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Ex-Cop Who Claims She Was Sexually Preyed-Upon By NYPD Chief Will Sue For $100 Million
By
Miranda Katz
Published May 26, 2016
Modified May 26, 2016
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By
Miranda Katz
Published May 26, 2016
Modified May 26, 2016
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The retired police officer who, earlier this month, took to social media to accuse a married Brooklyn NYPD chief of sleeping with her and other subordinates, now intends to sue the city for $100 million, claiming that the NYPD knew about the officer's conduct but did nothing to stop it.
Tabatha Foster retired from the NYPD in August of 2015 on disability pension after suffering a stroke, but prior to that, she worked under Jeffrey Maddrey, who was made head of the NYPD Patrol Borough Brooklyn North last year. According to the notice of claim filed yesterday, Maddrey repeatedly subjected Foster to unwanted sexual advances beginning in 2009, and at one point physically assaulted her to the extent that she feared for her life.
In November of 2009, Maddrey began inviting Foster into his office more frequently, at one point kissing her, her lawyer said. Foster's job responsibilities mostly pertained to the arrest process, but according to her attorney, Maddrey would invite her into his office under the pretense of doing work related to CompStat, which didn't fall under her job description.
When she was five months pregnant, he allegedly pulled her into his office, locked the door, and had unprotected sex with her. In social media posts made earlier this month, Foster wrote that Maddrey "loves pregnant girls," and that "somebody needs to stop chasing pregnant married girls around the department...What is wrong with this guy?"
Because Foster had a history of sexual assault, having been molested by a family member as a child and raped by another family member as an adult, she suffers from PTSD and couldn't properly consent to having sex with Maddrey, the claim states. Maddrey was allegedly aware of Foster's history and used that knowledge to exploit her.
Foster's lawyer is Eric Sanders, a civil rights attorney and former police officer himself who's best known for suing the NYPD. Earlier this year, he won $15 million for a Queens cop who sued the city after his fellow officers beat him up while he was off duty. He's also helped a former officer accused of rape file suit against his accuser.
"People think this stuff doesn't happen," Sanders said today, in reference to Foster's allegations. "I worked in the police department. I know how this happens...They want to make her look crazy. I used to [work on] sex crimes when I was in the police department. They always try to make women look crazy."
Indeed, tabloid reports on Foster's allegations have repeatedly cited unnamed sources "close to Maddrey" who claim that Foster had been stalking and harassing him for two years and argue that "she's just trying to sell her story. She wants to be the next Beyoncé, and she is going to drag the chief's name through the mud to do it."
But Foster's lawyer says that Maddrey's behavior is indicative of larger problems within the NYPD. The department knew about Maddrey's sexual exploitation of his subordinates, the notice of claim alleges, as well as other high-ranking officers' similar behavior, but didn't intervene. When police officers from the 106th precinct encountered Maddrey beating Foster in Tudor Park on December 7th, 2015, they didn't intervene, Sanders said, which he believes is because Maddrey held a superior rank to them.
"He's a chief—what are they gonna do to him?" Sanders said. "They know how the game is played."
The notice of claim further alleges that after Maddrey suspected that Foster's then-husband had notified the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau about what was happening, the then-husband was fired from the department. In another Facebook post, Foster wrote that "somebody got my ex-husband fired and f----- up my child support."
The NYPD referred inquiries about Foster's allegations to the city's Law Department, which said that it will review the notice of claim. Sanders said that if the city doesn't respond within 30 days, he'll officially file suit on Foster's behalf. They're seeking $25 million in damages for emotional distress, and $75 million for assault and battery.
Tagged
jeffrey maddrey
lawsuit
nypd
tabatha foster
Miranda Katz
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