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By Josh Saul Two Brooklyn cops sideswiped a parked SUV, then arrested a man sitting in the passenger seat of the vehicle, accusing him of damaging their car, a suit charges. And the officers would have gotten away with their lie – had the whole bizarre drama not been caught by a security camera. Robert Jackson, 31, told The Post his nightmare began when a police car heading the wrong way on one-way Watkins Street in Brownsville scraped against a parked Ford Explorer, which belongs to his girlfriend. Jackson, a maintenance worker, said he was sitting in the legally parked car outside of his apartment when the accident happened. He got out of the vehicle and walked up to the officers. “I was smiling, like, ‘How’d you run into me?’ ” he recalled. “Then the cop said, ‘Dude, you ran into me.’ ” “I just wanted them to fix the damage and apologize, but it didn’t turn out that way,” Jackson said. “They were trying to cover it up.” At that point, things got even more surreal. 1. A police car drives the wrong way on a Brooklyn street, toward a parked SUV, in surveillance video. 2. The cruiser squeezes past but scrapes the SUV, in which passenger Robert Jackson was sitting. 3. With the cruiser tucked out of the way behind the SUV, a truck has enough room to rumble past. 4. Jackson stands outside the SUV after confronting the cops, who he said checked for cameras. The two cops checked the block for surveillance cameras before arresting him for destruction of city property, according to the lawsuit filed by Jackson in Brooklyn Supreme Court. “When they thought no cameras were on. I saw their gloves go on, and that’s when I was arrested,” Jackson said. But fortunately for Jackson, the officers, Christopher Oliver and Shazad Shigri, missed one camera on the home of one of his neighbors, Jackson said. The video, reviewed by The Post, corroborates Jackson’s story. It shows the police car going the wrong way down the street on April 17, 2013, and scraping the parked SUV as the officers try to make room for a truck to pass. Though charges were eventually dropped, Jackson had to spend a night in a “filthy, overpopulated, rat- and rodent-infested cell,” his suit says. “The officer who arrested me said if I took care of the expense on my vehicle, they would take care of their vehicle and I wouldn’t have gotten arrested,” Jackson recounted. “He knew he was wrong.” The NYPD referred comment to the city Law Department. The city Law Department said only, “We will review the complaint.” The suit charges that the officers “falsely claimed that was operating the parked motor vehicle and that caused the parked motor vehicle to strike the NYPD vehicle.” Jackson was arrested for destruction of city property, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, the suit states. But he was officially charged only with unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle because he had a suspended license. The criminal complaint drafted against Jackson says he had the keys in the ignition – which could support the unlicensed-operator charge – when the crash happened, but Jackson said that’s not true. “If he’s claiming that he was not in the driver’s seat and the car was not on – if either of those claims are truthful, then he wasn’t operating the car under the law,” said Todd Greenberg, a defense attorney and expert on traffic law who is not involved in the case. The suit, which names the city and the two police officers, seeks unspecified monetary damages.

January 16, 2014 Addabbo & Greenberg, along with a New York City law firm, prevailed in a mediation in a labor law case which settled for $3.25 million dollars. The Plaintiff worked for a boiler repair firm that was contracted to do excavation work at a major automobile dealership in Manhattan. While the Plaintiff was using a blow-torch near an abandoned underground fuel tank, the tank exploded causing serious burns to the Plaintiff. Attorney Dominic L. Addabbo interviewed our client at the hospital shortly after the incident and we immediately began our investigation by obtaining statements from witnesses which were instrumental in negotiating the final settlement. The New York personal injury attorneys at Addabbo & Greenberg argued that the owner of the building and the general contractor failed to provide a safe work environment. Once again, knowledge of the law and persistence in court has resulted in a most favorable settlement for our client.

Queens Attorney Todd Greenberg, President of the Assistant District Attorney’s Association of Queens County, presents award to the Honorable Roger Rosengarten, Justice of the Supreme Court, Queens County, in Honor of his service, upon Judge Rosengarten’s retirement. The award was presented at our Holiday Dinner Meeting on December 5 th, 2013. Our best wishes to our friend Rodger Rosengarten on his retirement.

On June 27th, 2013, Personal Injury Attorney Dominic Addabbo settled a slip and fall case for our client, a 60 year old woman, against a contractor who was doing work for the City of New York. The Plaintiff drove to work and parked in an area which was recently excavated and then temporarily repaved. However, the new pavement was approximately one inch lower causing Plaintiff to lose her step and fall fracturing her leg in two places. While in the hospital, Plaintiff developed a MRSA Infection which cause additional hospitalization and necessitated surgery which left a serious scar on her stomach. Although the Defendant argued that the misleveling was minimal and not actionable, the personal injury and accident attorneys at Addabbo and Greenberg argued that the totality of the circumstances constituted a trap which caused the Plaintiff to fall. Dominic Addabbo was prepared to go to Trial in this matter when, immediately prior to Jury selection, the case settled for $500,000.00. Once again, preparation, knowledge of the law, along with dedication to our clients, resulted in an extremely favorable recovery.

A Queens County Jury returned a “Not Guilty” verdict on Assault First Degree charges and all lesser offenses against a Defendant charged with hitting another patron of a club over the head with a champagne bottle. Despite the fact that the injuries were severe, Queens Criminal Attorney Todd D. Greenberg mounted a self-defense defense along with the mitigating circumstance that the Defendant was intoxicated and could not form intent to injure. After a three-week trial which involved several witnesses, including police officers, bouncers, and a video tape, the Jury returned a verdict of “Not Guilty” of all counts. Once again, dedication, knowledge of the law and hard work resulted in a jury acquittal for Queens Criminal attorney Todd D. Greenberg’s client. For the best possible results, call Addabbo and Greenberg.

