Milbank LLP received a favorable appeal decision on December 2, 2021, for a pro bono client convicted in 2019 for criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree. New York’s First Department of the Appellate Division, ruling that the trial court erred in dismissing two jurors who had a conversation about the case, granted a new trial and reversed the conviction. The case was referred to Milbank by the Center for Appellate Litigation.
Milbank filed the appeal in July 2021 based on questions related to the weight of the evidence, the trial court’s dismissal of two jurors, and the prosecutor’s misconduct in summation. Following the prosecution’s response, the Milbank team filed a reply brief in October focusing on the erroneous juror discharge.
Sandhya Ramaswamy, a second-year Global Capital Markets associate, argued the case in court. She was supported in preparing her oral and written arguments by Litigation & Arbitration partner Aaron Renenger and associates John Estep and Julia Duke.
Milbank regularly assists the Center for Appellate Litigation, the Office of the Appellate Defender and other organizations with pro bono criminal appeals.
