New York Legal Blog

A woman has filed a lawsuit against New York City following the conviction of her attacker who was employed as a uniformed peace officer at the offices of Human Resources Administration in Lower Manhattan. She asserts that the city bears financial responsibility for her sexual assault and wants a $5 million settlement.

The assault occurred when she went to the office to pick up a check. Office workers said that no check was available. She then demanded to speak to someone in authority but was instead detained by the Social Services Supervising Sergeant. He took her to a locked room and handcuffed her. She then said that he unbuttoned her shirt and touched her cleavage.

The nation's roadways get busier all the time, and distracted driving causes a great number of motor vehicle crashes. There are simple guidelines for all drivers to keep in mind when operating a car. Those who follow some safe common-sense rules on the road may better avoid serious traffic accidents.

Drivers should stay focused on the road ahead and pay attention to all directions outside their vehicle. Distractions from inside the car such as cellphones, eating or children in the backseat can interrupt a driver's focus. If the situation demands it, drivers need to pull over for a better chance at avoiding accidents and possibly serious personal injury.

A former police sergeant assigned to the New York City Human Resources Administration will soon start serving a five-year prison sentence for a committing a sexual assault during the course of his duties. However, the city is trying to deflect responsibility despite its zero-tolerance approach to sexual assault. At a time when the #MeToo movement is calling attention to the issue of improper sexual conduct by individuals who abuse their positions of power and authority, some say the city's attempt to dodge responsibility is outrageous.

In 2017, a Manhattan artist was arrested by the sergeant, who was assigned to the NYC HRA office on 14th Street, for alleged trespassing. The arrest had occurred after the artist became upset when she was notified that a paycheck owed to her was not ready. The sergeant admitted to locking the artist in a room for two hours and returning to find that she had urinated herself. It was at this point that she became a victim of a brutal sexual assault. The sergeant pleaded guilty to the crime.

Drivers in New York who use hand-held cellphones while behind the wheel can be ticketed and fined, but research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety suggests that entering navigation settings or adjusting audio controls on the latest cars can be just as dangerous. The organization came to this conclusion after tasking researchers from the University of Utah to find out how distracting modern automobile navigation and entertainment systems are. This was done by asking volunteers to drive vehicles made by Ford, Dodge, Honda, General Motors and Kia.

After observing the 64 participants answer phone calls, send text messages, enter addresses and adjust entertainment settings, the researchers noticed that all of the vehicle technology was difficult to use. They then asked the students to perform the same tasks after connecting the vehicle entertainment and navigation systems to cellphones using the Apple Carplay and Android Auto applications. While these apps reduced the amount of time it took to complete most tasks, the researchers say that relying on them could still leave drivers dangerously distracted in many situations.