Dashboard Reveals New York Metropolis Paid Nearly $2 Billion to Settle Claims in 2024

Final 12 months, New York Metropolis settled 13,397 claims in opposition to it for a complete value of $1.94 billion, essentially the most ever for one fiscal 12 months, up from $1.5 billion in fiscal 12 months 2023, the town’s monetary monitor has reported.

Police ($309.56 million), corrections ($252.87 million), schooling ($128.07 million), transportation ($115.27 million), and well being and hospitals ($45.77 million) had the best tort declare settlement and judgment prices amongst metropolis companies, in response to a brand new claims dashboard developed by New York Metropolis Comptroller Brad Lander.

The brand new dashboard replaces the comptroller’s annual report. It gives info on claims filed to and settled by the Comptroller’s Workplace in real-time, together with private damage, property harm, civil rights, and regulation claims.

Some information from the dashboard reveal:

• In FY 2024, the town paid out $1.04 billion in private damage and property harm claims together with 9,036 claims filed in opposition to the Police Division (NYPD), a 30.7% enhance from 2023. NYPD settlements totaled $309.51 million, a 14.6% enhance however nonetheless beneath the excessive of $338.3 million in 2017.
• The variety of claims filed in opposition to the Division of Training (DOE) decreased 7.9% from 2023, however DOE settlement quantity was up 22.7%.
• There have been 2,040 private damage claims filed from auto accidents, a rise of 20.4%. These value $125.68 million, down 33.6%.
• Of the 15 largest particular person tort claims in opposition to the town in 2024, 13 had been for civil rights claims with the Division of Correction (DOC) and NYPD. The most important payout was a $171.52 million DOC declare settlement relating to the town’s failure to promptly launch folks detained pretrial after folks posted bail.
• By way of regulation settlements, the town paid out $907.83 million, a 27.8% enhance from 2023. Wage settlements accounted for 49% of all regulation declare settlements, whereas 46% had been for particular schooling tuition and/or providers reimbursement.

Lander expressed remorse that a lot cash goes to assert settlements and urged the Metropolis tHall o change the way in which claims prices are budgeted.

“The $2 billion in taxpayer funds we paid final 12 months to settle claims in opposition to the Metropolis is cash we may have spent on constructing a safer, extra inexpensive metropolis with world-class parks, faculties, and neighborhoods — however companies should not incentivized to save lots of the Metropolis from claims,” acknowledged Lander. in saying the dashboard. “Metropolis Corridor should cease shielding companies by under-budgeting settlements within the Basic Fund and as an alternative maintain them accountable by means of their very own budgets.”

He stated that with the brand new information device, metropolis companies and the general public “can analyze settlements and scale back each hurt and prices.”

Lander is a Democratic candidate in metropolis’s mayoral race.

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