Peekskill council approves $2.5 million settlement in Douglas wrongful-incarceration case
Summary
The Peekskill Common Council voted to approve Resolution J18 to settle Douglas v. City of Peekskill for $2.5 million; Harco National Insurance will contribute $700,000, leaving the city's net payment at $1.8 million. The mayor abstained and the measure passed by majority vote.
The Peekskill Common Council on Feb. 23 approved Resolution J18 authorizing a $2,500,000 settlement to resolve Douglas v. City of Peekskill, a federal civil case that traces to an arrest and prosecution in 2006–07 and was scheduled for trial on March 2, 2026. Harco National Insurance Company has agreed to pay $700,000 toward the settlement, leaving the city with a net payment of $1,800,000 to be funded through a bond resolution.
City attorney Eric Gordon summarized the litigation and said the parties placed settlement terms on the record after a magistrate-led settlement conference: "On 02/20/2026, following extended settlement negotiations conducted before a magistrate judge, the city agreed to settle the Douglas lawsuit for $2,500,000 without any admission of liability." The resolution authorizes the city manager to execute the settlement and take steps necessary to effectuate the agreement.
Council members voted by roll call; the clerk recorded affirmative votes from Councilman Wigger, Councilwoman Tang, Councilman DeGriccio, Councilman Fassett, Councilwoman Talbot and Deputy Mayor Riley. Mayor McKenzie abstained; the resolution carried by majority. Council members said approving the settlement would avoid the time, expense and uncertainty of a trial while the city continues to deny liability.
The city attorney also said the agreement resolves the related coverage dispute with Harco and the city will proceed with the bond resolution to provide settlement funds. No admission of wrongdoing is part of the settlement, and the city attorney said the measure takes effect immediately.
AI generated
The text on this page is AI generated. Summaries, highlights, analysis, and video transcripts are all produced from the original source material.
AI can make mistakes, so if you spot one, and we will fix it for everyone.
Note: the source content is unaltered by us. Any content source we link to, be it a video, an audio recording, or a document, is presented exactly as its publisher released it. That publisher is usually a government body, sometimes an individual official or another organisation.
