NYPD widow Leanne Simonsen from LI sues husband's killers for money received through class-action claim, court documents show

The widow of a decorated NYPD officer from Calverton, who was killed six years ago while responding to a robbery, has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the two men convicted in her husband's death after the inmates were awarded a combined $367,500 from New York City as part of a class-action case, records show.

Leanne Simonsen, whose husband, NYPD Det. Brian Simonsen, was killed by friendly fire during a botched Queens robbery in 2019, filed the lawsuit Wednesday in State Supreme Court in Suffolk County under the "Son of Sam" law, which prohibits criminals from profiting from their crimes.

The wrongful-death lawsuit came after Simonsen learned that the two men convicted in her husband's death, Jagger Freeman, of Queens, and Christopher Ransom, of Brooklyn, had been awarded $243,900 and $123,600, respectively, by New York City in 2023.

Freeman and Ransom were among more than 4,000 pretrial detainees who sued the city as part of a class-action lawsuit, arguing they were wrongfully isolated and held in tiny cells at Rikers Island and the now-closed Manhattan Detention Complex for up to 23 hours per day between March 2018 and June 2022.

The city agreed to pay more than $53 million to the detainees in April 2023. The settlement amounts awarded to each class member depended on how long they were kept in the isolated conditions.

Freeman and Ransom's involvement in the class-action litigation has not previously been reported.

In an interview Wednesday, Simonsen said the settlement was "insulting" to her family and to her husband's memory.

"I was in shock, and appalled when I learned about this," Simonsen said. "It's a slap in every victim's face that the people who did our loved ones harm are getting rewarded ... I've lost everything and they're getting rewarded for it."

James Moschella, Simonsen's Manhattan-based attorney, said the "Son of Sam" law has expanded in recent years to include any money received, directly or indirectly, as a result of an inmate's crimes.

"I think it's preposterous that these inmates would be receiving this amount of money," said Moschella, who is also counsel to the NYPD Detectives Endowment Association. "And so we want to ensure that they never receive one dollar of this settlement because Leanne Simonson is home without her husband. This is yet another Fourth of July she's going to be without her husband."

Eric Hecker, the lead attorney in the class-action lawsuit, did not respond to requests for comment.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams' office did not respond to requests for comments on the payouts to Freeman and Ransom.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James, citing Simonsen's planned litigation, successfully petitioned the State Supreme Court in Albany earlier this year to freeze the funds received by Freeman and Ransom, preventing the men from having any access to the money, records show.

"There is clearly a likelihood of success on the merits of the victim's claims," Albany State Supreme Court Justice Peter Lynch wrote in a Jan. 16, 2025, memo ordering the freeze of Ransom's funds.

The "Son of Sam" action also provides an additional procedural tool for Simonsen, Moschella said.

While wrongful-death lawsuits must be brought within three years under New York State law, the "Son of Sam" action "resets the clock" for the widow, he said.

But even if Simonsen is successful in her wrongful-death lawsuit, Freeman and Ransom are still eligible to keep 10% of the money from the class action as compensatory damages, records show.

Brian Simonsen, 42, was killed on Feb. 12, 2019, when he responded to an attempted armed robbery at a T-Mobile store in Richmond Hill, Queens.

As police responded, officers fired 42 shots in 11 seconds. Simonsen, a 19-year-veteran of the NYPD, was fatally shot once in the chest during the crossfire.

His supervisor, NYPD Sgt. Matthew Gorman, of Seaford, was shot in the left leg and later recovered.

Ransom, who entered the store holding a toy gun resembling a black pistol and pointed it at officers, pleaded guilty to second-degree aggravated manslaughter and first-degree robbery and was sentenced to 33 years in prison. He is currently incarcerated at Green Haven Correctional Facility in upstate Stormville.

Freeman was convicted of second-degree murder and robbery while serving as the lookout in the robbery. He was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison and is serving his sentence at Shawangunk Correctional Facility in upstate Wallkill.

Leanne Simonsen's lawsuit would claw back all of the money received by Freeman and Ransom and could potentially expand to include additional punitive and compensatory damages, Moschella said.

"It's really not about the money for myself," Simonsen said. "It's more about just the principle of it all."