Suffolk still on hook for $112M judgment for detaining immigrants longer than allowed

A federal judge has upheld a $112 million jury verdict against Suffolk County in a nearly decade-old case centered on the unlawful detention of immigrants in the country illegally.

In a 52-page decision this week, Judge William F. Kuntz II denied the county’s motions to overturn the verdict, order a new trial, reduce damages or decertify the class. The county had argued the verdict handed down in November was "fundamentally flawed" and the trial featured "several substantial errors."

Aldo Badini, a partner at the law firm Winston Taylor, which filed the lawsuit with LatinoJustice PRLDEF, a Manhattan-based advocacy group, called the judge’s decision an “across-the-board victory for us.”

"What the county tried to do here is create facts after the trial which were not supported by the trial testimony,” Badini said. “And that is a major reason, I believe, why the court rejected all of their arguments."

The county has 30 days to file an appeal to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

The case stems from Suffolk's policy under then-Sheriff Vincent DeMarco to honor detainers issued through the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement agency, a practice halted after a 2018 court ruling found it unlawful. Judge Kuntz ruled in early 2025 that the county violated the constitutional rights of hundreds of immigrants by holding them beyond the time they would have otherwise been released.

A jury in November awarded $75 million based on that ruling and an additional $37 million on the separate due process claim. The county had argued it should be entitled to immunity because it acted under federal authority, an assertion the court had dismissed.

The judge, who also presided over the trial, concluded "the law and the facts in this case support the verdict and judgment this Court entered."

Mike Martino, a spokesman for County Executive Edward P. Romaine, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the decision and a timeline for appealing.

In late March, the two sides presented arguments on the motions before the judge in the Eastern District Court in Brooklyn.

Andrew Case, supervising counsel at LatinoJustice PRLDEF, said an appeal process, if it happens, would probably extend into 2027. 

By Joe Werkmeister

joe.werkmeister@newsday.com

Joe Werkmeister joined Newsday in 2022 and covers Suffolk County government and politics. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.

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