Justin Blitz, a Lawline.com faculty member, was featured in the New York Post today as a client of his is planning on suing the New York City Police Department who allegedly beat and sprayed him with mace while he was handcuffed in June 2008.  Mr. Blitz's client, Raphael Jefferson, was stopped by cops after they approached him while he was talking with an acquaintance outside a store. Mr. Jefferson had just finished work doing demolition at a job site when he was stopped by the police. His acquaintance had been drinking a beer and as the cops approached, Jefferson began to walk away.  Though Jefferson had not been drinking, the cops walked after him, eventually stopping him, throwing him up against the hood of a car and handcuffing him.

Video, taken from neighbors who witnessed the incident, serves as evidence of the beating.  After being handcuffed, Jefferson was verbally harassed, maced in the eyes, beaten with batons and kicked.  He spent two days in a jail cell, pleaded guilty to disorderly contact, and was let out on time served.  Now Justin Blitz, Jefferson’s attorney, has filed a notice of claim against the city on behalf of Mr. Jefferson.

The next step in the process will come when Mr. Blitz will file suit after the 5-H hearing that is scheduled to take place in the next couple of weeks. They will be looking for an undisclosed amount of money from the city to pay for Mr. Jefferson’s injuries that were sustained that night.