Newton v. City of New York

OPINION AND ORDER

SHIRA A. SCHEINDLIN, District Judge:

I. INTRODUCTION

Alan Newton was released from prison on July 6, 2006, after serving more than twenty-two years for a rape and assault that DNA testing ultimately proved he did not commit. In 1988, Newton sought and was granted permission to test the rape kit containing the exonerating DNA evidence. This never happened. Instead, Patricia Ryan, a laboratory scientist employed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York (“OCME”) — rather than an independent laboratory — conducted the required forensic analysis. Ryan did…