In a motion filed Thursday, Neufeld Scheck Brustin Hoffmann & Freudenberger LLP and the Law Office of Kenneth Rosenthal argued the hefty fee bid was also necessary because the city battled their client, Stefon Morant, at every possible step. While New Haven penned a $9.5 million settlement with co-defendant Scott Lewis, the city refused to settle with Morant for the same figure, the firms noted.
"At trial, defendants made clear they were contesting every issue — indeed, the city opened on the assertion it would prove that Mr. Morant was guilty," the law firms said in their filing. "Although defendants never had any evidence to substantiate these allegations, their litigation posture confirmed [Morant's] need to put on compelling proof establishing every single component of his case."
"While of course defendants were entitled to mount a vigorous defense, this intransigence increased the time required for the litigation as a whole," the firms added.
Neufeld Scheck said it was seeking $6.9 million in fees under New York City rates, plus around $85,200 for travel and $420,000 in expenses. If Connecticut rates apply, the firm wants a total of $5.9 million. Local counsel Kenneth Rosenthal is seeking about $612,000 under only Connecticut rates.
Both firms said their fee bids were "commensurate with those previously found reasonable by other district courts within this circuit and the Second Circuit itself."
To win, the firms said they had to effectively re-try Morant's murder case, plus prove additional factors under Monell v. Department of Social Services, a 1978 U.S. Supreme Court case, to hold the city liable for the alleged acts of its officers, including lead detective Vincent Raucci.
Morant also had to prove damages he suffered during his 21 years behind bars, requiring even more witnesses, the firms said. They conducted depositions of at least 20 witnesses, combed volumes of court and police records, and reviewed a 20-month FBI investigation that backed up claims that Morant and Lewis were framed, according to the lawyers' filing.
"Mr. Morant's case demanded the utmost time and care to prosecute" because it also pitted one police officer against several others, the attorneys said. Michael Sweeney, a sergeant who retired before Morant was convicted, testified he "personally observed" Raucci "fabricating key evidence" against both Morant and Lewis, they recalled.
"The extent of misconduct was astonishingly vast: Defendant Vincent Raucci straight-up framed Mr. Morant and Mr. Lewis, fabricating every piece of evidence inculpating them," the firms continued. "That required discovery into every aspect of the investigation."
Morant was released from prison in 2015 after spending 21 years behind bars for the Oct. 11, 1990, murder of Ricardo Turner and his roommate, Lamont Fields. In 2021, Morant received an unconditional pardon from the Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles, and his charges were expunged.
Following the May 2026 verdict, Morant's attorney Nick Brustin told Law360 that Sweeney reported his concerns about Raucci up the city police department's chain of command but never recorded them on paper, following the department's practices at that time. The lack of a paper trail made it difficult for Morant's original criminal defense lawyers to notice problems with the case, Morant alleged during the trial.
Under federal civil rights law, the jury's May verdict entitles Morant to seek fees and costs, the attorneys argued.
Morant contended his prosecution hinged on the false testimony of a "mentally unstable teenager" who faced charges in an unrelated shooting. Raucci threatened the teen with a long sentence in that shooting and coerced him into implicating Morant and Lewis in the double slaying, according to the complaint. Another teen was also pressured into a false statement, Morant alleged.
New Haven has requested either a new trial or a reduction in the verdict.
Counsel for Morant and a spokesperson for the city did not respond to Law360's requests for comment Monday.
Morant is represented by Nick Brustin, Anna Benvenutti Hoffmann, Emma Freudenberger, Amelia Green, Elsa Mota, Grace Paras and Katie Cion of Neufeld Scheck Brustin Hoffmann & Freudenberger LLP and Kenneth Rosenthal of the Law Office of Kenneth Rosenthal.
New Haven is represented by Abigail R Willauer, Thomas R. Gerarde, Lidia M Michols, Alan Raymond Dembiczak and Amanda Stone of Howd & Ludorf LLC and Armando Ghinaglia, Daniel Passeser and Tadhg Dooley of Wiggin and Dana LLP.
The case is Morant v. City of New Haven et al., case number 3:22-cv-00630, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.
--Additional reporting by Brian Steele. Editing by Covey Son.
For a reprint of this article, please contact reprints@law360.com.