Santanelli, Louis, et al. vs City of New York, et al.
Case # 13CV06780,
U.S. District Court - Eastern District NY, December 4, 2013, ended July 1, 2014
$26,000 Settlement
Complaint Description: On August 11, 2013, plaintiffs were socializing at a park located in Brooklyn. On the way to the park, plaintiffs ran into their friend Samantha Marinello. Unbeknownst to plaintiffs, Marinello had a small amount of marijuana on her person. While plaintiffs were sitting on a bench with Marinello near the entrance to the park, the defendant police officers approached the group, asked them where the marijuana was located, and handcuffed each of them excessively tight without waiting for an answer and without probable cause. The defendant police officers searched plaintiffs without legal justification and found marijuana only on Marinello. The defendants mocked plaintiffs by bragging about the amount of overtime th...