Law360 (October 22, 2026, 9:42 PM EDT) -- The city of New Haven, Connecticut, will pay $16.5 million to resolve a federal civil rights lawsuit brought by a man who was released after spending nearly 29 years in prison on murder, assault and firearms convictions tied to a shooting that left an infant dead and a grandmother paralyzed.

The deal, announced by the mayor's office and Adam Carmon's lawyers on Thursday, brings to an end a wrongful conviction lawsuit filed in July 2023 against the city and several police officers. In his most recent complaint, Carmon accused New Haven police officers of suppressing favorable evidence, fabricating evidence and making false statements in an arrest warrant, among other allegations.

"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," Carmon said of the city and the officers he sued.

Carmon was released in December 2022 after a state judge granted petitions for habeas corpus and a new trial based on forensic evidence and eyewitness identification issues that plagued the original trial. Prosecutors refused to try the case a second time and dismissed the charges. Connecticut separately awarded Carmon $7.9 million, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker's office said in a statement.

"As mayor, I am deeply sorry for the injustice that Mr. Carmon has experienced and endured," Elicker said. "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."

The mayor added: "Importantly, some of the factors that led to this miscarriage of justice include now-outdated scientific and identification techniques that are no longer part of policing in New Haven. Today, our police officers and detectives utilize modernized practices and state-of-the-art technology designed to help ensure their ability to solve crimes, provide due process and deliver justice for our residents."

In his 2022 decision, Connecticut Superior Court Judge Jon M. Alander said that while a New Haven Police Department firearms expert testified that a Browning 9 mm handgun allegedly owned by Carmon was used in the shooting, his methods didn't account for "subclass characteristics" that could result in weapons from the same factory production lot leaving similar marks on fired bullets. The expert later admitted his testimony would no longer be valid based on modern procedures, Judge Alander noted. The expert's notes also should have been provided as impeachment evidence, the judge said.

Carmon disputed claims that he owned the gun, which was recovered from a different crime scene, Judge Alander added.

Two eyewitnesses who allegedly saw the shooter for only three seconds at night linked Carmon to the crime, but their identification occurred "through non-blind procedures, after the police had concluded that he was the shooter," Judge Alander said. One witness faced pending charges in another matter, a fact prosecutors failed to accurately report to the court or defense counsel, the judge added.

In his most recent federal court complaint, Carmon said the police, under pressure to solve the high-profile case, abandoned credible leads pointing to at least two other suspects. One of those other possible suspects implicated himself in the crime when questioned, Carmon alleged.

One of the purported eyewitnesses also selected another individual, but not Carmon, as a "look-alike" to the shooter, Carmon noted. He added that a police officer fabricated a report that claimed he tried to hide his identity from one of the alleged eyewitnesses in court.

In September 2025, U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall denied summary judgment to two detectives and largely denied New Haven's bid for summary judgment, finding that a jury could conclude the police department had a widespread practice of fabricating evidence in the early 1990s.

"We are deeply proud of this result and of Adam Carmon's incredible resilience," said one of Carmon's attorneys, Doug Lieb of Kaufman Lieb Lebowitz & Frick LLP.

"But this case shows why there are no winners when police departments turn a blind eye to misconduct," Lieb added. "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."

The settlement came after more than nine hours of talks with U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti, according to the federal court docket.

Carmon is represented by Doug Lieb, Ali Frick and Shirley LaVarco of Kaufman Lieb Lebowitz & Frick LLP and David S. Keenan of the Law Office of David Keenan.

New Haven is represented by Morgan Paul Rueckert, Chelsea C. McCallum and Megan Medlicott of Shipman & Goodwin LLP.

The case is Carmon v. City of New Haven et al., case number 3:23-cv-00944, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.

--Editing by Nick Siwek.

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