Melinda Tuhus File Photo
Garzon and activist Megan Fountain.
On the heels of a $50,000 victory in one brutality claim against the city, Attorney Paul Garlinghouse Friday filed two more complaints against New Haven cops.
Garlinghouse filed two complaints in U.S. District Court in New Haven Friday, on behalf of two Latino immigrants who claim they were brutalized at the hands of New Haven police officers.
One of the complaints, from Colombian refugee Alvaro Garzon, alleges that on July 24, 2010 Officer Dennis O’Connell “tasered him in the face and neck area multiple times” while Garzon was handcuffed, and “applied his knee” to Garzon’s neck. Click here to read the complaint.
The complaint comes several months after another Latino immigrant, Abel Sanchez, settled with the city for $50,000 on a similar complaint of abuse at the hands of Officer O’Connell.
The cop is no stranger to brutality charges. He’s been the subject of nine Internal Affairs investigations in six years, including one brought by Garzon. All of the completed investigations have found O’Connell blameless.
Also on Friday, Garlinghouse submitted a separate complaint against a different cop, Officer Martin Feliciano. That suit, brought on behalf of Luis Jimenez-Jaramillo, alleges that on May 14, 2010 Officer Feliciano threw Jimenez-Jaramillo to the ground and hit him with a police baton without cause in front on Jimenez-Jaramillo’s children. Click here to read that complaint.
Both suits list the city of New Haven and former police Chief James Lewis as defendants. Each seeks compensatory damages of $1,500,000.
Reached Friday for comment, city spokesman Adam Joseph said, “The city does not comment on pending litigation.”
$6 million and counting to Ricci and $50K..and now $1.5 million each - Wow, DeStefano is really doing a great job. We learned before that ignoring these settlements and allegations, got us Billy White, huge settlements, and scandal and the hundreds of thousands of dollars we spent on the PERF Report. Poor Adam Joseph - "We don't comment on pending litigation," he said. He should have added, "When we do, it will be to deny liability but take it to the bank, city taxpayers will write a big check."