March 20, 2024

Firm settles federal civil rights and state settlements totaling $19 million and $19.3 million for clients Gary Johnson and Rohan Bolt

Today, the firm settled the federal civil rights lawsuits of Rohan Bolt and Gary Johnson for $15.2 million and $15 million, respectively. This follows Bolt’s and Johnson’s recent settlements with New York State, under the Unjust Conviction and Imprisonment Act, for $4.1 million and $4 million, respectively. The total settlements are two of the largest ever awarded for wrongful convictions. Tom Hoffman and Jabbar Collins, assisted by Jonathan Hiles, represented Bolt and Johnson in these lawsuits.

Bolt and Johnson, and their co-defendant George Bell, were exonerated in 2021 based on newly-disclosed records that proved their innocence, including an earth-shattering police report that identified the true culprits–and that police and prosecutors concealed at trial. The firm obtained this exonerating police report while reinvestigating the related wrongful conviction of another firm client, Robert Majors, who has since been exonerated.

At the time of their arrests, Johnson was 22 years old and working two jobs to support his mother, while Bolt was a 35 year-old father of four. Since their release, Bolt and Johnson have been reconnecting with their families and advocating legal reforms to address wrongful convictions and prevent them going forward. By exposing law enforcement misconduct in Queens, their case is helping other wrongfully convicted people victimized by the same corrupt practices.