Ex-prosecutor sues over arrest while protesting law firm Skadden's deal with Trump

(Updates headline, adds response from Brookfield and police in paragraph 5; more details about plaintiff in paragraph 7) By Mike Scarcella WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - A retired prosecutor has sued New York City and Brookfield Properties in federal court, alleging he was wrongfully arrested while protesting in a public space against law firm Skadden Arps over its deal with President Donald Trump to provide free legal work. David O’Keefe said in , filed on Thursday, that he was arrested while staging a solo protest in April in aprivately-owned but public space outside Skadden’s Manhattan office. He opposed Skadden’s to provide $100 million in pro bono services for Trump-backed initiatives, calling it a threat to the rule of law. The lawsuit said O’Keefe refused to leave and then was handcuffed, detained for 90 minutes, and charged with trespass. The case was later dismissed. His lawsuit seeks damages and a ruling that U.S. constitutional free speech rights apply in New York’s privately owned public spaces, which private developers create in exchange for zoning benefits. “O’Keefe’s lawsuit seeks to make clear that the public enjoys the same First Amendment rights in POPS as in any other public space,” his lawyers said in a statement. Brookfield and the New York City police department declined to comment. Skadden Arps,a prominent firm known for deals and litigation, is not a defendant. The firm did not immediately respond to a request for comment. O’Keefe was formerly a prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorney’s office. During his tenure, he led the crime strategies unit from 2010 to 2014 and was a deputy trial division chief before retiring in 2020. The lawsuit included a photo of O’Keefe at the April protest holding a sign that called Skadden “Trump’s $100 million lap dog.” Skadden was among nine major law firmsthat made similar pro bono pledges to Trump after the presidentbegan using executive orders to over their past legal work, diversity policies and political connections. Skadden and the others have defended the propriety of their White House agreements. The case is David O’Keefe v. The City of New York et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 1:25-cv-10532. For plaintiff: Michael Linhorst and Daniela del Rosario Wertheimer of Cornell Law School First Amendment Clinic, and Gideon Oliver of Gideon Law For defendants: No appearances yet Read more: How Trump’s crackdown on law firms is undermining legal defenses for the vulnerable Law firm Simpson Thacher working with US Commerce Department Democratic lawmakers probe top law firms over Trump administration work Some law firms that cut deals with Trump take cases opposing his administration How Trump’s own words helped him lose a fight with law firm Perkins Coie