulated and applauded.” 

Mr. McBride was convicted despite unreliable witnesses and insufficient evidence. The case relied solely on testimony from New York Police Department (NYPD) officers who identified him based on unclear surveillance images that lacked distinct facial or identifying features. Additionally, the NYPD and District Attorney failed to disclose information about the officers’ extensive disciplinary histories, which included 13 substantiated misconduct allegations via the NYC Civilian Complaint Review Board and the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau. 

Mr. McBride always maintained his innocence and immediately appealed his convictions. In October 2022, the New York Supreme Court, granted Mr. McBride’s application to reverse his conviction. 

Wrongful conviction settlements can be found in the Comptroller’s Annual Claims Report. 

The settlement was led by Justina K. Rivera, General Counsel and Deputy Comptroller for Legal Affairs; Seunghwan Kim, Assistant Comptroller, Bureau of Law and Adjustment; and was brought about by the investigation and negotiation of Director of Litigation Lynell Canagata, and Deputy Director Rohit Mallick. 

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