OUR NATIONAL RECOGNITION
She has been a guest lecturer for the Syracuse Police Academy for nearly a decade, instructing future and current police officers on topics including Miranda and right to counsel, DeBour, and a two-day course on courtroom demeanor and testimony. In the last year, she has also been a guest speaker at the Fifth Judicial District Judges Conference, Syracuse University College of Law, and the Women in Law program.
She has been featured in the New York Times, the New Yorker, Dateline, and has been filming for three years for an upcoming documentary produced by Alex Gibney for HBO.
Notable Cases
People v. Anthony J. Broadwater — Secured the exoneration of Mr. Broadwater, who wrongfully spent 16½ years in prison and 23 years as a registered sex offender for the sexual assault of author Alice Sebold. Ms. Swartz later negotiated a $5.5 million settlement for Mr. Broadwater against the State of New York. Mr. Broadwater’s federal civil rights lawsuit is still pending.
People v. Kaitlyn Conley — After three years of intensive post-conviction litigation, Ms. Conley’s conviction for manslaughter in the first degree was reversed and dismissed. She is currently released.
People v. Ganesh Ramsaran — By way of a CPL 440.10 motion, obtained a reversal of Mr. Ramsaran’s 2014 conviction for murder in the second degree. Ms. Swartz represented him for his re-trial and negotiated a plea to manslaughter that would allow Mr. Ramsaran to be released after serving an additional seven years in prison.
LeQuint Allen v. Syracuse University — Represented LeQuint Allen, a Syracuse University football player, in an Article 78 proceeding alleging that he was arbitrarily suspended from Syracuse University. Ms. Swartz secured a settlement that allowed Mr. Allen to return to Syracuse without any impact on his academics or his promising football career. Mr. Allen was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Other Representative Cases
People v. Allen — Ms. Swartz obtained a unanimous affirmance as Special Prosecutor for Oswego County after it was discovered that a seated juror was a first cousin of the Oswego County District Attorney.
People v. Cousins — Ms. Swartz obtained a unanimous reversal of Mr. Cousins’s trial conviction for a Class A felony based on a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel.
People v. Cohen — Ms. Swartz successfully argued on appeal that Mr. Cohen should be classified as a Level II offender instead of the Level III risk assessment ordered by County Court.
People v. D.B. — Ms. Swartz secured a full acquittal on two counts of rape in the first degree.
People v. Davis — Ms. Swartz reduced Ms. Davis’s 12-year sentence to six years, which amounted to time served and mandated her immediate release from prison.
People v. Diaz — Mr. Diaz’s conviction on two counts of rape in the third degree was set aside before sentencing after Ms. Swartz proved that he did not receive a fair trial.
People v. Harris — Ms. Swartz reduced Mr. Harris’s sentence of 15 years to life to seven years, which amounted to time served, arguing that he received ineffective assistance at his sentencing hearing.
People v. Lamb — Ms. Swartz obtained a stay of sentence and a subsequent unanimous reversal on appeal.
People v. M.M. — Ms. Swartz had M.M.’s charges for sexual abuse dismissed twice and then convinced the prosecutor’s office not to file charges a third time.
People v. Mayette — After securing a dismissal of several counts of conviction, Ms. Swartz had Mr. Mayette’s sentence reduced from 140 years to life to 20 years to life.
People v. Montgomery — Mr. Montgomery’s conviction for criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree was reversed and the indictment dismissed after Ms. Swartz argued that his rights were violated.
People v. Robles — The Court of Appeals reversed Mr. Robles’s conviction for attempted criminal possession of a weapon after Ms. Swartz successfully argued that a suppression error made by County Court impacted the voluntariness of his guilty plea.
People v. Stewart — Obtained a reversal from the Fourth Department based on a combination of ineffective assistance and prosecutorial misconduct.
People v. Tysco — Trial counsel for Ms. Tysco asked Ms. Swartz to review the trial for any potential issues requiring the verdict to be set aside. Ms. Swartz discovered a rare jury selection issue, resulting in a new trial before sentencing.
Syracuse University v. Alpha Chi Rho — Ms. Swartz exonerated four college students wrongfully accused of a hate act against another student.
United States v. Ryan Berte — Ms. Swartz secured a 60-month sentence for Mr. Berte, who was facing a guideline range of 151 to 188 months.
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