Read it here.

After a one month Jury Trial in Brooklyn that presented expert toxicology testimony by the District Attorney, attorney Todd Greenberg’s client was found “NOT GUILTY” of Aggravated Vehicular Homicide and all Intoxicated related charges. It was alleged that the Defendant, after consuming one 23oz. can of Four Loko (equal to between 4 to 6 beers), sped down Ocean Avenue at 65 miles per hour while drag racing with two other cars, passing red lights, and causing a fatality and a serious physical injury to his passenger. The cross-examination of the prosecutions’ expert by Mr. Greenberg caused the Jury to totally disregard the Toxicologist’s testimony that at the time of the accident the Defendant’s Blood Alcohol Concentration was between 0.08% and 0.09% and that he was Intoxicated. The Jury rejected the Intoxication evidence entirely which was a major victory for the defense. The offer before Trial was eight and one third to twenty-five years which was rejected. Although the Defendant was found “not guilty” of Aggravated Vehicular Homicide and related charges, he was found guilty of recklessly causing the death of another, Manslaughter in the Second Degree. Due to the hard work, knowledge of blood alcohol content issues and the trial skills of defense attorney Todd Greenberg, the Defendant was acquitted of the most serious charges against him and his potential prison sentence was greatly reduced.

After years of litigation, on February 19th, 2013, a Justice of the Supreme Court, Queens County, granted Addabbo and Greenberg’s client suppression of a gun found in a draw in his bedroom. At the Probable Cause Hearing, attorney Todd Greenberg argued that the District Attorney failed to present any evidence concerning the information to support a reasonable belief that an offense was committed by this Defendant. Instead, the District Attorney relied on the Doctrine of “Collateral Estoppel” from another case. In the Brief filed by Addabbo and Greenberg, argued that collateral estoppel should not apply. Supreme Court agreed and since collateral estoppel did not apply, and the People failed to present the necessary evidence, the gun and a statement was suppressed as being obtained in violation of our client’s Constitutional Rights. Once again, knowledge of the Law and skillful brief writing has led to the best result possible for a client of Addabbo and Greenberg.

The Defendant, a 32-year-old female, was acquitted of Kidnapping, Robbery and Assault, all Class B Felonies, but found Guilty of Reckless Endangerment. The District Attorney alleged that the Defendant lured the Complainant into a vehicle, drove him to Manhattan, where he was robbed and assaulted by another person secreted in the vehicle. Queens Criminal defense attorney Todd Greenberg argued that based upon a mental disease and defect the Defendant did not have the intent to kidnap, rob or assault. The plea offer prior to trial was ten years. The Defendant was acquitted of the most serious Felonies and found “guilty” of a Class “D” Felony and subsequently was sentenced to six (6) months incarceration and probation. Once again, with preparation, diligence and knowledge of the defense of mental disease or defect, Attorney Todd Greenberg helped his client present the complicated facts of her case which led to an acquittal of the most serious charges.

On October 9, 2012, immediately prior to Jury Selection, a Nassau County Hospital settled with a woman who was misdiagnosed with Breast Cancer after her biopsy results were mixed up with another woman. In a confidential settlement, the Hospital acknowledged that Addabbo and Greenberg’s client’s name had been put on the tissue sample of a different patient. Our client had to undergo an unnecessary lumpectomy and then discovered she was cancer free. The settlement reflects the extreme emotional stress of a cancer diagnosis, as well as the psychological trauma she suffered after learning about the mislabeling, as well as scarring of the Breast. Personal Injury Attorney Todd Greenberg states that his client appreciates the Hospital acknowledging it’s error and that the Hospital has corrected it’s procedures so that a mishap of this nature will not occur again. Personal Injury Attorney Todd Greenberg has secured a favorable settlement for his injured client based on hard work, persistence and knowledge of the law. For the best results in a Personal Injury case, call Addabbo and Greenberg.

The Defendant, the alleged bookmaker head of a Criminal Gambling Enterprise, was indicted for Enterprise Corruption and Money Laundering, accused of participating in a multimillion-dollar offshore sports betting operation. The Indictment, filed in Queens County, alleged that the Defendant and twenty-nine co-conspirators unlawfully operated a sports betting enterprise that stretched from Queens County to Nevada and from Rochester to Florida. After hiring two other attorneys who advised the Defendant to Plead Guilty to a Felony with a Jail Term, the Defendant hired Todd D. Greenberg, Esq. to represent him. Immediately, extensive motion practice began and Mr. Greenberg argued that the Queens County Court lack jurisdiction over his client who never even stepped foot into Queens County and was not “acting in concert” with any of the other co-conspirators. During the extensive Motion Practice, a plea bargain was reached and the Enterprise Corruption charge, which carried twenty-five years in jail, was dismissed and Mr. Greenberg’s client was permitted to plead guilty to a “Class A” Misdemeanor, and was sentenced to a conditional discharge. There was also a forfeiture of the sum of the monies seized. Instead of facing a serious jail term and a Felony conviction, all Felonies were dismissed and the case was resolved with a Misdemeanor plea. Based on Mr. Greenberg’s extensive knowledge of the law and persistence in fighting for his client, the best result was achieved.