Three New York residents have filed a federal lawsuit against the City of New York and several law enforcement officers, alleging unlawful arrest, property seizure, and misconduct by city officials.
The lawsuit filed by plaintiffs Allan Thornton, Cardell Alston, and Leslie Lewis names the City, NYPD officers Jeffrey Goris, Edwerd Olive, Ruben Natanov, and several unidentified officers as defendants. The plaintiffs claim their legal troubles began with a lease agreement for commercial spaces within an industrial building at 285 Junius Street in Brooklyn. According to the complaint, Thornton and Alston signed a lease with property owner Ruben Natanov on March 1, 2020. Despite meeting the terms of the lease, they allege that Natanov unlawfully evicted them without notice on September 5, 2024. That eviction coincided with a police raid led by Officer Jeffrey Goris, based on a search warrant the plaintiffs claim was obtained through false information. They further allege that during the raid, they were wrongfully arrested and falsely accused of possessing illegal weapons and gambling equipment.
The complaint also refers to a previous incident in March 2021, when a party hosted by Thornton and Alston was disrupted by a large police presence, resulting in several arrests. Although the charges were dismissed, the plaintiffs later received a settlement in a civil rights lawsuit against the City. They now allege that the 2024 raid was a continuation of coordinated efforts by Natanov and law enforcement to target them unjustly.
A central claim in the lawsuit is that Officer Goris fabricated evidence to justify the arrests in September 2024. The plaintiffs argue that there was no probable cause for their detention, and that the prosecution that followed was ultimately dismissed due to lack of evidence. They assert violations of their constitutional rights under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, including false arrest, malicious prosecution, denial of a fair trial, and unlawful property seizure.
The plaintiffs seek compensatory damages and punitive damages against the officers involved. They also bring claims under the New York City Administrative Code, alleging discriminatory practices by public officials, including racially motivated arrest and prosecution.
The plaintiffs are represented by attorney Michael Lumer of Lumer Law Group. The case was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York under case number MKB-PK03468-25.