On December 18, 2025, ECBAWM secured a $2.5 million federal jury trial verdict on behalf of Brigid Pierce, a peaceful protester who suffered permanent brain damage after NYPD officers violently threw her to the ground during a June 2020 George Floyd protest in Brooklyn.

Pierce, then 37, was an accomplished marketing professional before the incident. The assault at the Barclays Center protest left her with lasting cognitive and neurological impairments, including vision problems, chronic migraines, numbness, and a likely risk of early-onset dementia.

After a two‑week trial, the jury found the City of New York liable for assault and battery, concluding that one or more unidentified NYPD officers forcefully pressed Pierce’s head into the pavement. The jury further found that Officer Joseph Ryder failed to obtain medical care for her after the assault.

During the trial, ECBAWM partner Ilann Maazel emphasized the profound impact on Pierce’s life, telling jurors that the active, creative person she was before the attack “is gone” due to the extent of her injuries.

“The jury’s verdict makes clear that the City will be held accountable when the police respond to peaceful protest with violence,” said ECBAWM associate Max Selver.

In an interview with the New York Daily News, Brigid said “I’m very, very relieved to have a victory. It’s not something that’s normal to be able to take on the NYPD in the city of New York and it feels a little bit of a kind of David vs. Goliath situation… I’ve been dealing with this brain injury and the fallout in my life for 5 1/2 years now so this verdict is a really, really long time in coming.”

ECBAWM Attorneys Ilann Maazel and Max Selver, and ECBAWM paralegal, Jennifer de la Cruz represent Brigid Pierce.