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Ex-NYPD Cop Who Claims He Was Bullied For Hip Surgery Gets $250,000 Payout From City
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Nov 16, 2020
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Francis Dean/Shutterstock
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Nov 16, 2020
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An ex-NYPD officer who says he was bullied by his former colleagues after undergoing hip surgery has reached a settlement with city lawyers for $250,000.
Gregory Hamilton, who spent 17 years with the NYPD, filed the suit in federal court last year, alleging a hostile workplace within the department's medical division. According to the complaint, Hamilton was placed on restrictive duty in 2016 following a hip surgery.
In his new role, the suit claims, he was frequently mocked for his "perceived disability" by NYPD medical personnel. One NYPD nurse repeatedly referred to him as "disabled Greg," while another supervisor forced him to wear a tutu and tiara on his birthday "against his protests," according to the complaint.
Even though Hamilton claimed he was fit to work, NYPD doctors soon recommended him for disability retirement — an act of retaliation for his complaints about workplace bullying, according to the suit.
The designation cost Hamilton several thousand dollars in lost pension money, according to his attorney, John Scola.
"He's not disabled, he never was disabled, we believe the NYPD was in the wrong," Scola told Gothamist. "We’re happy with the outcome."
The NYPD referred comment to the city's Law Department, which confirmed the settlement amount. The spokesperson would not provide other details, beyond stating that “settling this case was in the best interest of the city.”
The NYPD is currently facing several lawsuits for workplace harassment and discrimination. This past summer, NYPD Chief Lori Pollock, one of the department's highest-ranking women, sued Police Commissioner Dermot Shea, alleging a longstanding policy of discrimination against women.
An NYPD detective in Brooklyn has also filed a $1.3 million lawsuit claiming his fellow cops called Black people "monkeys" and referred to Muslim co-workers the "Taliban."
And earlier this month, a high-ranking NYPD executive charged with rooting out workplace harassment was outed by the City Council as a prolific online racist. He has since been suspended.
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lawsuit
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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