City to pay him 1.75M for lost testicle
BY CHRISENA COLEMAN
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
The city has agreed to pay $1.75 million to a Bronx man who lost a testicle after a cop kicked him in the groin during a traffic stop 12 years ago.
Edward Dominguez, 29, was a teenager when he suffered the injury that has made it impossible for him to father children, according to his lawyer.
"He would love to be a father," said attorney Barry Weiss. "He comes from a close-knit family and he is the only boy. The Dominguez family line will stop with Edward unless he undergoes an in-vitro-like process to father a child."
According to court papers, Dominguez was a passenger in a car driven by his brother-in-law on April 21, 1993, when cops stopped them on the Bronx River Parkway believing the auto might be stolen. The two men were placed facedown on the pavement and handcuffed, then transported to the 52nd Precinct stationhouse.
At the stationhouse, Dominguez claimed he was kicked in the groin by one of the arresting officers, Police Officer Francisco Rodriguez. But he and his brother-in-law were later released and no criminal charges were filed against them. Hours later, Dominguez was taken to Montefiore Medical Center because his testicle was swollen. Weeks later, it had to be surgically removed.
Dominguez sued the city and Rodriguez. In 1994, a departmental judge found the cop guilty of abuse and recommended he lose 30 days' pay and be put on probation for a year.
Rodriguez was later indicted for criminal assault, but was acquitted after a nonjury trial before Bronx Supreme Court Justice John Moore in 1998. The city fought the civil case for years, but finally agreed to pay up on Jan. 27, two days before it was scheduled for trial. The deal was first reported last week on the Web site Verdictsearch.com.
"We feel the settlement will bring closure to all parties," said city Law Department spokeswoman Laura Postiglione.
Weiss said Dominguez, an aspiring singer who performs in the city, Miami and the Dominican Republic, feels vindicated.
BY CHRISENA COLEMAN
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
The city has agreed to pay $1.75 million to a Bronx man who lost a testicle after a cop kicked him in the groin during a traffic stop 12 years ago.
Edward Dominguez, 29, was a teenager when he suffered the injury that has made it impossible for him to father children, according to his lawyer.
"He would love to be a father," said attorney Barry Weiss. "He comes from a close-knit family and he is the only boy. The Dominguez family line will stop with Edward unless he undergoes an in-vitro-like process to father a child."
According to court papers, Dominguez was a passenger in a car driven by his brother-in-law on April 21, 1993, when cops stopped them on the Bronx River Parkway believing the auto might be stolen. The two men were placed facedown on the pavement and handcuffed, then transported to the 52nd Precinct stationhouse.
At the stationhouse, Dominguez claimed he was kicked in the groin by one of the arresting officers, Police Officer Francisco Rodriguez. But he and his brother-in-law were later released and no criminal charges were filed against them. Hours later, Dominguez was taken to Montefiore Medical Center because his testicle was swollen. Weeks later, it had to be surgically removed.
Dominguez sued the city and Rodriguez. In 1994, a departmental judge found the cop guilty of abuse and recommended he lose 30 days' pay and be put on probation for a year.
Rodriguez was later indicted for criminal assault, but was acquitted after a nonjury trial before Bronx Supreme Court Justice John Moore in 1998. The city fought the civil case for years, but finally agreed to pay up on Jan. 27, two days before it was scheduled for trial. The deal was first reported last week on the Web site Verdictsearch.com.
"We feel the settlement will bring closure to all parties," said city Law Department spokeswoman Laura Postiglione.
Weiss said Dominguez, an aspiring singer who performs in the city, Miami and the Dominican Republic, feels vindicated.
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