Kramer Levin Successfully Secures Bail for Pro Bono Client Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Amidst the first reports of COVID-19 within federal prisons, Kramer Levin successfully secured bail for pro bono client Pedro Hernandez, who was held in detention at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, pending trial before The Honorable Victor Marrero in the Southern District of New York. The case was profiled in a March 30, 2020 article in the New York Daily News. Kramer Levin attorneys argued that Mr. Hernandez, who is 64 years old and suffers from asthma and high blood pressure, was at especially high risk for contracting COVID-19 in a prison environment, where inmates reside in close quarters and sanitary precautions are minimal. Indeed, shortly before our application, two inmates held in Mr. Hernandez’s unit had tested positive for COVID-19. After we filed our motion, the U.S. Attorney’s Office agreed to Mr. Hernandez’s release on bond, and Judge Marrero ordered his release. The Kramer Levin team representing Mr. Hernandez includes Litigation partner Darren LaVerne, associates John M. McNulty and Hanna B. Seifert, and paralegal Angela Chan.

Read the brief here.