Handcuffed Nurse settles for $78,000

LockportRN · Mar 11, 2010, 08:24 PM

Originally Posted by SmilingBluEyes

If it had been me, I would have found a lawyer really interested in my case (and that would not have been hard to do) and gotten a much more meaningful settlement that was not only involved in cash. I would hope to see some people out of a job in that department, for starters. But that is me. I would not have sat still for being assaulted and humiliated this way and taken just this kind of settlement. Nurses take enough just doing the job without this kind of hassle. It would have been about a lot more than money for me. This would be about sending a message so my brothers and sisters in nursing would not have to endure this again.

That's easier said than done. I had a situation with another PD. What I was told by several lawyers is that while I definitely had a case to sue this particular PD, as my Civil Rights were blatantly violated, this PD was 'corrupt' and had long memories. It was advised that I move out of state or at the very least several towns away for my own continued safety and protection and that of my teenage children. This is something that I, as a single mother, was not prepared financially to do. It is one thing to go after a PD when everything is caught on tape and put on the news stations, it is a totally other thing when the plaintiff has to go home alone. If the cop could be that bold and break the law so blantantly in front of others, just what do you think he is capable of when nobody is looking? You might think that you are strong and can fight but how do you fight someone with the power to take away your very freedom? Someone who carries a gun, has been trained to shoot it and is in a profession that killing another is seen as 'protecting' the community? When you consider this, it is not so easy to take on an officer nor all of their cronies.

mentor.ruby · Mar 11, 2010, 09:53 PM

Where was your manager or administrator? Did the hospital assist immediately?

Jennybrie · Mar 12, 2010, 01:05 PM

I grew up in a law enforcement family and I can tell you that this officer definetly did not follow the code to "protect and serve". This officer is a disgrace to law enforcement and if that PD condones his actions then they are just as guilty as the officer who performed the deplorable act.

Don't forget that their are good cops out there that put their lives on the line everyday for you and me. Unfortunately the bad apples are found in every professional basket. Hopefully the settlement will wake up employers of the PD and weed out the undesirable, power hungry, wanabes.

*leslie :-D* · Mar 12, 2010, 05:33 PM

the 'brotherhood' of pd's (throughout the nation) is very, very tight.
they watch out for ea other, whether they support them or not.

that said, i would not have taken this lightly.
of course, i have a big mouth and bigger temper.

leslie

Kooky Korky · Mar 12, 2010, 06:41 PM

Originally Posted by rjflyn

People asked where was the nursing supervisor, if I recall this correctly when it occurred the nurse involved was the ED nurse supervisor. That said everyday we as ED nurses tx patents and register them at the same time, sounds like this turned in to a ******* match between an officer and the nurse and the officer abused his power to the tune of $78,000.

Shoot I do these draws myself on a weekly basis and the officers' paperwork gives me plenty of time to register the person, and if theirs doesn't, someone in that department isnt doing their job.

I was wondering about this, too. Did the nurse make it unnecessarily cumbersome to get the blood drawn? We don't know, I was just trying to figure out how this happened in the first place.

If the nurse was totally in the right, I think a million is more appropriate. And the officer should be punished.

That said, if the nurse was putting up roadblocks, well, I just know that, when I was an ER nurse, I tried to get the prisoners in and out. I couldn't see why police should have to sit in the ER for several hours with them and they were always grateful to me for doing whatever I could to speed up the process. Of course, a friend of mine, an older woman, took exception to letting prisoners go ahead of others (like her, elderly, frail)! You can't win, can you?

Ace587RN · Mar 12, 2010, 07:06 PM

Originally Posted by Jennybrie

I grew up in a law enforcement family and I can tell you that this officer definetly did not follow the code to "protect and serve". This officer is a disgrace to law enforcement and if that PD condones his actions then they are just as guilty as the officer who performed the deplorable act.

Don't forget that their are good cops out there that put their lives on the line everyday for you and me. Unfortunately the bad apples are found in every professional basket. Hopefully the settlement will wake up employers of the PD and weed out the undesirable, power hungry, wanabes.

Agree ,this one is a bad apple out of the bunch. I have mad respect for cops

chicagoNIT · Mar 13, 2010, 04:59 PM

$78,000 for what she went through is chump change, considering that she probably had to hire a lawyer and go through h*** that is negotiating with the Chicago Police Department and the court system here (which hugely favors CPD cops - big surprise).

All in all, this is not surprising that this happened. Nor is this a case of 'one bad apple.' Take a look any day of the week to see what the CPD is up to - beating up women bartenders, writing false parking tickets, getting let off for drunk driving...I doubt that this cop got much more than a slap on the wrist. The CPD is incredibly corrupt and they stick to their own, through thick and thin. It's a pretty sad state of affairs.

Kudos to the nurse for pursuing justice.

Care2be · Mar 13, 2010, 10:46 PM

Originally Posted by tejas-nurse

It would've been nice if she had gotten a cool mil. Put that into 10 FDIC insured bank accounts earning interest...

I think you meant to say 5 FDIC insured bank accounts, lol.

It's no longer $100,000 FDIC insurance per account, it's been raised to $250,000 for some time now, just fyi.

BabyLady · Mar 14, 2010, 03:23 AM

Originally Posted by newlpn08

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/0..._n_484696.html

According to the Huffington Post and other news organizations, Lisa Hofstra, the nurse who was handcuffed and put in the back of the police car for refusing to draw blood on demand, has settled her lawsuit for $78,000. I think she let them off lightly, but I am glad she got some restitution for her ordeal. Now, I just hope the cop got fired. In my opinion, law officers should have better judgment than this cop had.

Most police departments only require a GED, clean criminal history and you to be 21 and BOOM, you can be a police officer.

That is a lot of power to give someone, with bare minimum requirements.

That is why you hear about stories like this....I'm not saying that all cops are like this by any means...but people shouldn't be surprised.