Monell Claims Against NYC: Pattern, Practice, and Policy

Your Right to Challenge Systemic Misconduct

When you’re harmed by the NYPD, it’s easy to focus only on the officer who hurt you. But sometimes, the problem runs deeper. 

Monell claims give New Yorkers a legal path to hold the City itself accountable. If you were hurt because of a policy, a repeated pattern of abuse, or a citywide failure to train officers, you may be able to file a Monell claim. These lawsuits don’t just ask for compensation. They demand structural change.

At Horn Wright, LLP, we work with people across New York State who’ve experienced force, false arrest, or other rights violations tied to official practices. If you suspect the problem wasn’t isolated, talk to our Bronx civil rights attorneys. We’re here to help you get answers, prove patterns, and seek justice that reaches the top.

What a Monell Claim Is and Why It Matters

A Monell claim refers to a lawsuit against a local government entity like the City of New York for violating someone’s civil rights. The name comes from the Supreme Court’s 1978 decision in Monell v. Department of Social Services. That case made it clear: cities can be sued under Section 1983 when their own actions, not just the acts of individual officers, cause constitutional harm.

In practice, this means that if NYPD misconduct stems from a city policy, custom, or failure by leadership, the City can be liable. You can’t sue the City just because an officer made a bad choice. You need to prove the City itself was responsible through its:

• Written policies
• Unofficial but widespread customs
• Failure to train or supervise
• Decisions made by final policymakers

When successful, Monell claims help hold the government accountable for systemic failures, not just one bad act.

When the City of New York Can Be Held Liable

The legal bar for suing the City is high. Courts want proof that the misconduct happened because of an official city practice or decision, not because of one officer’s bad behavior. To meet that standard, you usually need to show one of the following:

• A widespread pattern of similar misconduct
• A written or unwritten policy that caused the violation
• A final decision by a top official that led to the harm

For example, if officers in multiple Bronx precincts use excessive force in similar ways and supervisors never intervene, that may support a Monell claim. But one isolated incident likely won’t be enough.

New York courts want to see evidence of causation. That means showing the City's action or inaction created the environment where the violation happened.

What Pattern and Practice Looks Like in NYC Cases

To show the City is liable under Monell, many cases rely on pattern and practice evidence. This means proving that misconduct happened more than once and that the City knew about it.

The following signs can support this approach:

• Multiple complaints filed with the CCRB about the same conduct
• Officers with repeated misconduct allegations remain on active duty
• Use-of-force reports follow a recurring pattern, such as missing key details
• Supervisors routinely ignore or downplay complaints

In some Bronx precincts, such as the 42nd or 46th, public records and news investigations have shown long-term concerns about discipline, force, and racial profiling. This type of evidence helps turn a single person’s story into proof of a larger problem.

The Role of Policy, Custom, and Final Decisions

To win a Monell claim, you have to tie your injury to something the City did or failed to do at the policy level. Courts recognize several ways this happens:

• Formal written policies: For instance, if an NYPD directive leads officers to stop people without probable cause
• Unwritten customs or habits: Like a precinct where officers know they won’t be disciplined for unnecessary force
• Final decisions by high-ranking officials: If the NYPD Commissioner or a top City official makes a choice that causes harm, the City can be held liable

An example could include repeated failures to investigate force complaints across the Bronx. Even if there’s no formal policy, courts may treat a consistent lack of action as a custom or de facto policy.

When Failure to Train or Supervise Becomes Liability

A city can be liable under Monell if it fails to train or supervise its officers, and that failure causes harm. This is known as deliberate indifference. It happens when a city knows officers aren’t properly trained, but does nothing about it.

In practical terms, that might include:

• No training on how to interact with people in mental health crises
• Failing to retrain officers after force complaints
• Supervisors ignoring repeated misconduct in internal reviews

Deliberate indifference is not just poor management. It means city leaders saw the risk and still chose not to act. If someone gets hurt as a result, the City can be held accountable.

Examples of Monell Liability in New York City

Several past lawsuits have succeeded in holding NYC accountable under Monell. Here are a few types of cases that help illustrate how these claims work:

• Stop-and-frisk: Courts found widespread constitutional violations tied to NYPD’s policies and data-driven enforcement model
• Wrongful arrests during protests: Mass arrests that followed city-level directives without regard for individual rights
• Failure to discipline abusive officers: Officers with long records of force continued to serve without correction, and people were harmed as a result

While not every case is public, many settlements and rulings include strong Monell findings. Agencies like the CCRB or the Department of Justice often release data that can support these cases.

What Evidence Helps Prove a Monell Claim

Winning a Monell claim depends on what you can prove. Some of the most useful evidence includes:

• CCRB complaints showing repeat violations
• Use-of-force reports that follow troubling patterns
• Internal NYPD memos about training or oversight gaps
• Emails or directives from high-ranking officials
• Public records from FOIL requests
• Testimony from former officers or eyewitnesses

Your lawyer can also request documents in court. That process is called discovery, and it’s key to building out the larger story behind your experience.

In some cases, we also look at CCRB records alongside internal misconduct databases. These help establish whether officers or supervisors ignored or enabled misconduct over time.

Comparing Monell Claims to Lawsuits Against Officers

Monell claims focus on the City’s role. That’s different from a direct claim against an individual officer. While both claims can be filed in one lawsuit, each follows a different legal path:

• A Section 1983 individual claim targets what an officer did
• A Monell claim targets what the City allowed or failed to prevent

This matters because it affects how you prove your case. With an officer, you show their actions were unlawful. With a Monell claim, you show the system around them made those actions likely and avoidable.

Naming both the City and the officer can make your case stronger. It shows the harm was not just about one person. It was about what the system failed to do.

Why These Claims Matter for the Bronx and Beyond

In places like the Bronx, where force complaints and stop-related violations have long been documented, Monell claims help expose repeated patterns. They don’t just help one person. They reveal the full extent of the harm.

That matters for families, communities, and future prevention. These claims:

• Push the NYPD to change harmful practices
• Help stop repeat violations before they happen
• Bring transparency to city decisions about training, discipline, and oversight

We’ve seen clients find a deeper sense of justice when they know they challenged a broken policy. 

When the City Fails to Act, the Law Steps In

People deserve to live without fear of being harmed by the very people meant to protect them. But when city leaders ignore patterns of abuse, fail to train their officers, or look the other way, they must be held accountable.

At Horn Wright, LLP, we represent New Yorkers who have been harmed by both direct abuse and city-level misconduct. If you think your case involves a wider policy or pattern, we are here to help you prove it. 

Reach out today to speak with a civil rights lawyer who will fight to hold the entire system accountable, not just one person.