Donna Cipley of Levittown, who was falsely arrested on March 12, 2019 by Nassau County Police and charged with Felony Assault on a police officer and resisting arrest, had those charges dismissed.

She sued the officers responsible for her false arrest and, on December 6, 2024, a Federal Jury of seven men and one woman awarded Ms. Cipley $2 million for false arrest and punitive damages against two Nassau County Detectives.

“This is a long-awaited vindication of this grandmother’s rights. Finally, after attacking her in her own home, parading her before cameras in handcuffs and charging her with crimes she did not commit, she has seen just a small bit of justice,” said Frederick K. Brewington, her attorney.

The trial lasted one week and was tried in the Federal District Court in Central Islip by Mr. Brewington and Albert D. Manuel, Esq., before the Hon. Joan Azrack.

For more information, call (516) 489-6959 or visit www.brewingtonlaw.com.

###

 About The Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington

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. It is the largest African-American-owned law firm on Long Island and has been designated by the New York Law Journal as one of the top minority-owned firms in the state of New York. For more information, call (516) 489-6959 or visit www.brewingtonlaw.com.

Jurors Said Robert Besedin Was Subjected to Excessive Force, Battery, Malicious Prosecution and Abuse of Process

A federal jury awarded $2.36 million to a 79-year-old Baldwin resident and Air Force veteran who was physically abused by two Nassau County police officers on February 7, 2017 at his home.

On February 7, 2017 at approximately 7:10 p.m., Robert Besedin was peacefully and lawfully standing on the porch of his Baldwin home speaking with officers. While they spoke, the officers then attacked Mr. Besedin, rushed him, grabbed him by his neck, hurled him down four steps and body slammed him to the ground. POLICE OFFICER STEPHEN BECKWITH AND POLICE OFFICER DOMINICK MANTOVANI then further abused Mr. Besedin and wrongfully and abusively cuffed him, and then slammed him down on his back and buttock on the concrete steps of his own home. Although Mr. Besedin complied with the officers’ request(s), the officers continued to abuse Mr. Besedin.

To add insult to the real injuries suffered, POLICE OFFICER STEPHEN BECKWITH AND POLICE OFFICER DOMINICK MANTOVANI wrote and gave false statements and testimony and subjected Mr. Besedin to a malicious abuse of the criminal process, which took nearly a year. On January 29, 2018, the felony charge of assault on a police officer and the other charges were dismissed. What is clear is that the police lied and provided false information in furtherance of an official investigation into the incident.

Mr. Besedin sustained multiple injuries including, but not limited to, being subjected to the criminal justice system, hitting his head, being knocked unconscious, traumatic brain injury, post-concussion syndrome, lacerations and cuts, injury to his left elbow and arms, injury to his wrists, injury to his shoulders, injury to his back and being manhandled during his unlawful abuse. He also suffered scarring, loss of blood, physical pain, embarrassment, mental pain and suffering, incarceration, property damage, damage to name and reputation, court fees, legal fees and costs, and medical costs/fees.

On February 7, 2018, Mr. Besedin filed a federal lawsuit against the County of Nassau, Nassau County Police Department and OFFICERS STEPHEN BECKWITH AND DOMINICK MANTOVANI.

On October 30, 2024, a jury found that OFFICER DOMINICK MANTOVANI engaged in excessive force, malicious prosecution, and abuse of process and OFFICER STEPHEN BECKWITH engaged in excessive force and malicious prosecution. They also awarded Mr. Besedin $1.6 million in punitive damages and an additional $760,000 in compensatory damages.

“This is a vindication for Mr. Besedin who did not deserve to be abused by people who should have wanted to protect him,” said Frederick K. Brewington of The Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington. “Nassau County failed to discipline or investigate the actions of these officers and, therefore, there was no accountability for the violence that mr. Besedin was subjected to.”

For more information, call (516) 489-6959 or visit www.brewingtonlaw.com.

###

About The Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington

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. It is the largest African-American-owned law firm on Long Island and has been designated by the New York Law Journal as one of the top minority-owned firms in the state of New York. For more information, call (516) 489-6959 or visit www.brewingtonlaw.com.

