New York Reaches $24 Million Settlement With Family of Robert Brooks in Prison Death Case
New York state has agreed to pay $24 million to the family of Robert Brooks, the Rochester-area man who died after a brutal beating by correction officers at Marcy Correctional Facility in December 2024, bringing the civil litigation surrounding his death to a close while his family vows to continue pushing for changes in the state prison system.
The settlement, announced Sept. 18, resolves two lawsuits filed on behalf of Brooks' estate — a federal civil rights action in the Northern District of New York and a case in the New York State Court of Claims. Attorneys for the family have described the agreement as the largest settlement involving the death of an incarcerated person in New York state and potentially one of the largest of its kind nationally.
Brooks, 43, died Dec. 10, 2024, hours after he was beaten by correction officers while handcuffed at Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County. He had been transferred to Marcy from nearby Mohawk Correctional Facility the previous day.
Body-camera footage released by the New York Attorney General's Office showed Brooks restrained with his hands behind his back as officers punched and kicked him inside a medical examination room. He was later transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The Onondaga County Medical Examiner's Office determined that Brooks died from compression of the neck and other injuries and ruled his death a homicide.
The disturbing video of Brooks' final hours drew national attention and renewed scrutiny of conditions inside New York's prison system, particularly the treatment of incarcerated people and the mechanisms used to hold correction officers accountable.
Brooks' son, Robert Brooks Jr., and brother, Jared Ricks, spoke publicly about the settlement Monday in Rochester, describing the agreement as an important measure of accountability but not the conclusion of their efforts.
"The reality is that the fight is not over. This is just the beginning," Ricks said. He said the family intends to continue conversations with policymakers in Albany and Washington in hopes of preventing other families from experiencing a similar tragedy.
Brooks Jr. said achieving justice and preserving his father's name had been central to his efforts since the killing.
He also indicated that some of the settlement proceeds will be used to establish a foundation and support organizations and legislative efforts aimed at making prisons safer.
The family has emphasized that its advocacy is not directed against every correction officer. Brooks Jr. has said he recognizes that there are officers who perform their jobs appropriately, while maintaining that significant problems within the system need to be addressed.
The civil settlement follows extensive criminal proceedings stemming from Brooks' death.
Ten correction officers were charged in February 2025 in connection with the fatal encounter. Five officers ultimately pleaded guilty to manslaughter, while others entered guilty pleas to lesser offenses. Two officers were acquitted. Former correction officer David Kingsley was convicted of second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter and was later sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
The family's federal lawsuit alleged that the officers' treatment of Brooks violated his constitutional protections under the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment.
The litigation also raised broader allegations about supervision and accountability within the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Court records show that the estate sought to hold numerous defendants responsible for alleged constitutional violations surrounding Brooks' treatment and death.
Gov. Kathy Hochul acknowledged the state's responsibility to protect people in its custody while announcing the settlement.
"No family should ever have to endure what the family of Robert Brooks has been through," Hochul said, describing Brooks' killing by people charged with protecting him as senseless.
"Robert Brooks should be alive today," the governor added, pledging continued efforts to reform the state's correctional facilities and improve safety.
The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision similarly described Brooks' death as a "dark and painful chapter" in the agency's history and said those responsible had been criminally prosecuted. The department said it remains committed to learning from the case and taking steps to prevent similar incidents.
Broader Implications
The size of the $24 million agreement underscores the extraordinary nature of the Brooks case.
For comparison, New York previously paid $5 million to settle litigation over the death of Karl Taylor, who died following an encounter with correction officers at Sullivan Correctional Facility in 2015. That agreement had been regarded by prison reform advocates as one of the state's largest settlements involving an incarcerated person's death.
Elizabeth Mazur, one of the attorneys representing the Brooks estate, said the amount reflects both the severity of Brooks' suffering and the value of his life. She also said incarcerated people are too often viewed as less deserving of dignity or protection.
For Brooks' family, however, the case has increasingly become about more than financial compensation.
Brooks Jr. said he plans to continue working with advocacy organizations and lawmakers on prison reform and intends to use the family's experience to draw attention to the treatment of people behind prison walls.
The settlement closes the civil cases arising directly from Brooks' death, but his family says it does not close the larger debate his killing helped ignite over violence, oversight and accountability inside New York's correctional system.
Nearly two years after Brooks entered the Marcy infirmary in handcuffs and never emerged alive, his family says its focus now is ensuring that his death produces changes that extend beyond the courtroom.
"This case opened people's eyes," Ricks said. "Help's on the way."
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