Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP (ECBAWM) filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York on behalf of Christopher Ellis, who spent more than 30 years in prison before being acquitted at a retrial in 2025.

The complaint names Nassau County and several members of the Nassau County Police Department as defendants. It alleges that Mr. Ellis’s conviction resulted from unconstitutional investigative practices, including a coerced confession, a tainted eyewitness identification, and the failure to disclose exculpatory evidence. The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages.

“I lost more than 30 years of my life for something I did not do,” said Christopher Ellis. “You can’t give that time back. I missed decades with my family, milestones, and opportunities I will never get again. I’m bringing this case to seek accountability and to help ensure this does not happen to anyone else.”

“This case represents a complete breakdown of the criminal justice system in Nassau County,” said Ilann M. Maazel, Partner at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP and counsel for Mr. Ellis. “It’s scary how police can concoct a murder charge against an innocent man. We look forward to holding all of these defendants responsible for their role in this appalling case.”

Background

According to the complaint, Mr. Ellis was arrested in 1991 at the age of 20 in connection with an attempted robbery. The complaint further alleges that he confessed to the attempted robbery shortly after his arrest. It also states that law enforcement officers continued to detain and question him regarding the unsolved September 29, 1990 murder of Joseph Healy outside an Arby’s in Hempstead.
The complaint alleges that Mr. Ellis was interrogated for approximately 14 hours and was deprived of food, sleep, access to counsel, and contact with the outside world. It further alleges that detectives threatened him with life imprisonment and separation from his family and newborn child.

The complaint alleges that Mr. Ellis was interrogated for approximately 14 hours and was deprived of food, sleep, access to counsel, and contact with the outside world. It further alleges that detectives threatened him with life imprisonment and separation from his family and newborn child.

According to the complaint, Mr. Ellis repeatedly denied involvement but ultimately signed a statement admitting to participation in the Healy murder after prolonged pressure. The complaint alleges that he later recanted the statement, asserting that it was false and the product of coercion.

The case proceeded to trial in 1992, and Mr. Ellis was convicted of second-degree murder and other charges. He was subsequently sentenced to more than 31 years to life in prison. Mr. Ellis appealed his conviction to the Appellate Division, Second Department, which affirmed the conviction in December 1995.

In October 2019, Mr. Ellis filed a motion to vacate his conviction, challenging it on the basis of newly discovered evidence and allegations that prosecutors failed to disclose material exculpatory evidence.

In the months that followed, the complaint alleges that Mr. Ellis’s legal team collaborated with the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office Conviction Integrity Bureau, which led to the discovery of more than one hundred pages of police files described as exculpatory, including materials referencing additional leads, confessions, sworn statements, and police notes that had not previously been disclosed to the defense.

In 2020, Mr. Ellis filed an amended motion to vacate, adding allegations that law enforcement failed to disclose evidence favorable to the defense. He later appeared before the parole board for the first time, and his release was granted for November 2021. In July of that year, his motion to vacate was granted, and his convictions related to the Healy charges were vacated.

Despite this, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office announced in September 2021 that it would retry Mr. Ellis on the vacated counts and subsequently provided his counsel with yet more previously undisclosed, exculpatory evidence, more than 30 years after the investigation that led to his conviction.

According to the complaint, this material included a 234-page file consisting of police notes, homicide lead sheets, arrest records, and statements by witnesses and suspects, which the complaint characterizes as identifying additional leads and individuals not previously disclosed, as well as further information regarding known leads, suspects, and witnesses.

On January 24, 2025, following a week-and-a-half-long trial, a jury found Mr. Ellis not guilty on all charges. The indictment was dismissed accordingly.

Claims and Relief

The complaint asserts claims under federal and state law, alleging that Mr. Ellis’s constitutional rights were violated through coercive interrogation practices, the fabrication and use of unreliable evidence, improper identification procedures, and the suppression of material exculpatory evidence.

The complaint further alleges that these actions were not isolated but were consistent with longstanding policies, practices, or customs within Nassau County, including alleged failures to train, supervise, and discipline officers, as well as an alleged pattern of misconduct in other cases. The defendants deny any wrongdoing, and the allegations will be tested in court.

Mr. Ellis seeks compensatory and punitive damages for the decades he was incarcerated, as well as for the emotional, psychological, and economic harm he alleges he suffered.

Press:
“Brooklyn man who wrongly served 31 years for murder sues Nassau County for malicious prosecution,” NY Daily News
“Christopher Ellis, who spent 30 years in prison for murder he didn’t commit, files wrongful conviction lawsuit against Nassau,” Newsday
“Man Jailed For 30 Years Says He Was Forced Into Murder Confession, New Lawsuit Says,” Patch
“Nassau County man acquitted of murder after 30 years now suing the county,” Long Island News