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Simpson attorneys join Haitian immigrant's legal fight
August 30, 1997
Web posted at: 11:42 a.m. EDT (1542 GMT)
NEW YORK (CNN) -- A host of former defense attorneys for O.J. Simpson have joined the legal team representing a Haitian immigrant whose allegations of police brutality in New York have prompted outrage against the city's police.
Johnnie Cochran, Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld will aid Abner Louima, who has filed a $55 million civil suit against the city. His attorneys have said they intend to increase that amount to $465 million.
Scheck, a DNA expert, and Neufeld gained fame in Simpson's criminal trial by critiquing DNA exhibits and attacking the police department's handling of critical evidence.
Simpson was acquitted in 1995 of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman.
Neufeld told CNN on Friday that he and the other lawyers would work with attorneys Louima had already hired in seeking justice. He added that Louima's family sought Cochran because of his expertise in handling police brutality cases.
Although Neufeld acknowledged the group's O.J.-related celebrity, he insisted the "personalities are of no great moment" in the Louima case.
"Let the issues speak for themselves," he said.
Louima, 30, has accused Brooklyn police officers of jamming a toilet plunger into his rectum and mouth on August 9, after he was arrested on disorderly conduct charges. The charges against him were later dropped. Louima, who suffered a ruptured bladder and colon, remains hospitalized.
Prosecutors have charged four officers in the alleged attack.
Neufeld, who along with Scheck has dealt with numerous civil rights and police brutality cases, refused to comment on how, or if, DNA might figure in the Louima case, saying it was too early to discuss any specifics.
Special Section:
Related stories:
- Demonstrators in New York protest police brutality - August 29, 1997
- Many question the value of NYC 'police panel' - August 28, 1997
- Doctors downplay comments by Louima's lawyers - August 28, 1997
- Police brutality case has New York's mayor on the defensive - August 26, 1997
Related sites:
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- The October 22nd Coalition to Stop Police Brutality, Repression, and the Criminalization of a Generation
- The Police Complaint Center
- Amnesty International On-Line
- New York City Police Department
- NYC LINK: Official Site of New York City
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