Dan Ackman

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Dan Ackman is an American civil rights lawyer and journalist. Ackman has represented taxi and for-hire vehicle drivers in claims against the New York City and its Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC). In 2000, Ackman won a case forcing the TLC to open its internal courts to the public. [1] [2] [3] He also sued the TLC about its so-called Operation Refusal in which the agency suspended and sometimes revoked the licenses of cabbies it alleged were refusing service based on the passenger’s destination of race. U.S. District Judge Raymond Dearie held that the suspensions without hearings denied the drivers due process of law [4] and later intimated that the revocations were illegal. [5] That case also alleged that the TLC'c internal courts-- where the agency hired and fired the judges-- were systemically unfair [6] [7] Ultimately, the City and the drivers settled the case with the City agreeing to pay millions of dollars in damages. [8] [9]

Later Ackman sued the City and the TLC on behalf of drivers cars were seized by the TLC based on its claim that the drivers were working for hire without a proper license or that they were working beyond the scope of their licenses. [10] Ackman prevailed when U.S. District Judge Valery Caproni ruled in two related cases that the vehicle seizure violated the Fourth Amendment. In another case, U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein held that portions of the TLC’s policy of revoking the licenses of taxi drivers who had been convicted of minor offenses was unconstitutional, which led to a multi-million dollar settlement for the plaintiff class. Ackman also won a judgment by the NYC Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings reinstating the TLC license of a driver alleged to have evicted a lesbian couple from vehicle, which was followed by a settlement by which the City paid the driver for his lost income from a summary suspension. [11]

Ackman is prosecuting a lawsuit concerning the TLC policy of suspending the licenses of drivers who are arrested (without regard to whether they have been convicted or even formally indicted). A federal appeals court held that the program is unconstitutional. [12] and federal district judge has certified a class in the action. [13] He is also counsel to taxi drivers and investors who purchased taxi medallions at auctions organized and promoted by the City soon after which TLC auctions caused the medallion market to crash. [14]

Ackman was a columnist at Forbes.com and wrote for other publications such as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. He wrote about the Enron scandal and the porn industry. [15] [16] Ackman has written about also written about ping pong, [17] outrigger canoe racing, Ivy League wrestling, [18] the Army Best Ranger competition. [19] He was named a finalist for the Online Journalism Award. [20]

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References

  1. ↑ Kennedy, Randy (2000-03-11). "Lawsuit by a Journalism Student Opens 'Taxi Court' to Outsiders". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  2. ↑ Haberman, Clyde (2000-03-14). "Is Censorship Contagious in New York". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  3. ↑ "A Lawyer Fighting for Cabbies". Jersey City Times. 2021-01-03.
  4. ↑ Kennedy, Randy (2002-05-01). "Cabbies Entitled to Hearings, Judge Rules". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  5. ↑ "Operation Refusal: Giuliani's sorry crackdown on New York City's taxi drivers". Slate. 2007-12-19.
  6. ↑ Chan, Sewell (2005-01-08). "Lawyer Says Taxi Judges Are Unfair to Cabbies". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  7. ↑ "Jack Trask, Yellow Peril: Good Cabbies Are Being Punished by the TLC". New York Press. 2001-02-14. Archived from the original on June 28, 2004.
  8. ↑ Lueck, Thomas J. (2006-03-08). "New York City to Pay Settlement to Taxi Drivers Accused of Bias". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  9. ↑ "NYC to Settle Cab Driver Discrimination Suit". 1010WINS. 2006-03-06.[ dead link ]
  10. ↑ "Taxi and Limousine Commission seizing of cars is unconstitutional, federal judge rules". 2015-01-15. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  11. ↑ "Judge says Uber driver who booted lesbian couple should get license back". NBC News. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  12. ↑ "NYC Owes Cabbies a Fair Hearing on License Suspensions". Courthouse News Service. 2019-07-19.
  13. ↑ "Attorney Seeks Drivers Unfairly Affected by TLC'S Suspension on Arrest Program". 2021-12-29.
  14. ↑ "Taxi medallion owners win class-action status". Crains New York Business. 2019-11-18.
  15. ↑ "The Perils of Covering Porn". Online Journalism Review. 2002-04-03. Retrieved 2013-12-22.
  16. ↑ Ackman, Dan (2002-01-15). "Enron The Incredible". Forbes.com. Retrieved 2013-12-22.
  17. ↑ Ackman, Dan (July 7, 2009). "Ping Pong on the Vegas Strip". The Wall Street Journal . New York: Dow Jones. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved July 23, 2014.
  18. ↑ Ackman, Dan (March 12, 2009). "Ivy-League Cornell Takes On College Wrestling's Giants". The Wall Street Journal. New York: Dow Jones. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved July 23, 2014.
  19. ↑ Ackman, Dan (May 2, 2006). "The Winners Wore Camouflage". The Wall Street Journal. New York: Dow Jones. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved July 23, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Online Journalism Award Winners Announced". Writenews.com. 2001-11-02. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
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