Jury Awards $92 Million to Man Paralyzed by Police Bullet The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) - A jury awarded $92 million Thursday to a plaintiff who sued the city after a police officer's bullet left him paralyzed five years ago.

The judgment in favor of Jason Rodriguez, now 22, more than doubled the $41 million awarded him by another jury last summer - a verdict that was thrown out on appeal. City attorneys said they would appeal again.

"It's an outrageous verdict, very much against the weight of the evidence in this case," said Daniel Connolly, special counsel for the city.

The award includes $75 million for future pain and suffering and $10.5 million for future medical care, said David Dean, an attorney for the plaintiff.

Dean said the total "may be high, but what would you take to be paralyzed from age 17 on?"

The excessive-force lawsuit alleged the off-duty officer, David Dugan, shot Rodriguez twice after the teen had complied with orders to halt and drop his gun after a dispute on a Brooklyn street. One of the bullets shattered his spine.

The defense claimed that Dugan - who was never charged criminally and is still on the force - only fired after Rodriguez refused to freeze and pointed his gun at the officer. A civilian witness backed the officer's version of the 1995 incident, Connolly said.

Dugan "took the action he should have taken, which was to defend himself and others," Connolly said.

(Paralyze the police, why don't we? Protect us, but don't hurt the bad guy in the process? Before you shoot at that criminal pointing a gun at YOU..take some time to mull over whether or not he might sue you.. of course you'll be dead by then, but oh well. I think if you engage in a criminal activity, you deserve what you get. This verdict is psychopathic..!! What the hell is going on here? -kirsten)

-- kritter (kritter@adelphia.net), May 18, 2000