A jury awarded $35 million to the family of a Bay Shore man who died while he was at Suffolk County Police Department’s Third Precinct.

On April 12, 2008, Kenny Lazo was wrongfully pulled over by Suffolk police on the entrance ramp from the Robert Moses Causeway to the Southern State Parkway. After Mr. Lazo was asked to step out of the car, police strip-searched him and beat him repeatedly with more than 36 blunt force trauma strikes to his head with Mag flashlights. He was not taken to the hospital, but instead, he was brought to Third Precinct headquarters, where he was not given any medical treatment and was allowed to die on the filthy floor of the Third Precinct in his underwear. He was brought to Southside Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

On August 10, after a three-week trial, a jury ruled in favor of Mr. Lazo’s family. It is considered to be one of the largest jury trial awards in Suffolk County history.

“After 15 years of waiting, justice has been served,” said Frederick K. Brewington, the attorney for Mr. Lazo’s family. “It was absolutely appalling how the Suffolk County police physically abused and humiliated Mr. Lazo, then tried to cover it up. No family should have to go through what Mr. Lazo’s family had to.”

For more information, call (516) 489-6959 or visit www.brewingtonlaw.com.

###

About The Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington

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. It is the largest African-American-owned law firm on Long Island and has been designated by the New York Law Journal as one of the top minority-owned firms in the state of New York. For more information, call (516) 489-6959 or visit www.brewingtonlaw.com.

HEMPSTEAD, NY — Frederick K. Brewington, Esq., a civil rights attorney and Principal of The Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington, says that justice has been served as a jury found three men guilty in the February 23, 2020 shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery in southern Georgia.

 

On November 24, a jury found Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan guilty. Travis McMichael was found guilty of one count of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, one county of false imprisonment and one count of criminal attempt to commit a felony. His father, Gregory, was found guilty of four counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of false imprisonment and one criminal attempt to commit a felony.

 

Mr. Bryan, who recorded the shooting incident on his cell phone, was found guilty of three counts of felony murder, one count of aggravated assault, one count of false imprisonment and one criminal attempt to commit a felony.

 

“Today we witnessed how our justice system can work,” Mr. Brewington said. “Unfortunately, for far too long and today, young, innocent Black men have been killed for no reason and their murderers have been allowed to walk free. While justice has been served today because of this verdict, we still have a long way to go in making our justice system more equitable. It is every person’s duty to not run from the historical realities of racism that continue to divide us, but to address them and engage with each other to solve these deep-rooted concerns.”

 

A graduate of Northeastern University School of Law, Mr. Brewington has been practicing law for more than 30 years. He concentrates his practice on civil rights, employment discrimination, police misconduct and abuse and personal injury, among others. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center in Central Islip, New York, where he teaches Federal Pretrial Litigation and Trial Practice.

 

Prior to founding his own firm, he was an Associated at the Law Firm of C. Vernon Mason, Esq. He also previously served as Project Director and Chief Administrative Officer of the Community Organization Legal Assistance Project of the National Conference of Black Lawyers.

 

For more information, call (516) 489-6959 or visit www.brewingtonlaw.com.

 

###

 

About The Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington

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. It is the largest African-American-owned law firm on Long Island and has been designated by the New York Law Journal as one of the top minority-owned firms in the state of New York. For more information, call (516) 489-6959 or visit www.brewingtonlaw.com.

LATINO WHISTLEBLOWER, DET. TULIO SERRATA OF THE SUFFOLK COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT, SEEKS FEDERAL COURT TO ADDRESS NEED FOR CHANGE TO CORRECT ONGOING RETALIATION FOR EXPOSING DISCRIMINATION

On July 15, 2021 at 1:00 P.M. at the Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington, located at 556 Peninsula Blvd., Hempstead, New York, 11550, Tulio Serrata will be joined by his attorneys and will announce the filing of his Complaint against Suffolk County, the Suffolk County Police Department, Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart, Chief of Detective Gerard Gigante and other officials for engaging in discrimination and retaliation against Mr. Serrata as a Latino man who testified before the Suffolk County Legislature against the Suffolk County Police Department. He was denied transfers and promotions that were given to lesser qualified white persons.

