Named in 5 known lawsuits, $125,500 total settlements.
Ortiz, Robert vs City of New York, et al.
Case # 15CV05724,
U.S. District Court - Eastern District NY, November 4, 2015
Complaint
Description: Plaintiff was evading a police dept. motor vehicle as he was driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana. Plaintiff crashed into an unmarked police officer vehicle. At that moment many police officers were surrounding the vehicle asking the plaintiff to get out of the car. Defendant officer Harper then approached the vehicle and while officers were ordering plaintiff to get out the car, he pulled out his weapon and shot the plaintiff severely injuring him.
French, Harvey, et al. vs City of New York, et al.
Case # 13CV06440,
U.S. District Court - Eastern District NY, November 21, 2013, ended March 15, 2014
$37,000 Settlement
Complaint
Description: On October 8, 2012m Plaintiff was standing in front of a restaurant after finishing dinner in Brooklyn. Suddenly, Defendant Officers MICHAEL ESPINOSA, JASON FILORAMO and CAPTAIN ANTHONY GUADAGNO, along with other Officers John Doe 1-5, arrived in an unmarked police vehicle and asked who are you. Plaintiff replied, who are you. This is when Defendant pushed Plaintiff HARVEY FRENCH to the floor, put a knee into his neck, punched and handcuffed him tightly. Defendants went over to Plaintiff LEONARD LONDON and did the same. Plaintiffs were taken to 70th Precinct without informing of the charges.
Officers falsely charged FRENCH and LONDON with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Defendants EPSINOSA AND FILORA...
Watt, Schaevaughn, et al. vs City of New York, et al.
Case # 13CV06284,
U.S. District Court - Eastern District NY, November 15, 2013, ended April 8, 2014
$30,000 Settlement
Complaint
Description: On or about August 22, 2012, the three Plaintiffs were passengers in a passenger van that was stopped by NYPD officers Michael Espinosa and John Doe #1-5 (the names John Doe being fictitious as the true names were unknown at the time of the complaint). The officers searched the car and recovered a .25 caliber pistol, allegedly from the inside of an air conditioner vent in the front section of the passenger van. Officers Michael Espinosa and John Doe #1-5 then searched Plaintiffs and failed to recover anything. Plaintiffs neither owned nor operated the passenger van that was stopped and searched. They were simply passengers in the van, and they had no knowledge of the pistol nor did they ever possess it. Despite...
Braxton, Keith vs City of New York, et al.
Case # 13CV05516,
U.S. District Court - Eastern District NY, November 1, 2013, ended August 27, 2014
$20,000 Settlement
Complaint,
Amended Complaint
Description: On July 6, 2012, Plaintiff was lawfully inside a commercial business building when several NYPD Officers including Officers Terrell Anderson, Forrest Hirsch, Jason Filoramo, Frank Muzikar, Peter McCarthy, Joseph Fichter, and Michael Espinosa entered the building and searched its locked basement and found contraband. Plaintiff was not the owner of the business and did not possess a key to the basement, but was nonetheless arrested by Officer Anderson. Officer Hirsch prepared paperwork in support of false charges against Plaintiff and conveyed such information to the District Attorney's Office. Plaintiff was eventually released after approximately 17 hours in custody and was not charged with any crimes.
Adeyeye, Markeith, et al. vs City of New York, et al.
Case # 13CV03649,
U.S. District Court - Eastern District NY, July 15, 2013, ended January 21, 2014
$38,500 Settlement
Complaint
Description: On October 12, 2012, at approximately 6:00 a.m., at an apartment in Brooklyn, Plaintiffs Markeith Adeyeye and Christopher Adeyeye were asleep when Defendants NYPD Officers, including Officers Fichter, Guadagno, Filorama and Espinosa, knocked down the front door, entered the apartment with their guns drawn, and eventually entered the Plaintiffs room, waking the two in the process and thereafter arresting them without probable cause. Despite the officers finding drugs elsewhere in the apartment, the two Plaintiffs were not found to be in possession or constructive possession of any drugs. Nevertheless, officers lied to prosecutors telling the latter that plaintiffs were in fact in possession of contraband and fa...