Named in 12 known lawsuits, $342,000 total settlements.
Armstrong, Joshua vs City of New York, et al.
Case # 158455/2016,
Supreme Court - New York, November 16, 2016, ended April 10, 2020
$40,000 Settlement
Complaint
Description: On December 13, 2014, at approximately 5:00 PM, Plaintiff Joshua Armstrong, a Black man, was inside Prince Deli & Grocery on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan when members of the NYPD including Defendants Detective Sid Caesar, Detective Gregory Carty, Detective Manuel Cordova, Detective Jeff Harris, Sergeant Robert Kelly, and Detective Angus Mackenzie. Defendant Detective Caesar, without just cause or provocation, struck Plaintiff causing Plaintiff to sustain serious physical injuries. Each of the Defendants failed to intervene to stop the offense. The Defendants thereafter handcuffed Plaintiff and placed him under arrest for criminal sale of a controlled substance and initiated criminal proceedings against him, despit...
White, Anthony, et al. vs City of New York, et al.
Case # 16CV06925,
U.S. District Court - Southern District NY, October 26, 2016, ended October 25, 2019
$36,000 Settlement
Complaint
Description: On June 4, 2015, plaintiffs were seated in a parked motor vehicle when defendant officers ordered plaintiffs out of the vehicle, arrested and tightly handcuffed them despite lacking probable cause. Plaintiffs were unlawfully searched and strip-searched. Criminal proceedings were commenced against plaintiffs based on false evidence created and manufactured by defendant officers. All charges were ultimately dimissed.
Loving, Tyrone vs City of New York, et al.
Case # 151280/2016,
Supreme Court - New York, March 31, 2016, ended June 5, 2020
$75,000 Settlement
Complaint
Description: On June 10, 2014, without just cause or provocation, an unknown Defendant NYPD officer approached Plaintiff and immediately grabbed them. The Defendant handcuffed Plaintiff and placed Plaintiff under arrest without just cause or provocation. Plaintiff was transported to the precinct, where they were strip-searched and confined to a cell. Plaintiff was intentionally and falsely accused of committing the crime of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. All charges against Plaintiff were eventually dismissed.
Albarano, John vs City of New York, et al.
Case # 15CV08433,
U.S. District Court - Southern District NY, December 28, 2015, ended July 22, 2016
$1,000 Settlement
Complaint
Description: Mr. Albarano was the passenger on the vehicle he was traveling with his wife. Detectives approached the vehicle without identifying themselves and told plaintiff to step out of the vehicle. He did as was told. He then told the detectives that he was a retired police officer and that he was armed and where it was located, to which one of the detectives responded "I have a white guy with a gun in the street, how will it look if I let him go" and handcuffed and arrested the plaintiff. He was later released with a DAT
Benks, Brandon vs Harris, Jeff, et al.
Case # 14CV03201,
U.S. District Court - Southern District NY, September 4, 2015, ended January 22, 2016
$1,000 Settlement
Amended Complaint,
Complaint
Description: On March 5, 2014, Brandon Benks on 111th streeth when he was physically assaulted by P.O.s Roberto Cordero, Angus MacKenzie, Uke Evaristus, Jorge Tobon, Mark McDonald, Jeff Harris, Manuel Cordovoa, and Gregory Carty causing two teeth to break and his right rotator cuff to be torn. P.O.s broke Benks phone card and tablet and took money from him. P.O.s strip searched him on the street and in public.
Thompson, David vs City of New York, et al.
Case # 15CV03574,
U.S. District Court - Southern District NY, May 7, 2015, ended December 20, 2016
$35,000 Settlement
Complaint
Description: Defendant Officers approached plaintiff on the street, searched him, and accused him of selling a controlled substance. Plaintiff was arrested and held in custody for 8 months where he was denied his necessary medications until all charges against him were dismissed.
Ortiz, Simon vs City of New York, et al.
