The Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington

April 2021 E-Newsletter

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 Police and Governmental Misconduct Case Verdicts and Settlements $8.43 million — Excessive force, false imprisonment, unlawful entry, trespass and punitive damages by Police $7.75 million — Civil Rights and wrongful death action brought by the family of deceased $2.25 million — Wrongful death case against Police for the shooting death of family member $1.12 Million — in compensatory damages for the violation of civil rights of a woman who was falsely arrested, humiliated and physically abused for her political views. $1,000,000 — False arrest, malicious prosecution by Police and brutality by Sheriffs $600,000 — False arrest and excessive force case against Police $443,725 — False arrest, malicious prosecution and excessive force by Police $400,000 — False arrest, malicious prosecution and excessive force by Police $298,000 — False arrest, malicious prosecution, excessive force and other Civil Rights violations Discrimination/Retaliation Case Verdicts and Settlements $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 $1.1 million — Municipal worker brought retaliation case against employer for opposing discrimination $975,000 — Action by African-American Employee for discrimination in the workplace $645,000 — Fair Housing and Disability discrimination, retaliation and harassment case by African-American disabled tenant against apartment complex $570,000 — African-American women sued store and its manager for false arrest and discrimination $421,000 — for discrimination and retaliation against a Nassau County corrections officer and ordained minister who filed complaints over the lack of proper notice for a promotional exam and was denied personal leave for religious holidays $360,000 — Cruel mistreatment and unreasonably prolonged, dangerous confinement of the infant plaintiff by school $330,000 — Fair Housing, housing discrimination lawsuit brought by interracial couple and their child due to the defendant's refusal to rent them a house $225,000 — Retaliation against College Professor by college officials after serving on a committee designated to review and evaluate the charges of discrimination $200,000 — Discrimination case for a Nassau County investigator who faced retaliation and intimidation because of his race, religion and sexual orientation after filing complaints for being denied promotions, wrongfully reprimanded and having to endure sexually explicit comments Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice Case Verdicts and Settlements $2.8 million — Wrongful death, products liability case involving a tow motor accident at a sewage treatment plant $2.5 million — Medical Malpractice resulting in wrongful death in failing to timely diagnose and treat lung cancer of a 48-year-old mother of four $1,540,000 — Personal injuries resulting from a fall from a third-story apartment during a fire in a residential building which spread due to inadequate and faulty smoke detectors $1.43 Million — Personal injury case where plaintiff was injured after being struck by a negligently operated SUV while in the pedestrian crosswalk attempting to cross the street $1,057,585 — Wrongful death case following a multiple motor vehicle accident which included the explosion of a tanker truck where four fatalities occurred $650,000 — Suit by patron against company for sexual attack and rape on her by company home service man $525,000 — Medical Malpractice claim for an injury to the patient's peroneal nerve during a total knee replacement surgery. The results reached in these cases are each based on their specific facts. The result of each case may differ based on the unique facts of that particular case and the applicable law under which that case will be evaluated.	AT THE FIRM Newsday: "Police Reform Plan Lets Communities Down" Fred Brewington, a civil rights attorney and a representative of LI Advocates for Police Accountability, co-wrote an op-ed for Newsday on how Nassau County failed to introduce meaningful police reform that would have addressed systemic racism in the police department. "Most of the plan rests on integral department policy — not legislation," Mr. Brewington wrote. "This means it is purely voluntary, difficult to monitor and enforce, and places an onus on the public to obtain information." He also said this plan contains minimal oversight which allows officers to continue policing themselves without receiving any constructive criticism. To read the op-ed, click here. Fred Brewington Addresses Basic Civil Rights in the Workplace Fred Brewington, a civil rights attorney and a board member of ERASE Racism, spoke at the AHRC Diversity Committee's Understanding & Eradicating the Roots of Systemic Racism, "Understanding Our Basic Civil Rights in the Workplace" event on March 9. In his presentation, he emphasized that people should be free of discrimination, retaliation, and hostility in the workplace. Human resources and agency policies should entail the rights of people and the expectations in the workplace, he said, and those from Generation X have different perceptions when it comes to mistreatment, compared to the Baby Boomers. Finally, he concluded that healthy workplace conversations involve those in which there is no finger pointing and include clearly defined terms to increase people's comfort levels when discussing racism in the workplace. Christopher Cruz, Who Was Abused, Brutalized and Subjected to Gang Assault by Suffolk County Police, Files Notice of Claim in Preparation of Filing Civil Rights Lawsuit Fred Brewington hosted a press conference at his office on March 4 in which Christopher Cruz announced, through his attorneys, that he is filing his Notice of Claim, his