Nearly six months after burying her eldest son, Laverne Dobbinson was hit with a $710 bill to repair the NYPD Squad Car that hit him.
But instead of coughing up the cash, Dobbinson and her lawyer, Sanford Rubenstein, announced plans to file a $20 million dollar wrongful death lawsuit against the city.
"They just hurt my family even more," Dobbinson said at a news conference held Friday at Rubenstein's downtown Brooklyn office. " I can't even speak about it. I'm just overwhelmed by it and it's a form of disrespect."
Dobbinson's son, Tamon Robinson, was killed in April after leading police on a chase that ended in a collision near the Bayview Housing project in Canarsie. Authorities say the 27-year-old tried to flee after he was spotted illegally digging up decorative paving stones. It remains unclear if he accidentally collided with a squad car or was intentionally mowed down. A sizeable dent was left on the left side of the vehicle.
"There are witnesses who have been turned over to the district attorney's office who said they saw this police vehicle come into contact with him and pin him against the railing," Rubenstein said.
Dobbinson said the property damage claim she received not only sought payment for the damaged squad car, but threatened a lawsuit if it wasn't paid.
A lawyer for a collection firm confirmed that they received a property damage claim referred to them by the city, but said they stopped pursuing payment after being notified of Robinson's death.
Rubenstein said he will wait for a criminal investigation by the Brooklyn District attorney's office looking into the officer involved in the incident to wrap up before filing the lawsuit on Dobbinson's behalf.
