Oscar Onadia, an immigrant from Burkina Faso, courageously filed a class-action lawsuit against the City of New York, eventually obtaining a settlement of $92.5 million dollars for more than 20,000 people. The class members —immigrants and US citizens alike— were unjustly detained between 1997 and 2012 by the New York City Department of Corrections beyond their scheduled release dates.
Now CDM is helping to ensure that every person whose rights were violated gets justice.
Read on to learn more about Oscar’s incredible story and CDM’s role in the search for class members…
In December 2008, Oscar received a five-day sentence for driving without a driver’s license. But once he completed his sentence, he was not allowed to leave. ICE, he would later learn, had requested he be detained an additional two days while they investigated his immigration status. The New York Department of Corrections complied. But instead of holding him for the requested two days, they unjustly held him for 41 additional days, upending his life.
After his release, Oscar challenged this severe violation of his civil rights. He filed a class action lawsuit against the City of New York, with the support of class counsel Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel, LLP and Benno & Associates, seeking justice for himself and others who, like him, had been and continued to be unjustly detained beyond their scheduled release dates.
His heroic actions led the City of New York to settle the case for up to $92.5 million. The City of New York later ended its overdetention practices and stopped complying with ICE’s detainer requests after the lawsuit was filed. And even though Oscar passed away before he could witness justice being served in court, thanks to his bravery, his family, along with tens of thousands of individuals, who served a total of 166,000 days past their expected release dates, will now receive compensation from the City.
Now, the search has begun for people who can claim part of this $92.5 million dollar settlement. And I’m proud to share that CDM is helping Oscar’s attorneys, Atticus Administration LLC, and other organizations to ensure that impacted people can get what they’re owed, no matter where they live or their immigration status.
If you know someone who was held in a NYC jail on the basis of an immigration detainer issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) between April 1, 1997 and December 21, 2012, tell them to visit www.NYCICESettlement.com, or call 1-800-479-0810 (US) or 800-099-0791(MX) to learn more on how to file a claim and claim part of the $92.5 million dollar settlement.
While CDM is not class counsel in this lawsuit, litigation support services have always been at the heart of CDM’s mission and deeply aligned with our goal of removing borders as barriers to justice.
We’re excited to leverage our almost 20 years of outreach and litigation support experience to support the search for class members in this case so that they can receive meaningful compensation.
At a time when uncertainty and threats loom over the migrant and immigrant communities in the United States, Oscar Onadia’s legacy serves as a reminder of the power of those who stand together for fairness and justice. Now and always CDM stands with them.