A resident of New York City has filed a police misconduct lawsuit against the city of New York and three officers: Brandon S. Lefcourt, Keith A. Meisner, and Sergeant Alicea V. Venus.
The complaint filed by plaintiff Christina J. Rodriguez describes an incident on February 11, 2025, when she was driving to work and was involved in a collision with an NYPD vehicle driven by Officers Lefcourt and Meisner. The police vehicle allegedly struck her car and left the scene without stopping. When the officers later returned, Rodriguez requested an accident report and was allegedly subjected to retaliatory actions, including an unlawful stop and arrest. The officers cited a warrant for a person named "Christina C. Rodriguez," although the plaintiff claims she was not the individual named in the warrant.
Rodriguez alleges multiple violations of her constitutional rights under the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments, as well as violations of New York City Administrative Code § 8-802. The complaint accuses the officers of false arrest without probable cause and excessive force, specifically through the use of handcuffs that were applied too tightly and caused ongoing physical pain. She further alleges that her questioning of the officers’ conduct after the accident prompted retaliatory actions.
Rodriguez seeks compensatory damages of $500,000 for each cause of action, including those related to false arrest and excessive force. She is also seeking punitive damages against the individual officers, as well as attorneys’ fees and costs under 42 U.S.C. § 1988 and NYC Administrative Code § 8-805(2).
The plaintiff is represented by attorney Fred Lichtmacher of The Law Office of Fred Lichtmacher P.C. The case was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York under case ID 1:25-cv-0303.