ENEWSLETTER: December 2015
Civil Rights and Personal Injury and General Practice Law Firm, Dedicated to Social Justice
The Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington is a well-respected litigation firm with an office in Hempstead, Long Island. Our focus is primarily in the area of civil rights, voting rights, employment discrimination, police misconduct, personal injury, medical malpractice, wrongful death and criminal law. However, the Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington is a full- service law firm handling matters in numerous areas of law and providing a wide range of services from contract formation to litigation and trial practice.
RECENT VERDICTS AND SETTLEMENTS
$7.75 million- Civil Rights and wrongful death action brought by the family of deceased
$4.7 million- Repeated verbal and physical assaults on Yemeni-American employee, while supervisor failed to protect employee and discipline the assailant
$1.277 million- Race based attack and serious injury by violent acts against Plaintiffs, who were lured to an isolated warehouse
$2.8 million- Wrongful death, products liability case involving a tow motor accident at a sewage treatment plant
Mentally Disabled Man Who Was Beaten by Correction Officers during His Incarceration Seeks $10 Million in Damages
Officers Either Participated in or Failed to Stop Beatings, Denied Inmate Proper Medical Care
Matthew Matteo, a mentally disabled man, is seeking $10 million in a lawsuit which claims he was physically assaulted numerous times by Nassau County correction officers and that those who knew about the beating did nothing to prevent it. Further, when he suffered severe injuries as a result of these unprovoked attacks, he was denied access to needed medical care and rehabilitative services.
On February 2, 2013, Mr. Matteo – who suffers from mental illness, mental debilitation and bipolar disorder – was allegedly involved in an incident that occurred in Roosevelt. He and another person, Vincent Meyers, were arrested and taken to Nassau County Correctional Center. On October 23, 2013, while watching television, Mr. Matteo was assaulted by Officer Jay Ward and other correction officers who were members of the Nassau Sheriff's Department. He suffered a broken jaw and severe brain injuries that caused him to have limited vision in his left eye. After the assault occurred, Mr. Matteo was threatened by Officer Ward and the other officers not to tell anyone what happened.
Mr. Matteo’s father, Anthony Matteo, repeatedly sought to visit his son but was denied access. It was not until he was contacted by the prison's chaplain, Deacon John McGonigle, who told Anthony Matteo about his son's condition. Although Matthew Matteo continually sought medical care, his request was denied. Two weeks after the incident, Mr. Matteo was finally admitted to Nassau University Medical Center, where he had steel plates surgically inserted into his jaw. In addition, screws were needed to hold his jaw in place, which caused enormous pain, discomfort and limitation. He was also denied follow-up treatment at the hospital, including physical therapy.
When he was discharged from the hospital, Mr. Matteo noticed his personal belongings were missing and, because he was not able to speak for three to four months, he was forced to drink his meals through straws. Meanwhile, Officer Ward and his fellow officers continued their physical and psychological abuse of Mr. Matteo. They slammed him into doors and walls in an effort to stop him from reporting any further abuse and as a way to retaliate against him for complaining about his treatment. Mr. Matteo later made requests to numerous members of the Sheriff’s Department to be transferred, but they were denied.
After the wires were removed from his mouth, on the way to visit his father, Mr. Matteo was kicked in the eye by Officer Ward while other officers continued to beat, kick, knee and strike him while he was cuffed, shackled and restrained so that he could not defend himself against the attacks. As a result, Mr. Matteo continued to experience diminished vision in his left eye. His father requested an investigation by the Internal Affairs Unit regarding the officers' abusive treatment of his son. Although photos of the Plaintiff’s injuries were taken, the IAU failed to properly address the complaints and did not report any of the results to the Plaintiff or his father.
On December 3, 2015, Frederick K. Brewington filed a lawsuit on behalf of Mr. Matteo with the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, seeking $10 million in damages, including attorney’s fees and injunctive relief. Mr. Brewington cited physical abuse, emotional distress, unnecessary and unreasonable use of force, negligent supervision, failure to properly train, discrimination, abuse of the disabled, denial of access to equal terms and conditions available to detainees, medical malpractice and negligence, all of which violated Mr. Matteo’s First and Fourteenth Amendment rights, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act and related New York State laws. The defendants include the County of Nassau, Nassau County Sheriff's Department, Nassau County Correctional Facility, Correction Officers Jay Ward and "John Doe 1–10," Armor Correctional Health Services, Inc. and Dr. Sanchez, M.O.
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