Man sues Nassau, cops for $5M

[overthecap]

www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/man-sues-nassau-cops-for-5m-1.3598162

A Massapequa man has filed a federal lawsuit against Nassau County police, saying he was assaulted by an off-duty officer and then mocked and threatened by other cops when he tried to report the alleged attack.

The lawsuit on behalf of Chris Gabriele, 27, was filed in Eastern District Court last week and names his neighbor, Nassau Police Officer William Joie, Nassau County Police Department, Nassau County and John Does 1-5 as defendants. It seeks $5 million in damages and attorney fees.

Nassau police spokesman Deputy Insp. Kenneth Lack declined to comment on the lawsuit because the matter is the focus of an internal investigation. A spokesman for County Executive Edward Mangano's office would not comment Monday, saying the county had not yet been served with the suit. Attempts to contact Joie were unsuccessful. According to the suit, on Feb. 29, Joie "came up from behind" Gabriele and "violently" punched him in the head as Gabriele was exiting his car in the driveway of his home.


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When Gabriele pulled out his phone to call 911, Joie mocked Gabriele, stating, "This is my precinct! What do you think they are going to do -- help you?" the suit says. Responding officers, according to the suit, "warmly greeted Officer Joie by his first name and walked away" from Gabriele. The three officers later threatened Gabriele with arrest if he filed a report, the suit says.

"We're going to remember who you are and believe me, you're going to be sorry if you report this," the officers told Gabriele, the suit says.

Gabriele's lawyer, Kenneth Mollins, of Melville, called out the department's actions. "The Nassau County Police Department appears to be involved in a pattern of criminality and then cover up," he said.

[smallville]

The POS should have been locked up for reckless driving.

[lost]

Someone needs to post the picture

[liny]

It looks like a fine, upstanding citizen.

[opie]

Tap out shirt come on!

[onthejob]

I just watched the news12 video..Pretty interesting that the skel is wearing a NSM sweatshirt. Do a google shirt or ask any gang unit and they will tell you- National Socialist Movement = Skinhead = Authority fighter/hater.

[redstone14]

Mar 13, 2012 22:40:22 GMT -5 onthejob said:

National Socialist Movement = Skinhead = Authority fighter/hater.

[googleyes]

This mope has probably been terrorizing his neighbors since he was in diapers and knew he was a cop. Just kept antagonizing this poor Cop. He's probably out there enjoying the day with his kids doing some yardwork and along comes this broken rubber smoking his tires in front of his house............yadda yadda yadda News 12 is at your door.

[mrwizard]

Here's a nice little article from the Cato Institute about the mutt's lawyer. It should give you an idea where this is coming from. The comment at the end is from the Cato Institute, not me.




Kenneth Mollins, attorney for peanut-suer Tehmina Haque

by Ted Frank on June 3, 2008

Walter’s post about Tehmina Haque’s lawsuit against American Airlines over her “fear” of an unrealized peanut allergy is not the first time her attorney, Kenneth Mollins, has attempted such a tactic.

Mollins appeared on CNN in July 2007 after filing a suit on behalf of a woman, Francine Dorf, who sued Con Ed over the steam pipe eruption in Manhattan that month. Dorf wasn’t injured: she just complained that the loud sound reminded her of September 11, entitling her to damages, in part because she could not “focus enough to read the romance novels that she checked out from the library.” (See also Improved Clinch blog.) My Google-fu was not acute enough to find the docket in New York state court; does anyone know what the status of that lawsuit is?

What I did find was another lawsuit brought by Kenneth Mollins, plaintiff. Mollins leased an Infiniti, but was dissatisfied with the quality of the Bluetooth system and the GPS. After five months of haggling and attempts to fix the supposed problems, Mollins still wasn’t satisfied, the dealer took the car back and refunded Mollins’s money, including the deposit and all the monthly payments made to date. In other words, Mollins got five months’ use of an Infiniti for free. Not good enough for Mollins: he sued, seeking additional damages for the damage the alleged inability to use a cell phone did to his business. The court denied his attempt to turn it into a class action and dismissed; the lawyers were Herzfeld & Rubin.

We obviously should start keeping track of Mr. Mollins.

[beltfed]

Mar 13, 2012 17:49:24 GMT -5 smallville said:

The POS should have been locked up for reckless driving.

You're right! He should've been locked up for something but apparently those cops assigned and the complainant didn't want to push the issue. Once you lay your hands on someone, he goes. We've all been taught that. If not, you leave yourself open, which is what happened here.

[smallville]

I don't think much will happen to the PO involved. However, under OPERATION BUMPKIN, the responding PO's and their supervisor may come under the microscope.