A man who was released from prison earlier this year after serving 23 years for a murder he insists he did not commit has filed a $150 million notice of claim naming New York City and the detectives assigned to his case as potential defendants. David Ranta filed the notice earlier this month after Brooklyn prosecutors in March joined a defense motion to vacate his 1991 murder conviction for the shooting death of a rabbi; prosecutors said at the time that the evidence against Ranta had "significantly eroded" (NYLJ, March 21). The notice of claim’s allegations include malicious prosecution, abuse of process and negligent hiring, retention, training, discipline and supervision in violation of Ranta’s civil rights.
The city and its police department are named as potential defendants, as are two detectives assigned to the case, Louis Scarcella and Stephen Chmil. The pair arrested Ranta "without justification or provocation, and without probable cause. Indeed they did so knowing that David Ranta did not murder the rabbi," the court papers say.