Case # 15CV02915,
U.S. District Court - Southern District NY, April 15, 2015, ended November 3, 2015
$12,000 Settlement
Complaint
Description: On July 11, 2014, Plaintiff Simon Ortiz was present in his local Harlem bodega. Defendant police officer Jeff Harris approached Plaintiff and asked "Do you know who I am?" Plaintiff did not know who Harris was, and so ignored him. Defendant Harris began shouting "Do you know who I am?" at Plaintiff. Harris then stuck his hands inside Plaintiff's pocket, planted an illicit substance in the pocket, pulled the substance out, and stated "look what I got here." Plaintiff was then violently removed from the bodega, thrown against the building, and very tightly handcuffed. Plaintiff was taken to a local precinct, strip-searched, held for 24 hours, and charged with possession of heroin. After numerous court appe...
Siler, Omar vs City of New York, et al.
Case # 15CV00189,
U.S. District Court - Southern District NY, January 13, 2015, ended June 29, 2015
$17,000 Settlement
Complaint
Description: On May 31, 2014, the Plaintiff, Mr. Omar Siler, was sitting outside his friend's apartment building, waiting to be buzzed into the building. A man leaving the building held the door open for Mr. Siler, and as Mr. Siler approached the door, a Defendant undercover NYPD officer in plain clothes, who did not identify himself, chased Mr. Siler into the building, up to the roof, and down the fire escape to the building's backyard. Once Mr. Siler reached the backyard, a group of individual defendant officers standing behind a gate shouted at him to get on the ground, while one pointed his gun at him. Mr. Siler lay on the ground. For a few minutes, the defendants tried to figure out how to get around the gate and into ...
Smith, Melvin vs City of New York, et al.
Case # 155550/2014,
Supreme Court - New York, September 10, 2014, ended July 2, 2018
$40,000 Settlement
Complaint
Description: On March 8, 2013, defendant detectives Jose Sandobal, Tyrone Viruct, Jeff Harris, sergeant Joseph Serrano, and additional defendant police officers assaulted the Plaintiff while he was lawfully walking in the vicinity of 71 West 112th Street, New York, NY. The defendants grabbed Plaintiff and threw him onto the ground without provocation of legal justification. While the Plaintiff was on the ground the defendants continuously kicked, punched, and stomped Plaintiff's body, causing serious physical injuries including a fractured hand. The plaintiff did not resists and the defendants did not recover any weapons from the plaintiff. Plaintiff requested medical treatment but the defendants denied medical attention. D...
Epps, Allen vs City of New York, et al.
Case # 158195/2014,
Supreme Court - New York, August 21, 2014, ended October 9, 2014
$25,000 Settlement
Complaint
Description: On October 26, 2013, plaintiff Allen Epps was walking down the street when he was approached by defendant NYPD officers, including officers Jeff Harris and Gregory Catty. Without a warrant or any reason for stopping him, defendant officers threw the plaintiff against a car and punched, assaulted and battered the plaintiff for no apparent reason. He was then falsely arrested and taken to a precinct where he was further punched. Ultimately, he was required to be transported to a hospital as a result of these unjustified assaults and has permanent injuries due to such.
The defendant officers then maliciously and falsely prosecuted the plaintiff, all of with all charges ultimately being dismissed on April 21, 201...
Brown, Sharron vs City of New York, et al.
Case # 151434/2014,
Supreme Court - New York, May 29, 2014, ended November 20, 2015
$15,000 Settlement
Complaint
Description: On July 18, 2012, Plaintiff was unlawfully stopped, frisked, searched, detained, and falsely arrested by Detective Shawn Wilkinson, Detective Jeff Harris, Detective Steven Gansrow, and other unidentified NYPD officers from Narcotics Borough Manhattan North. Plaintiff was standing outside a grocery store when officers began chasing another individual in the area. The officers then approached Brown without cause, stopped him, and ordered him to empty his pockets and remove his shoes, despite lacking reasonable suspicion or probable cause. No contraband or illegal items were found.
Brown was then handcuffed, transported to a precinct, and subjected to a second unlawful search before being taken to Manhattan Centr...
Jenkins, Betty, et Al vs City of New York, et al.
Case # 10CV04535,
U.S. District Court - Southern District NY, June 9, 2010, ended May 22, 2013
$45,000 Settlement
Complaint,
First Amended Complaint