STATEMENT BY MAYOR ELICKER ON SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT IN THE LAWSUIT ADAM CARMON V. CITY OF NEW HAVEN, ET AL.

[NEW HAVEN, CT] - On Friday, October 16th, 2026 the City of New Haven reached a settlement agreement with the plaintiff in the federal civil rights lawsuit, Adam Carmon v. City of New Haven, et al. All parties agreed to a settlement of $16.5 million from the City of New Haven.

The lawsuit involves alleged actions by the City of New Haven and other defendants regarding the conviction and incarceration of Mr. Carmon stemming from a shooting in 1994 that resulted in the death of an infant and left the infant's grandmother paralyzed. The criminal charges were overturned by the Connecticut State Superior Court in 2022, and Mr. Carmon was released after serving almost 29 years in prison. He was subsequently awarded compensation of $7.9 million by the State of Connecticut for a wrongful conviction.

Following the settlement agreement, Mayor Justin Elicker released the following statement:

"When there is a miscarriage of justice, we have an obligation to do what we can to make things right.

Mr. Carmon spent nearly 29 years accused and imprisoned for allegedly committing a heinous crime - a conviction that was later overturned. I was not mayor at the time when this incident occurred over thirty years ago, but I am the mayor today - and, today, we aim to make things right.

As mayor, I am deeply sorry for the injustice that Mr. Carmon has experienced and endured. While no amount of money can give Mr. Carmon back the nearly three decades of his life spent in prison, I hope this settlement will provide Mr. Carmon with some sense of justice and peace moving forward. I wish him and his family well.

I am also mindful of the young child we lost, the grandmother who was paralyzed and the family who endured such tragic loss and lasting trauma. We continue to grieve with them as well.

Importantly, some of the factors that led to this miscarriage of justice include now-outdated scientific and identification techniques that are no longer part of policing in New Haven. Today, our police officers and detectives utilize modernized practices and state-of-the-art technology designed to help ensure their ability to solve crimes, provide due process and deliver justice for our residents.

As a city, we will continue to responsibly reckon with the past, while also recommitting ourselves to a more just and safer society today and moving forward."

Approval for the City to bond for the proposed settlement amount will be submitted by the Elicker Administration to the New Haven Board of Alders for their review at their next meeting in November. Pending the Board of Alders' approval, the City will bond for the full settlement amount. The mayoral administration at the time this incident took place in 1994 did not have insurance for wrongful incarceration settlements and therefore the City is required to cover the entire cost of the settlement.

The settlement conferences were facilitated by U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti and the settlement agreement will resolve all claims against the City of New Haven on this matter. Attorney Morgan Paul Rueckert of Shipman & Goodwin LLP served as the City's lead outside counsel.

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Press Contact:

Lenny Speiller | (203) 725-4249 ; [email protected]