Suspended Boston Cop Sues City

Headline Legal News

Courthouse News reports that a Boston police officer who called Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. a "banana-eating jungle monkey" in an email he sent to a Boston Globe columnist says the city and its police commissioner violated his rights by suspending him. Justin Barrett sued the city in Federal Court.

Barrett claims he was "off duty from the Boston Police Department, at a private home and using a privately owned computer" when he sent the email.

Police Commissioner Edward Davis suspended Barrett with pay and sent officers to Barrett's home to confiscate his badge and gun.

Barrett says the mayor and police commissioner caused him pain and suffering, mental anguish, emotional distress, post-traumatic stress, sleeplessness, indignities and embarrassment, degradation, injury to reputation, and restrictions on personal freedom.

He wants them enjoined from decreasing, terminating, or withholding any wages or benefits for the duration of the litigation. He also seeks attorney's fees and punitive damages.

Related listings

  • 11-Word Press Snippets Might Violate Copyright

    11-Word Press Snippets Might Violate Copyright

    Headline Legal News 07/30/2009

    According to Courthouse News, a Danish press-clipping company could be violating copyright by printing out 11-word snippets of news articles, the European Court of Justice ruled. The Luxembourg-based court remanded the issue to Denmark for a determin...

  • Sotomayor Running Out Of Potential GOP Support

    Sotomayor Running Out Of Potential GOP Support

    Headline Legal News 07/28/2009

    According to The National Law Journal, the chances are dwindling that a substantial number of Republicans will vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, after a key GOP senator announced his opposition Monday morning. Sen. Jeff Sessions,...

  • Lawyer Says LexisNexis Charges Sneaky Fees

    Lawyer Says LexisNexis Charges Sneaky Fees

    Headline Legal News 07/24/2009

    Courthouse News reports that Reed Elsevier, which owns and operates the LesixNexis legal research site, charges subscribers extra fees for searches without warning them, an attorney claims in a federal class action. Andrew Dieden claims subscribers a...

Business News