The Story of the Woman Who Gave Birth in Brooklyn Arraignment Court Is Worse Than You've Heard

"A woman waiting to be arraigned on low-level charges in Brooklyn just before midnight Friday gave birth in court with her hands cuffed behind her back as the judge, court staff, and attorneys looked on."

"But Jen Kovacs, a public defender with the Legal Aid Society who was in the courtroom of Judge Devin Robinson throughout the birth, described a different and even more disturbing version of events to Hell Gate in a conversation Monday morning. The woman being arraigned was handcuffed behind her back throughout the birth, she said."

"And Sharpe, the woman's attorney, wasn't even in the courtroom through any of the birth, according to Kovacs-she told Hell Gate she found him out in the hallway afterward and alerted him that his client had just given birth. Sharpe's account of the birth as the arrival of a "bouncing baby boy" is materially false, she said, and serves to obscure the violence of the scene."

"Kovacs: Of course. I want to be clear at the outset that I'm not interested in talking about anything that further violates this woman's privacy. I want to talk about the systemic factors that contributed to this, and I want to talk about what I saw to correct the record."

A woman awaiting arraignment on low-level charges in Brooklyn gave birth in court just before midnight with her hands cuffed behind her back. Media reports described the moment as partly joyful and quoted her assigned defense panel attorney, portraying the birth as the arrival of a “bouncing baby boy.” A public defender present throughout the birth described a different account, saying the woman remained handcuffed behind her back during the entire delivery. The public defender said the defense attorney was not in the courtroom during the birth and was only informed afterward in the hallway. She said the attorney’s portrayal is materially false and minimizes the violence involved.

Read at Hell Gate