The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed all claims brought by plaintiff Antonio Madera against U.S. Park Police officer Metehan Egilmez, whom Madsen Law P.A. represented in Madera v. United States, et al., No. 24-cv-2903 (PKC). Madera had alleged that Officer Egilmez, along with other Park Police officers and NYPD personnel, used excessive force, falsely arrested him, denied him medical treatment, and conspired to violate his constitutional rights during a January 2020 incident in Lower Manhattan. He brought claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983; Bivens v. Six Unknown Fed. Narcotics Agents; and the New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL).
On April 5, 2025, U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel ruled that Officer Egilmez could not be sued under Section 1983 because he had acted in his capacity as a federal agent, and not a state actor, when effectuating Madera’s arrest. Judge Castel also held that Madera’s claims did not fall within the narrow scope of Bivens remedies, and that the Park Police’s internal complaint process constituted an adequate alternative remedy. Lastly, the court dismissed the NYCHRL claim, reasoning that law enforcement activities like arrest and detention do not constitute denial of a public accommodation under that statute. Please click here to read the court’s decision.