In June of 1999, Mr. Serrata was hired by Suffolk County Police Department as part of their mandated minority equal hiring program. Since the start of his employment, Mr. Serrata has accomplished a twenty-two-year tenure, with eleven years as a Detective and three years as a Sergeant. Since 2017, Mr. Serrata has been passed over for five different promotional positions and/or transfers for which he was more than minimally qualified. Each of these positions was given to a Caucasian man with less experience.

In February of 2019, Mr. Serrata testified before the Suffolk County Legislature, conveying the abuse of the promotional process and the discrimination that was taking place during that process for the position of Detective Sergeant in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. The ongoing retaliation that has taken place regarding this matter is disturbing and violates Mr. Serrata’s civil rights.

The press is invited to join Mr. Serrata and his legal team, including his attorney, Frederick K. Brewington in announcing the filing of the Complaint, calling for monetary compensation. The press conference will take place on July 15, 2021 at 1:00 P.M. at the Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington, located at 556 Peninsula Blvd., Hempstead, New York, 11550.

#END#

PRESIDENT OF COPS N’ KIDS LONG ISLAND VICTIMIZED BY SUFFOLK POLICE AND PREVENTED FROM RENDERING AID AND SUPPORT TO SHOOTING VICTIM

On July 7, 2021 at 1:30 P.M. at the Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington, located at 556 Peninsula Blvd., Hempstead, New York, 11550, Cindy M. O’Pharrow will be joined by her attorneys and will announce the filing of her Notice of Claim and Official Civilian Complaint against the Suffolk County Police Department and members of that police force for subjecting her to assault and abuse on June 27, 2021. She will also discuss her demand that the names of all the officers involved be publicly disclosed. Mrs. O’Pharrow will disclose her intention to file a Federal Civil Rights Suit against the County of Suffolk, Suffolk County Police Department and the officers involved for their actions and failures relating to her brutalization, abuse and mistreatment.

The incident took place on June 27, 2021 in the early morning hours in Dix Hills, where Mrs. O’Pharrow was rendering comfort and aid to a victim of a gunshot and was physically removed from the ambulance where she sat waiting to accompany the young man to the hospital as had been requested by him and his mother. At no time did Mrs. O’Pharrow do anything or take any action which warranted the use of physical force or would provide any officer with the right to place his hands on Mrs. O’Pharrow, no less verbally abuse her and engage in action beyond any reasonable  behavior of police officers.

Mrs. O’Pharrow sustained multiple injuries including, but not limited to, shoulder and neck injuries and complications to existing medical conditions.

The press is invited to join Mrs. O’Pharrow and her legal team including his attorney Frederick K. Brewington in announcing the filing of the Notice of Claim, calling for an independent body to handle her Civilian Complaint and the Demand made to the Suffolk County District Attorney for prosecution for assault against the offending officer. The press conference will take place on July 7, 2021 at 1:30 P.M. at the Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington, located at 556 Peninsula Blvd., Hempstead, New York, 11550.

#END#

HEMPSTEAD, NY — Frederick K. Brewington, Esq., a civil rights attorney and Principal of The Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington, says the guilty verdict brought against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is a welcome, albeit overdue, decision that should be an impetus to implement changes in police tactics when interacting with alleged suspects who happen to be persons of color.

On May 25, 2020, Mr. Chauvin killed George Floyd by placing his knee on the neck for nine-and-a-half minutes. Although Mr. Floyd said he was unable to breathe, Mr. Chauvin kept his knee in place. Mr. Floyd was rendered unconscious and later transported to a hospital, and was pronounced dead.

Mr. Chauvin was charged with two counts of murder and one count of manslaughter on May 29, 2020, three days after being fired from the force. On April 20, 2021, after deliberating for one day, a jury found Mr. Chauvin guilty on all three counts of second-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter and third-degree murder.

