EAST ELMHURST, NY – The struggle for justice and equitable treatment of LGBTQIA+ individuals often finds its way into the courts, shedding light on the ongoing fight for transgender rights in public spaces. Ali Miles, who was born biologically male but identifies as a female and is transitioning into a woman, stands as a recent example. Miles, a self-identified transgender Muslim woman, fights for her rights after facing alleged discrimination and physical inappropriate treatment in a correctional facility.
Miles has filed a lawsuit against the New York City government, seeking over $22,000,000 in compensation for having allegedly been discriminated against due to her gender identity. She was held in the George R. Vierno Center in Rikers Island from June to July 2022, before being transferred to Yavapai County Jail in Arizona after a conviction on aggravated harassment, disorderly conduct, harassment, threatening or intimidating, and false reporting to a law enforcement agency.
According to the lawsuit filed in August 2023, Miles has stated that she was wrongfully placed in a male detention center, notwithstanding a court order and her plea for placement in a facility according to her identified gender. Her attorney claims this inherently violates her rights as a transgender woman under the protection of non-discrimination laws.
Despite wearing women’s clothing consistently and clearly communicating her female gender identity, she alleges she confronted immense discrimination, physical assault, and gross human rights violations within the facility. Such alleged abuses underscore the ongoing misinterpretation and diminution of transgender rights across various societal institutions, including the correctional system.
Miles’s lawsuit further asserts that the alleged mistreatment she faced, from both personnel and other inmates, inflicted considerable distress and trauma upon her. These conditions highlight alleged gross negligence and a lack of appropriate accommodation for transgender individuals within the prison system.
The allegations note inappropriate and degrading comments by a male guard during a strip search and routine sexual victimization due to the misplacement in a male facility. Underpinning these allegations is an apparent systematic disregard for Miles’s lived gender identity and her safety.
The defendants of Miles’s lawsuit include the City of New York, the Department of Corrections Rikers Island, and the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation. The case, much like earlier ones filed, seeks to challenge presumed discriminatory practices based on gender identity. The City of New York must now respond to the allegations and determine the course of action in response, under due process.
This lawsuit marks not Miles’s first engagement with the legal system to assert her rights against alleged gender-discrimination. In the past, entities including a yoga studio, a tourism company, Planet Fitness, Bagel Point, and New York Presbyterian Hospital, faced legal action from Miles on comparable grounds. While earlier cases were dismissed, the ongoing lawsuit against the City of New York continues to unfold.
At the heart of this controversy lies the question of how societal and institutional structures, from a local yoga studio to the naturalized practices within a detention center, are fully acknowledging and accommodating transgender identities. Moreover, the case presents a snapshot of the larger struggle against systemic discrimination and inequality faced by many transgender individuals.
In the greater societal perspective, New York, like many cities globally, grapples with providing equal and fair access to public accommodations, given an ever-evolving understanding of gender identity. Since 2016, a law has mandated businesses to allow visitors bathroom options aligned with their gender identity or provide neutral bathrooms for all genders. Efforts to accommodate this have seen instances of friction and potential litigation, much like the current case involving Miles.
10/21/2025 Update: Settlement and Case Dismissal
Court filings in the federal case Miles v. City of New York (Southern District of New York, Case No. 1:23-cv-07538) show that the matter has now been resolved. According to the docket, a Stipulation and Order of Dismissal was entered following a notice that the parties had reached a settlement agreement. Earlier filings indicated the parties were in the process of “consummating” that settlement, and the case has since been formally closed.
While New York City has agreed to settle the case, the terms of the agreement have not been publicly disclosed. A figure of $350,000 has circulated online in secondary reports, but that amount has not been verified through official court documents or mainstream legal sources. The City of New York has not issued a statement confirming or denying that total, and no public filing lists the settlement terms.
Timeline of Settlement Proceedings — Miles v. City of New York
(U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York — Case No. 1:23-cv-07538)
| Date | Court Activity / Filing | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 24 2023 | Complaint filed | Dylan Miles (also known as Ali Miles) files a federal civil-rights lawsuit against the City of New York, the Department of Correction, and individual officers, alleging discrimination, assault, and failure to protect while detained on Rikers Island. |
| Oct–Dec 2023 | Defendants respond | The City files answers and motions; discovery and initial disclosures begin. Both sides later agree to explore early resolution. |
| Mar 2024 | Initial settlement discussions | Docket entries reflect correspondence and extensions suggesting the parties are in active talks. The court begins setting deadlines for potential settlement or trial preparation. |
| May 15 2024 | Order granting extension to consummate settlement | Judge Colleen McMahon notes the parties have reached an agreement in principle but have not yet consummated the settlement, granting more time to finalize terms. |
| Jun 22 2024 (approx.) | Notice of Settlement filed | A formal “Notice of Settlement” entry appears in the docket, confirming the parties have reached a deal and plan to submit dismissal paperwork. |
| July 2024 | Proposed Stipulation and Order filed | Counsel submits a Proposed Stipulation and Order of Dismissal, standard in federal cases once settlements are finalized. |
| Late July 2024 | Case dismissed | The judge signs the Stipulation and Order of Dismissal, closing the case in SDNY. No public filing discloses the financial terms. |
| Public reporting | Settlement amount circulates | A $350,000 figure appears in online reports, but this number is unverified in court records. No official statement or city filing confirms the amount. |
