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I understand you recently talked to Yvonne McCain, who originally brought the suit against the city in 1983. What impact has this news had on her?
Resolving the litigation that she brought 25 years ago was something that we had talked about. We represent real-life people. McCain against Koch, McCain against Dinkins, McCain against Giuliani, McCain against Bloomberg, was not brought by the Legal Aid Society, it was brought by Yvonne McCain and a number of other families with children who said that their kids and their families should be treated better than they were being treated. She went to the city to get help, and the city at that time said: "We don't provide that kind of help. Why don't you move in with your mother?" The case was brought in her name because, like so many families with children we represented, she came to us and said, "My children and my family are being treated unfairly. We're being harmed. I think there's something wrong with this. Can you help us?" And our role was to help her.
I think it's always been a source of pride for her that she stood up to the city and said the city should do better for homeless children and their families. What she did on behalf of homeless families and children will always be her legacy.