“This verdict is an important point for us as a Country,” Mr. Brewington said. “I hope that local governments and police departments nationwide will now place this matter behind them but place it before them and change the way their officers deal with people of color and change policing on all levels. This verdict provides a sense of hope that justice can be served, and that it has been long overdue. This is a step in the right direction, but there is so much more to do.”

Mr. Brewington is an Advisory Board Member of the National Police Accountability Project and a Member of the Long Island Advocates for Police Accountability, which helped launch the Police Reform Action Plan and was formed in response to Mr. Floyd’s death as the result of Mr. Chauvin’s actions. He has written numerous articles and opinion pieces for various newspapers and magazines and been interviewed by numerous publications, TV and radio stations on police accountability. In addition, he has been a guest speaker and panelist at numerous conferences.

For more information, call (516) 489-6959 or visit www.brewingtonlaw.com.

###

About The Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington

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. It is the largest African-American-owned law firm on Long Island and has been designated by the New York Law Journal as one of the top minority-owned firms in the state of New York. For more information, call (516) 489-6959 or visit www.brewingtonlaw.com.

HEMPSTEAD, NY — Frederick K. Brewington, Esq., a civil rights attorney and Principal of The Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington, is available to comment on the U.S. Supreme Court’s upcoming arguments on the “qualified immunity” doctrine and the New York State Legislature’s approval to repeal the 50-a statute.

 

The justices of the United States Supreme Court are scheduled to argue the merits of the “qualified immunity” doctrine on June 11. The doctrine asked if a police officer used excessive force and if their conduct was illegal because it was in violation of a “clearly established” court ruling on the books that barred police from acting in that manner. The Court established this doctrine to protect police departments from frivolous lawsuits and to allow a margin of error in certain situations in which split-second decisions were made.

 

“Many of these police brutality lawsuits were dismissed by the courts because there was no prior factual basis that was established showing these officers were in the wrong,” Mr. Brewington says. “What the doctrine does is protect the officers who commit heinous acts like what Officer Chauvin did to Mr. Floyd. It allows the brutality and systemic racism that is practiced by these officers to perpetuate.”

 

Mr. Brewington praised the New York State Legislature for passing a bill repealing 50-a, which sealed the disciplinary records of police officers who were involved in misconduct. The repeal allows for the viewing of records of not only police officers, but of firefighters and correction officers as well. Governor Andrew Cuomo said he will sign the bill into law.

 

“I am glad to see that the state Legislature is allowing the records of police officers with disciplinary problems to be made public,” Mr. Brewington says. “For far too long, they have been protected from scrutiny while being allowed to continue to act unprofessionally. Hopefully, this repeal will force local police departments to engage with minorities in a more respectful manner and remove those who believe they are above the law.”

 

For more information, call (516) 489-6959 or visit www.brewingtonlaw.com.

 

###

 

About The Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington

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. It is the largest African-American-owned law firm on Long Island and has been designated by the New York Law Journal as one of the top minority-owned firms in the state of New York. For more information, call (516) 489-6959 or visit www.brewingtonlaw.com.

March Concludes at Nassau County Police Department’s First Precinct, Where Press Conference Will be Held

Who:                           Frederick K. Brewington, Civil Rights Attorney
New York Communities for Change

David and Mondy Tillery, Parents of Ahmand and Jahmeir Tillery, who were verbally and physically assaulted and falsely arrested by members of the Nassau County Police Department

Phillip McDowell, Pastor, South Hempstead Baptist Church and Pastor to the Tillery family

Local community organizations and activists

 

What:                          Civil rights attorney Frederick K. Brewington will join New York Communities for Change, as well as other local community groups and activists, in the March against Police Brutality. The march will begin at the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) station in Baldwin and end in front of the Nassau County Police Department’s (NCPD) First Precinct. A press conference will be held at the conclusion of the march.

