IMPORTANT! Observe a federal trial next week!

Ladies and Gentlemen!  If you are available (do not have another class) next Wednesday afternoon April 3 after class (leave City Tech about 1pm) or Thursday morning until about 12:30pm, and would like to observe a federal court trial in Manhattan, please email me ASAP!  We have been cordially invited by the federal court judge presiding over the trial described below at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of NY (in Manhattan) to come in and observe it next week.  It sounds really interesting!   And we’d probably get a “behind the scenes” chance to meet the Judge!  This can count as your observation for the assignment.  If you want to go, email me ASAP!

Cheers,

Prof. C.

The plaintiff is a prisoner who started off pro se, but who now has a team of associates at a major firm representing him pro bono for trial.  The defendant is the United States (it’s an FTCA claim).  The basis of the claim is that federal corrections officers committed the tort of battery by using excessive force against the plaintiff when they allegedly removed, by force, contraband (packets of tobacco and ketamine, placed in a condom) that he had tried to hide in his anus. He doesn’t deny having the contraband, or trying to secret it — he’s only claiming that it was removed from his body in an unreasonable manner.   The officers deny using force — they say it fell out and they picked it up off the floor.  Very readily understandable issues for students!