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Legal Aid Lawyer Claims Court Officer Smashed Her Head Into Wall
By
Ben Yakas
Published Mar 24, 2013
Modified Mar 24, 2013
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Mar 24, 2013
Modified Mar 24, 2013
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A Legal Aid lawyer claims that a belligerent Bronx courtroom officer smashed her head into the wall, causing her to have a concussion. Lawyer Elana Silberman, who has worked for Legal Aid Society since 1989, and witnesses told the News that court officer Babul Miah became enraged at her on March 14 for seemingly little reason. “What happened was unbelievable,” Silberman told them. “This has never happened to me before.”
Silberman, 50, said she had approached the bench and was talking to another prosecutor on the other side of the rail during a hearing that day. As they discussed a separate case, Miah told her she had to pipe down and take a seat, even though there were other lawyers standing and talking nearby. “For reasons I cannot explain, this officer started to get belligerent with Elana,” said one witness, who asked not to be identified. “She wasn’t doing anything wrong.”
Miah then screamed at her and demanded she leave the courtroom. “He was shouting at her from literally a foot behind,” another witness in the packed courtroom told the News. “He was trying to embarrass her.” Silberman says he violently shoved her from behind as she exited the courtroom, causing her to hit her head against a wall. Silberman was then cuffed and kept in custody for about 90 minutes; she was eventually released without being charged, and taken to the hospital where doctors told her she had suffered a concussion.
“We are extremely concerned about our lawyer and how she was treated,” said Steven Banks, the Legal Aid Society’s attorney-in-chief. “The condition and safety of our entire staff is of great concern to us.” A court spokesman said, “we are trying to determine exactly what transpired” during the "unfortunate incident." At least one fellow Bronx court officer praised Miah: “He’s a stand-up guy,” the officer told the News. “And he’s kind of a hero around here now.”
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Elana Silberman
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Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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