Demand to the Suffolk County District Attorney that police be prosecuted and his intention to file a Federal Civil Rights Suit against the County of Suffolk, the Suffolk County Police Department and nearly a dozen officers for their actions and failures relating to his brutalization, abuse and mistreatment. Read More » Fred Brewington Speaks at Webinar on "Building Community Connections" On February 25, Fred Brewington was a guest panelist on Herald Inside LI's live webinar "Long Island's Black Leaders: Building Community Connections." The webinar welcomed some of Long Island's most exceptional Black leaders for updates on their industries and how today's culture and workplaces differ from previous years. Some of the issues that are being addressed include how communities have adapted in light of social justice and racial equity issues and how our leaders can harness their influence to make Long Island a better place for all. To view a recording of the event, click here (registration required). Fred Brewington Talks to Newsday about His Ongoing Fight For Equality Newsday featured Fred Brewington in a special section highlighting Black Long Islanders who are looking to make a difference. Mr. Brewington shared his experiences facing racism at an early age and talked about how he became a civil rights attorney. "I'm hopeful," he said. "After George Floyd and the protests, there is a real possibility for change, but we need to go at this with a jack hammer because people are slow to change and systems are slower to change." Click here to read the article. LIAFPA Drops Protest Docu-Rap "A Walk to the People's Plan" On February 13, Long Island Advocates for Police Accountability (LIAFPA) dropped "A Walk to the People's Plan," a nine-and-a-half "protest docu-rap" which tells the story of police reform on Long Island and the struggle on a walk to the People's Plan. LIAFPA is a coalition of organizations and individuals from Nassau and Suffolk Counties working to rethink how policing is conducted and to bring about meaningful change in these two counties. The coalition was formed in response to the murder of George Floyd and the recognition that too many people in communities of color have been and are the subjects of police misconduct that has for too long gone unchecked. "This piece is both art and an historical work intended to introduce the People's Plan and tell the story of how it came to be necessary to be written," said Frederick K. Brewington, principal of The Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington and a member of LIAFPA. To view the video, click here. IN THE NEWS A Black Electrician Found A Noose Hanging In His Workspace In New York’s Long Island, Attorney Says April 27, 2021 \| CNN LI Man: I Felt ’Fear and Disgust’ Over Noose April 25, 2021 \| Newsday The Evidence and Arguments That Won Chauvin’s Conviction April 21, 2021 \| Law 360 Grappling With Police Reform April 4, 2021 \| Newsday Long Island's 'People's Plan' for Police Reform March 31, 2021 \| WNYC "The Brian Lehrer Show" Thrown To Ground, Charged With Assault March 28, 2021 \| Newsday The County Where Cops Call The Shots March 26, 2021 \| The New York Times Family Files Suit Over Arrest March 25, 2021 \| Newsday Court Papers: Former County Legis. Joseph Scannell Sues County, Claiming False Arrest March 24, 2021 \| Newsday.com Nassau Legislature Approves Police Reform Plan; Body Camera Program Among Key Changes March 22, 2021 \| News 12 Nassau Police Reform Plan Approved In 16-3 Vote In County Legislature March 22, 2021 \| Newsday.com Police Reform Plan Lets Communities Down March 22, 2021 \| Newsday Activists: Plan Isn't Enough March 17, 2021 \| Newsday Community Activists: Suffolk Police Reform Plan Comes Up Short March 17, 2021 \| Newsday.com Transparency Denied: Why LI's Major Police Forces Patrol Without Widely Used Body Cameras March 12, 2021 \| Newsday.com Let's Play It Again, Suffolk March 7, 2021 \| Newsday Slur Alleged In Police Arrest March 5, 2021 \| Newsday Suffolk Officers Used Racial Slur While Assaulting Suspected Car Thief, Court Papers Say March 4, 2021 \| Newsday Attorney: Suffolk Officers Tried To Cover Up Controversial Arrest, All Present Should Be Removed From Force March 4, 2021 \| News 12 Long Island Man Kicked by Police Officers After Arrest to Sue, Demands Prosecution March 4, 2021 \| Eyewitness News Man Suing Suffolk County Police Over Alleged Civil Rights Violations After Violent Arrest March 4, 2021 \| Channel 2 News/WLNY-TV 10/55 Lawsuit: Suffolk County Police Lied, Abused Suspect, And Hid From Body Cameras March 4, 2021 \| WSHU Advocates Pitch 'People's Plan' Nassau PD Reform March 2021 \| Long Island Press Police Reform Advocates Present 'People's Plan' to Nassau Legislature February 25, 2021 \| Long Island Press The Inside Out — And Outside In — Of Reinventing Policing On Long Island February 22, 2021 \| Newsday.com Goal: Reinventing Policing On LI February 21, 2021 \| Newsday The Pulse Of Change February 21, 2021 \| Newsday 'People's Plan' For Reform February 19, 2021 \| Newsday Hempstead Town Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby Reflects On Making History In 1999 February 17, 2021 \| News 12 Federal Court Rules Police Discipline Records Can Be Made Public In New York February 16, 2021 \| News 12 New Software, New Data On Nassau Traffic Stops February 15, 2021 \| Newsday New Software Bringing New Data On Nassau Traffic Stops February 14, 2021 \| Newsday.com
556 Peninsula Blvd., Hempstead, New York 11550 \| Phone: 516-489-6959 \| Fax: 516-489-6958
Attorney Advertising DISCLAIMER: THIS NEWSLETTER IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS LEGAL ADVICE ON ANY MATTER. LEGAL COUNSEL SHOULD BE CONSULTED FOR ADVICE REGARDING ANY MATTER. COPYRIGHT © 2021 BY LAW OFFICES OF FREDERICK K. BREWINGTON