Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
OWS Protester Who Had Her Breast Grabbed By NYPD Sergeant Gets $95K Settlement
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Sep 8, 2015
Modified Oct 12, 2017
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Sep 8, 2015
Modified Oct 12, 2017
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
An Occupy Wall Street protester who had her breast grabbed by an NYPD sergeant has won a $95,000 settlement from the city after arguing that "the police department demonstrated a pattern of sexual misconduct against female OWS activists."
Cressa Perloff was arrested on March 17th, 2012, while she stood on the sidewalk during a demonstration to commemorate the six-month anniversary of OWS.
In a statement, Perloff's attorney, Rebecca Heinegg, says that video from that date shows that NYPD Sergeant Joseph Catapano "grabbed her breast purposefully, dragged her into the street by her breast and hair, and arrested her."
Catapano claimed that Perloff, who had never been arrested before, was trying to steal his badge, though he later admitted that this was untrue.
According to Heinegg's release, "In his deposition, Catapano stated that he had not received training on sex crimes since 2000 and that he believed 'you grab whatever means necessary to affect an arrest.'" (Catapano has since retired.)
Perloff later refused to submit to an NYPD iris scan, and the judge set her bail at $1,000; three months later, the charges against her were dropped.
Two months after her arrest, Perloff says another NYPD officer looked her in the eye and called her an "ugly cunt." In a civil suit, Perloff's attorneys pointed to similar cases, including Cecily McMillian's, to show that the NYPD had repeatedly sexual assaulted female OWS protesters.
In an email, a spokesperson for the Law Department said, "Settlement was best for the city."
“Friends ask me if it feels like I’m finally getting to close this chapter. I say no, not at all," Perloff, who suffers from PTSD, says in the statement. "This one incident and its repercussions continue to hugely affect my life, and I’m only just beginning to accept the person I am now.”
Tagged
Cressa Perloff
occupy wall street
ows
original
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 4:22 p.m. ET
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .