Brooklyn, NY – A federal judge has ruled that parts of Isaiah Sano’s civil rights lawsuit against the City of New York and three NYPD officers can move forward, rejecting efforts by the city to dismiss the case in full.
Sano filed the suit in 2022, claiming Officers Devon D. Moses, Patrick Sanon, and Detective Brian Flynn falsely accused him of firing a gun outside his apartment building in October 2021. According to the amended complaint, the officers knowingly misrepresented video evidence, then arrested Sano two weeks later without probable cause.
Sano alleges he was taken to multiple precincts, subjected to a strip search, and questioned without being informed of his rights. He also claims officers mocked him during transport, with one allegedly saying, “Once I get you in cuffs, everything is over baby… Without you, I wouldn’t have a job,” before blasting music in the car.
The officers later reported that drugs were found on Sano during the arrest, but he contends the search and seizure were unlawful. His lawsuit, brought under 42 U.S.C. §§ 1983, 1985, and 1988, also includes claims under state law.
U.S. District Judge Dora L. Irizarry granted the city’s motion to dismiss in part but allowed several constitutional claims, including those related to false arrest, unlawful search, and malicious prosecution, to proceed.
The decision means the case will now enter discovery, keeping the officers and the city facing liability in federal court.
