Exonerated by jury in 1994 Carmel killing
Andrew Krivak is seeking $150 million from Putnam County and $50 million from New York State for the 23 years he spent in prison before being exonerated in the 1994 killing of 12-year-old Josette Wright from Carmel.
In a claim filed March 30, Krivak seeks $100 million in compensation and $50 million in punitive damages against Putnam and the county’s District Attorney’s Office and Sheriff’s Department. Other defendants include District Attorney Robert Tendy and sheriff’s investigators.
A separate claim filed on April 3 asks for a $50 million payout under New York’s Unjust Conviction and Imprisonment Act.
A state judge overturned Krivak’s 1997 conviction in 2019. Tendy opted for a retrial based in part on a signed confession. Krivak’s attorneys argued it had been coerced, and a jury acquitted him on Feb. 24.
Krivak’s co-defendant, Anthony DiPippo, was twice convicted and granted new trials before being acquitted in 2016. He received $2.9 million from the state and settled a federal civil-rights lawsuit against Putnam County for $12 million.
“Even if we got every dollar that was listed in the two claims it would not sufficiently compensate Mr. Krivak or anybody for 23 years of wrongful incarceration for a heinous crime that you didn’t commit,” said Oscar Michelen, his attorney.
