WHITE PLAINS, NY (January 29, 2026) — The wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Jarrel Raymond Garris against the City of New Rochelle and Detective Steven Conn remains unresolved, with settlement enforcement contested and proceedings continued until at least March 6, 2026.
The case, Garris, Jarrel et al vs. New Rochelle City et al, Index Number 71208/2024, is a tort-other negligence action in Westchester Supreme Court. Sokoloff Stern LLP represents the City of New Rochelle and Det. Steven Conn.
The suit stems from the July 3, 2023, shooting of Garris, 37, by Conn during an encounter over alleged petty larceny at a grocery store. Garris died July 10, 2023. Investigations by the New York Attorney General’s Office in September 2024 and the New Rochelle Police Department in January 2025 concluded Conn’s use of deadly force was justified, citing body camera footage showing Garris reaching for an officer’s gun during a struggle.
Filed in October 2024 as Estate of Jarrel Garris, Raymond Fowler, and Janet Garris v. City of New Rochelle and Det. Steven Conn, the suit alleges excessive force and negligence.
A mediation ending March 27, 2025, produced a Post-Mediation Agreement for a $300,000 global settlement: $200,000 to Garris’s minor son (the estate’s sole heir) and $50,000 each to parents Raymond Fowler and Janet Garris for individual loss-of-support claims, inclusive of costs, disbursements, liens, claims, and attorney fees.
Disputes over alleged variations — including a referenced $50,000 direct attorney fee to William O. Wagstaff III’s firm — led to recantations by defendant attorney Steven C. Stern, who confirmed in an October 28, 2025, affirmation that the total was $300,000 inclusive of fees.
On October 28, 2025, Justice Lewis J. Lubell orally enforced the settlement and approved the allocation but directed submission of a written order. No final signed order has been issued as of January 7, 2026, with funds held in escrow.
Fowler, pro se since terminating Wagstaff on October 14, 2025, filed a motion (NYSCEF Doc. No. 62) on December 18, 2025, opposing enforcement. He alleges dual representation without informed consent or waivers, lack of authority to bind the estate post-termination, unauthorized post-termination actions, improper fee structure including a $50,000 direct payment plus contingency, failure to disclose arrangements, improper notarization, and reliance on unsigned documents.
In a recorded July 2025 conversation, Wagstaff allegedly admitted dual representation, said he “should have been loyal” to Fowler, and apologized.
Wagstaff, in an October 27, 2025, supplemental affirmation, accused Fowler of false statements to derail the settlement, affirmed Fowler’s awareness and consent during mediation, called the agreement final and binding, and raised concerns over Fowler’s claimed $12,000 funeral expenses versus actual $4,955 costs (with crowdfunding and Wagstaff’s personal contribution), suggesting potential fraud and Fowler’s removal as administrator under SCPA §§ 711 and 719.
On December 23, 2025, the judge stayed proceedings 30 days to allow new counsel, rejected unpaid fee filings, and mandated a January 29, 2026, 9:30 a.m. in-person appearance with no adjournments permitted. Fowler had said he would hire an attorney by that date, with incoming counsel required to file a notice of appearance.
Court records show The Wagstaff Firm, P.C., and William Otis Wagstaff III inactive; Raymond Fowler unrepresented and active.
The January 29, 2026, status conference was continued. A future appearance is scheduled for March 6, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. before Justice Lubell, on for a status conference and a motion-order to show cause (returnable), Motion Seq: 1.
Motion Number 2 (enforcement), filed October 8, 2025, was decided October 28, 2025, by Justice Lubell. Motion Number 1 (compromise), filed September 12, 2025, has no decision noted.
The RJI was filed August 19, 2025. NOI due September 18, 2026.
This article was drafted with the aid of Grok, an AI tool by xAI, under the direction and editing of Robert Cox to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.