The march comes after two African-American boys — 15-year-old Ahmand Tillery and 14-year-old Jahmeir Tillery — were stopped by Nassau County police officers after riding their bicycles on the way home with another friend. The officers then verbally and physically assaulted the two brothers, then placed them under arrest without just cause. The officers brought them to the precinct and wrongfully imprisoned them without notifying the boys’ parents. Mr. Brewington announced on January 27 that he filed a notice of claim against the NCPD on behalf of the parents, David and Mondy Tillery. Mr. Brewington will call on the NCPD to stop employing these abusive tactics against young African-American men and for the arresting officers to resign.

When:             Saturday, February 1, 2020

11:00 a.m.

Where:         Begins at LIRR Station, 760 Brooklyn Avenue, Baldwin, New York

Ends: NCPD First Precinct, 900 Merrick Road, Baldwin, New York

Directions:      Southern State Parkway to Exit 20S for Grand Avenue South. Merge onto Baldwin Road, then continue onto Grand Avenue. After 2.1 miles, turn left onto Brooklyn Avenue. LIRR station will be on the right-hand side. The march will start at Grand Avenue and proceed southbound. From there, participants will go left onto Merrick Road and head towards the police precinct.

Photo Ops:      Mr. Brewington addressing the crowd, followed by comments from Mr. and Mrs. Tillery, Pastor McDowell, members of New York Communities for Change and other community activists.

###

About The Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington

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. It is the largest African-American-owned law firm on Long Island and has been designated by the New York Law Journal as one of the top minority-owned firms in the state of New York. For more information, call (516) 489-6959 or visit www.brewingtonlaw.com.

Officers Racially Profiled Him, Falsely Arrested Him for Shoplifting, Then Proceeded to Verbally and Physically Abuse and Assault Him

HEMPSTEAD, NEW YORK — On May 14, 2018, the Federal District Court entered Judgment against the Village of Garden City in favor of Mr. Ronald Lanier. In response, Frederick K. Brewington of The Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington confirmed that the Village of Garden City and the Garden City Police Department agreed to have a judgment entered against them in the amount of $150,000 to be awarded to Ronald Lanier, a retired Nassau County correction officer and an African-American, who was verbally and physically abused and assaulted by a two Garden City police officers who falsely accused him of theft and them cuffed him and deprived him of his liberty.

In addition to the settlement, the Defendants will have to pay Mr. Lanier’s legal fees. The amount has yet to be determined.

On November 30, 2016, Mr. Lanier was accosted by members of the Garden City Police Department while shopping in the Western Beef Supermarket in Mineola, New York. He was cursed at, aggressively handled, thrown to the ground, abused verbally and subjected to unreasonable and excessive force by Garden City Police who refused to believe that he had done nothing wrong and was a retired officer of the law. He was approached by no less than four officers who hurled insults at him and acted in an insulting and demeaning manner while they exhibited an uncontrolled level of aggression and vindictive nature. After holding Mr. Lanier against his will, the police realized they had arrested the wrong Black man. Then without apology or any sense of remorse, told Mr. Lanier to go. Even when Mr. Lanier showed a sergeant his badge and credentials, he was not treated with respect or any sense of dignity.

Mr. Lanier filed a Notice of Claim against the village and the police department on December 2, 2016, citing vicious physical abuse, wrongful treatment, violations of his Constitutional rights, false arrest and abuse at the hands of Garden City police officers. Last year, a lawsuit was filed at the United State District Court for the Eastern District of New York in the amount of $40 million. The Defendants denied that they had done anything wrong. That denial is muted in the face of a monetary payment to Mr. Lanier.

“After attempting to have Garden City realize that there was a serious issue here, this Judgment speaks volumes to the fight which Mr. Lanier has had waged for his good name and his well-being.” Mr. Brewington said. “The officers willfully and callously manhandled my client. Profiling him because of his race and color is something that they did and it is something with which Garden City must come to grips. When they realized it was the wrong Black man, they finally released Mr. Lanier without so much as an apology. It was not okay to simply say, ‘You’re free to go’; the failure to immediately realize that they had engaged in a discriminatory act demonstrates the level of training and education that this police force must undergo. Garden City and its police department are being held accountable for their actions. This is just one way of changing unacceptable behavior like racial profiling.”

For more information, call (516) 489-6959 or visit www.brewingtonlaw.com.