Brooklyn Criminal Assaults NYPD with a Machete. But Then He Gets an Unexpected ‘Gift’ from the City.

Posted 2015-01-30 15:22 by Grunt Report with 0 comments

Apparently in New York City, crime actually pays. Ruhim Ullah, who was shot in the leg while attempting to attack police officers with a machete in 2010, recently received a $5,000 settlement from the city.

After the altercation with police officers, Ullah pled guilty to “menacing,” but then promptly filed a $3,000,000 lawsuit against the city accusing the police officers of wrongdoing:

Despite his admission of guilt, Ullah still filed a $3 million lawsuit, accusing the officers of wrongdoing.

But despite witnesses who described him as armed, the city offered a $5,000 settlement to get rid of the flimsy suit, despite the message their action sends — that crime, and potentially deadly force against cops, can pay.

NYC Law Department spokesman Nick Paolucci told the New York Post it was in the city’s best interest to print a check. Meanwhile, the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association spokesman Al O’Leary is livid.

 “This is one of the many frivolous lawsuits that the city prefers to settle because it’s cheaper than defending it in court.”

It’s a rising trend. During his first year in office, NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio’s government paid out a record $732 million in legal costs for the 2014 fiscal year, an increase of 40% from prior years. As Carol Kellerman, president of the Citizens Budget Commission, put it:

“It’s a dramatic increase that’s worrisome because it indicates the new administration may be evaluating cases differently… You walk a fine line between cleaning up backlog and giving New Yorkers the message that you can sue and get a windfall.”

Justified or not, looks like New York City can add Ullah’s $5,000 settlement to a long list of payouts, including more to come, for the De Blasio administration.