Man, 36, who was paralyzed in the back of a police van wins $45 MILLION settlement from Connecticut city after cops mocked him and accused him of lying about his injuries
- New Haven, Connecticut, agreed to pay Randy Cox $45million after he became paralyzed while being transported to jail in handcuffs
- It came two days after the city fired two police officers who authorities said treated Cox, 36, recklessly
- The five New Haven police officers were charged with second-degree reckless endangerment and cruelty to persons. They pleaded not guilty
A man who was paralyzed in the back of a police van has received a $45million settlement from the city after officers mocked him and accused him of lying about his injuries.
New Haven, Connecticut, agreed to pay Randy Cox $45million after he became paralyzed while being transported to jail in handcuffs and without a seat belt in the back of a police van following his arrest last year, the city’s mayor and attorneys said Saturday.
The agreement was reached Friday evening following a daylong conference with a federal magistrate judge, Mayor Justin Elicker said. It came two days after the city fired two police officers who authorities said treated Cox, 36, recklessly and without compassion.
‘The city’s mistakes have been well documented,’ a statement by attorneys Ben Crump, Louis Rubano and R.J. Weber, who represented Cox, said. ‘But today is a moment to look to the future, so New Haven residents can have confidence in their city and their police department.’
Cox, 36, was left paralyzed from the chest down June 19, 2022, when the police van he was riding in braked hard, sending him head-first into a metal partition while his hands were cuffed behind his back. Cox had been arrested on charges of threatening a woman with a gun, which were later dismissed.
New Haven, Connecticut, agreed to pay Randy Cox, 36, (pictured) $45million after he became paralyzed while being transported to jail
Cox was left paralyzed from the chest down June 19, 2022, when the police van he was riding in braked hard, sending him head-first into a metal partition while his hands were cuffed behind his back.
‘I can’t move. I’m going to die like this. Please, please, please help me,’ Cox said minutes after the crash, according to police video.
Once at the police station, officers mocked Cox and accused him of being drunk and faking his injuries, according to surveillance and body-worn camera footage. Officers dragged Cox by his feet out of the van and placed him in a holding cell prior to his eventual transfer to a hospital.
Five officers, including those who were fired, face criminal charges in the case. The five New Haven police officers were charged with second-degree reckless endangerment and cruelty to persons. They were placed on administrative leave after the incident. All have pleaded not guilty.
Officer Oscar Diaz was the driver of the van, and was accompanied by Sergeant Betsy Segui. Officers Ronald Pressley, Jocelyn Lavandier and Luis Rivera were working in the detention area when Cox was dragged to a holding cell in a wheelchair.
The officers turned themselves in at a state police barracks in November. Each was processed, posted a $25,000 bond and are due back in court December 8, according to a news release from state police.
In September, Cox’s lawyer Ben Crump, who has represented the families of George Floyd, Breanna Taylor, and Trayvon Martin, said he was suing police for $100million. His attorneys called the settlement the largest ever in a police misconduct case.
Since the horrifying ordeal, Cox has had multiple surgeries
The settlement came two days after the city fired two police officers who authorities said treated Cox recklessly The five New Haven police officers were charged with second-degree reckless endangerment and cruelty to persons. They pleaded not guilty
Crump said the city should take responsibility to what happened and said multiple times that ‘it should have been unnecessary for Cox to file a lawsuit.’
He said: ‘If we say, we respect Randy Cox’s life and respect Randy Cox’s life experiences … then we have to show that by action, not just by rhetoric, not just say we care about Black lives, but we have an actual duty in New Haven and throughout America to actually show that we believe black lives matter.’
Crump said Cox suffers ‘mental anguish that is probably worse than death itself,’ the Hartford Courant reported.
Since the horrifying ordeal, Cox has had multiple surgeries.
Crump said that to give Cox ‘a basic quality of life’ would cost $20 million to $30 million, including retrofitting a van and 24-hour care.
Cox did not plan to make any public comments over the weekend, Rubano said.
‘He kind of relived what happened to him throughout the day yesterday, so it was a very emotional day,’ the attorney said by phone. ‘He’s unwinding now.’
The case drew outrage from civil rights advocates like the NAACP
The case drew outrage from civil rights advocates like the NAACP, along with comparisons to the Freddie Gray case in Baltimore. Cox is black, while all five officers who were arrested are black or Hispanic. Gray, who also was black, died in 2015 after he suffered a spinal injury while handcuffed and shackled in a city police van.
New Haven police have since adopted reforms that include making sure all prisoners wear seat belts. The State Senate gave final approval to legislation that would require seat belts for all prisoners being transported on June 5.
‘Randy entered a police transport vehicle being able to walk, and now he’s not able to walk,’ Elicker said at a news conference Saturday. He said he had spoken with Cox’s mother earlier in the day.
‘What I shared with her is that while this settlement cannot bring Randy back to his original state when he entered that police transport vehicle, that my hope is that it provides Randy the future medical support and other support that he will need,’ Elicker said. ‘Randy’s 36 years old, and we hope he has a long life ahead of him with the kind of support and care that he deserves.’
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