A lawsuit has been filed against the City of New York and unnamed correction officers over allegations of unlawful detention at Rikers Island.
The complaint, filed on January 8, 2025, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, claims that Gary McKeon was held for 10 days beyond his mandated release date.
According to the lawsuit, McKeon was transferred from Richmond County Criminal Court to the New York City Department of Correction (NYCDOC) on October 10, 2023, despite having completed his sentence.
Instead of being released, he was taken to Rikers Island and held at the Eric M. Taylor Center until October 20, 2023. McKeon asserts that he informed officers multiple times that he had finished his sentence and provided documentation to support his claim, but the officers allegedly ignored this information.
The complaint argues that the failure to verify McKeon’s release date is due to understaffing and inadequate training within the NYCDOC. McKeon contends that these actions deprived him of his constitutional rights under the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments.
McKeon seeks compensatory damages for emotional distress and physical injuries caused by the unlawful detention. The lawsuit also seeks punitive damages against the individual defendants and reimbursement for attorney fees and costs.
McKeon’s attorney, Brett H. Klein of Brett H. Klein, Esq., PLLC, is representing him in the case, which is filed under Case ID 1:25-cv-00140.