Attorney Resumes

CARL S. SANDEL, specializes in defending municipal entities in the federal courts. His unique background and experience make him an asset to his clients as both a litigator and counselor.

Mr. Sandel started his career as a police officer on patrol in the New York City Police Department and quickly rose through the ranks. While he was rising through the ranks in the NYPD, Mr. Sandel attended St. John's University School of Law and graduated within the top 5 percent of his class. As a captain, Mr. Sandel spent five years developing city-wide police policy in the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Policy and Planning of the New York City Police Department. He then became the highest ranking uniformed member of the NYPD Legal Bureau. Mr. Sandel worked closely with the Giuliani administration in implementing innovative police procedures and strategies. He worked with the New York City Law Department in defending the NYPD in major federal litigation.

After retiring from the NYPD, Mr. Sandel worked as Senior Counsel in the Nassau County Attorney's Office. There, he handled some of the most high profile cases. These cases included federal § 1983 claims of excessive force, false arrest, and malicious prosecution made against the County and individual police officers; as well as federal employment law claims under Title VII, the Equal Pay Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the First Amendment, and whistle blower statutes.

At Morris Duffy Alonso and Faley, Mr. Sandel continues his successful federal litigation by defending municipalities and individual police officers throughout New York State in civil rights and employment discrimination cases brought in federal and state court. Mr. Sandel is the deputy managing attorney of the municipal law section of the firm.

Mr. Sandel was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1995. He is also admitted in the United States District Courts of the Eastern, Southern, and Northern Districts of New York as well as the United States Supreme Court. He received his B.F.A. from the School of Visual Arts and graduated cum laude from St. John's University School of Law (J.D. 1994).

Some of Mr. Sandel's notable cases are:

Tretter v. Town of New Hartford: Plaintiff, who received a broken arm while the police removed her from her vehicle to arrest her for Driving While Intoxicated, sued the police for excessive force. Mr. Sandel represented the defendant officers in a trial in the Northern District and obtained a defense verdict.

Wall v. Niskayuna: Mr. Sandel obtained a defense verdict in a case brought in the Northern District by a police sergeant who claimed that she was not promoted to lieutenant because of her gender.

Angel v. County of Nassau: In a Title VII case in the Eastern District involving allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation, Mr. Sandel obtained a defense verdict even though the county agency for which plaintiff worked found her supervisor to be "guilty of sexual harassment."

Pemberton v. County of Nassau: In a trial, Mr. Sandel successfully defended a challenge to the Nassau County Police Department's pistol license fees in state court. Thus, he protected over $1.5 million in County revenue.

Ellerby v. Port Washington Police District: Mr. Sandel obtained summary judgment in a case where a police captain accused the police department of wrongful termination under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act ("ADEA").

Nizambad v. Village of Williston Park: Mr. Sandel obtained summary judgment in a case where plaintiff alleged that the actions of a village building inspector caused the destruction of his house.

Concerned Citizens v. Town of New Hartford: Plaintiff brought an action alleging that overtime payments to an employee, Mr. Sandel's client, were really a bribe. Mr. Sandel obtained a dismissal of the case through summary judgment and also obtained a monetary settlement in favor of his client in a counter-suit for defamation.

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