A Brooklyn resident has filed a lawsuit against the City of New York and several individuals, alleging a campaign of harassment and false accusations aimed at dispossessing her from her home. Devora Shabtai filed the complaint in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York on February 19, 2026, naming the City of New York as well as numerous police officers and private individuals as defendants.
The case centers around alleged violations of Shabtai's Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and § 1985, alongside supplemental state law claims including false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, defamation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Shabtai claims that following her father's death in October 2019, disputes over property led to a series of coordinated actions by neighbors and others to harass her out of her home. She accuses certain defendants of making false reports to city agencies, resulting in unwarranted legal actions against her. "These complaints were orchestrated to manufacture evidence against me," she alleges in the filing.
Shabtai details various incidents where she was allegedly assaulted or falsely accused by individuals acting in concert with each other. She describes being physically attacked by Taylor Cassanova on July 18, 2022, an incident reportedly captured on video but not acted upon by police despite evidence. In another instance, she recounts how Defendant Anthony Verdino allegedly boasted about his criminal activities while living unlawfully on her property. The complaint further outlines multiple instances where NYPD officers allegedly refused to enforce orders of protection favoring Shabtai while responding promptly to baseless complaints from her adversaries.
In addition to seeking compensatory damages for financial loss and emotional distress caused by these events, Shabtai requests punitive damages against those involved in what she describes as a conspiracy to violate her civil rights. Her lawsuit also calls for injunctive relief to prevent further unlawful actions against her.
Representing herself pro se in this complex legal battle is Devora Shabtai; however, the case documentation does not specify any attorney representation for either party at this stage. The presiding judge is yet unnamed but identified under Case ID: 1:26-cv-00983-DG-JRC.
Source: 126cv00983_Shabtai_v_City_of_New_York_Complaint_Eastern_District_New_York.pdf