Court agrees to hear Schoharie limo operator’s appeal of manslaughter conviction
FILE - Nauman Hussain, who ran the limousine company involved in the 2018 crash that killed 20 people, walks outside during a lunch break in a new trial in Schoharie, N.Y., on Monday, May 1, 2023. Judge Peter Lynch, rejected a plea agreement for Hussain to avoid prison time. (AP Photo / Hans Pennink)
An appeals court has agreed to hear the case of a man convicted of manslaughter in the 2018 Schoharie limo crash that killed 20 people.
Nauman Hussain was found guilty in May 2023 and sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison for allowing the Ford Excursion stretch limousine to remain on the road – despite knowing that it was in bad condition. The brakes needed to be redone, and the vehicle had not been inspected.
Hussain’s attorney, Steven Sharp, has appealed the conviction on the grounds of insufficient evidence and that the verdict was against the weight of the evidence.
He had asked that the Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department, fast-track the appeal. The court has placed it on the September calendar, according to a one-page decision issued earlier this month.
Sharp had written that hearing the appeal at an earlier time will prevent Hussain from serving more time than he already has, if the court reduces his convictions to criminally negligent homicide.