Shoplifter's Broken Ankle Gets Him $510,000 in NYC Lawsuit: 'I'm Doing Great,' Says Kevin Jarmon
A shoplifter's broken ankle resulted in him getting a $510,000 payout from New York City after winning a lawsuit Wednesday. Kevin Jarman, a 50-year-old unemployed chef, was arrested and fell while handcuffed, breaking his ankle, but since the verdict he says he's "doing great."
The shoplifter broke his ankle while stealing from Pathmark in Queens in May of 2011, according to The New York Post. Jarman, who is 6-foot-2, claimed in his lawsuit that the officer arresting him, 5-foot-5 Sgt. Samuel Morales, "appeared to be afraid of Plaintiff because of his size" but got mean when he put the handcuffs on.
"Sergeant Morales, in effect, tripped Plaintiff," the lawsuit read, resulting in a broken ankle and a 9-day stay in Jamaica Hospital. Jarman also claims that the NYPD officers laughed at him when he fell.
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A jury awarded Jarman $510,000 for the incident— something he was very satisfied with.
"I'm doing great," he told the New York Post.
"This shows that a regular person who has his rights violated can still go to court and do something," his lawyer Anthony Ofodile added.
However, not everyone was happy with the verdict.
"Some of these verdicts are just nuts," a law enforcement source who spoke under the condition of anonymity said. "There's no rhyme or reason to the figure they come up with. These guys are getting huge paydays, and for what? A broken ankle? Half a million? To a shoplifter? It's getting out of control."
Jarman himself has been infamously litigious against the NYPD involving criminal allegations. He sued them in 2005 for false arrest after charges were dropped from a drug sale and settled for $15,000, then sued again in 2013 for false arrest on a different drug sale and won $20,000.
Though the crook has been awarded $510,000, the victory may not last.
"We are going to fight this verdict," senior city lawyer Muriel Goode-Trufant said.
