$1M Settlement for NYPD False Arrest Stroke Victim
The City of New York has agreed to pay close to $1 million to a man who suffered a stroke after being falsely arrested by the NYPD.
According to Gerardo Mayol's $540 million lawsuit against the city, New York Police Department officers allegedly mocked him after his arrest in a landlord-tenant dispute and even "refused to take him to a hospital when he became ill." The New York Post reports that doctors later determined that Mayol had suffered a stroke; he spent 20 days in the hospital because of his injuries.
How does this settlement resolve Mayol's complaints with the City of New York?
Gruesome Allegations Put to Rest
Mayol's beef with the NYPD has been stewing for around five years now, with his false arrest and subsequent stroke occurring in 2009. According to Gothamist, Mayol claimed that his arrest was the result of his plans to testify against his neighbor, Jessica Varney, in an eviction hearing. The suit accused various NYPD officers of having a "furtive relationship" with Varney, who used this connection to get them to arrest Mayol on a stalking charge.
In a strange turn of events, The Village Voice reported that one of the cops who arrested Mayol was later arrested on gun and child endangerment charges for his interactions with Varney. This may offer some insight into why the same officer and others didn't call an ambulance until Mayol keeled over from his stroke -- despite his complaints of having difficulty breathing and dizziness.
According to the Voice, the stroke left Mayol with "slurred speech and an unsteady gait," so he sued the NYPD officers and Varney for $540 million to recover. Wednesday's settlement with NYC for $988,000 will remove liability from the city for Mayol's injuries and will not require any city officials to admit fault.
Prior NYPD Settlements
This isn't the first significant settlement that the City of New York has agreed to after allegations of police misconduct. A couple who sued for false arrest after an incident in 2007 settled their case against the NYPD in 2012 for $360,000. In a more recent case, a Gotham shoplifter was able to collect $510,000 on a claim that officers roughed him up and caused him to break his ankle while cuffed.
Hopefully for Mayol, a former Queens limo driver, the settlement money will be some comfort.
Related Resources:
- Suit says NYPD caused man to have stroke over false arrest (New York Post)
- Nurses Caught Abusing Stroke Victim, 98 (FindLaw's Injured)
- FDA Reviews Anemia Drugs And Risk For Stroke (FindLaw's Injured)
- Sober Man's DUI Arrest Leads to $500K Claim (FindLaw's Injured)