Brooklyn

Mother Who Had Son Ripped From Her Arms by NYPD Gets $625K Settlement from NYC

Officers responding to a call about a dispute with a guard at a benefits office in Brooklyn in December 2018 pulled Jazmine Headley's 18-month-old son away from her

A mother whose child was yanked from her arms at the hands of NYPD officers inside a Brooklyn administrative building has been awarded a $625,000 settlement from New York City, officials confirmed.

Jazmine Headley was seeking unspecified damages in her federal suit, filed back in August in Brooklyn.

Officers responding to a call about a dispute with a guard at a benefits office in Brooklyn in December 2018 pulled Headley's 18-month-old son away from her. Her lawsuit says the child suffered physical, mental and other injuries.

The lawsuit also said Headley's name and image will forever be associated with the "traumatic and violent experience" and her privacy and her son's privacy are permanently compromised.

In a statement, the city said the officers failed to treat Headley with "the dignity and respect she deserved," according to de Blasio spokeswoman Olivia Lapeyrolerie.

“While this injustice should have never happened, it forced a reckoning with how we treat our most vulnerable and prompted us to make reforms at HRA Centers across the City," the letter continued. "We hope this settlement brings Ms. Headley and her family a degree of closure."

The lawsuit noted a variety of city officials condemned the treatment Headley received.

City Council members offered public apologies in February.

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