ENEWSLETTER: October 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

Federal Court Denies City's Motion for Summary Judgment and Will Allow Paraplegic Shooting Victim to Go to Trial

James Crockett, a client of Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington, will be allowed to make the City of New York and Police Officers face a Federal Jury after a federal court denied the City of New York's motion for summary judgment. Mr. Crockett filed a suit against the City of New York and a group of New York City police officers, one of whom shot Mr. Crockett, leaving him unable to walk.

On February 5, 2010, after leaving work in Brooklyn at 5:00 p.m., Mr. Crockett visited three after hours clubs and at about 1:00 a.m. the following day, he left on his way home. According to Mr. Crockett, after leaving the establishment, he was walking around the corner and was "grabbed from the back" and mugged by an unknown assailant. A struggled took place and in the struggle, he saw a gun on the assailant which fell to the ground before he lost consciousness. Eyewitnesses called 911 to report their observations of Mr. Crockett.

According to Court papers, NYPD Officers Raul Perez, Matthew Ambrosino and Steven Bhagan of the 83rd Precinct's Street Conditions Observation Unit responded to the 911 call. Officer Bhagan exited the vehicle while Officers Perez and Ambrosino continued to drive up the block. When they saw Mr. Crockett, they both exited the vehicle.

Mr. Crockett claimed he was lying on the ground when police arrived, whereas the officers reported that Mr. Crockett had the gun in his possession, standing up and pointing the gun in the officers' direction. In one account, NYPD Supervisor, Lieutenant Greacia Herdsman said she was exiting her vehicle when she heard shots fired but in her deposition, she said the officers' weapons were drawn but no shots were fired. Mr. Crockett was shot multiple times and seriously injured by the police bullets.

According to Mr. Crockett, his wrists were then bound with black electrical tape and he was brought to Elmhurst Hospital in a black van instead of an ambulance. He was eventually hospitalized with two collapsed lungs, a shattered hip, damaged bladder and diaphragm, spinal injuries and paraplegia. His wife Teresa attempted to visit him at the hospital over the next few days but was prevented by a police officer from doing so. He remains paralyzed to this very day.

On February 6, 2010, in an attempt to cover up their excessive force against Mr. Crockett, the officers falsely charged him with Menacing. Five days later, Mr. Crockett was indicted by a Grand Jury on felony charges of Menacing in the Second Degree and Menacing in the Third Degree. This indictment occurred while Mr. Crockett was still hospitalized with life-threatening injuries and could not testify because he was hospitalized at the time and the witnesses subpoenaed by his attorney were never called to the stand. From the very time of the incident, Mr. Crockett sought to have his charges dismissed or reduced, but each of his efforts were denied. However, on May 9, 2011, a year and three months after he was crippled for life and facing a trial, the Prosecutor dismissed all the charges, claiming it was in the interest of justice.

556 Peninsula Blvd., Hempstead, New York 11550 | Phone: 516-489-6959 | Fax: 516-489-6958

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