Police bill Dead Guy's Mother for Damages

[Joe Guy]

(How would the mother be liable? He was an adult. Makes no sense)


Police kill man with car, send mother bill for car damages

NEW YORK (WABC/CNN) - The mother of a man who was hit and killed by a New York City police car says she's being billed for the damage done to the cruiser.

In April, police were chasing 27-year-old Tamon Robinson, after seeing him stealing decorative stones.

While he was running, a police cruiser hit him.

Robinson slipped into a coma, never regained consciousness, and died days later.

Now his mother, Laverne Dobbinson, tells the New York Daily News she got a bill for $710 to repair that cruiser.

She calls it a disgrace.

"We're still grieving, and this is like a slap in the face," Dobbinson said. "I cannot believe that they are trying to file a suit against me, saying my son, not me, my son, my dead son has to pay money back for the car that killed him."

The NYPD hired a collections agency to retrieve the funds from Dobbinson and has also threatened a lawsuit if she does not pay.

The New York Daily News also reported that the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating the possibility that Robinson was intentionally mowed down by the officer driving the cruiser.

Copyright 2012 CNN. All rights reserved. source

[dales]

[The Hen]

Wow. Just wow.

Even if he had been a complete nutter and shot dead twenty-five people, the mother should not be expected to recompense the PD for damages to vehicles, or loss of bullets.

[Guinevere]

1. She owned the vehicle, or,

2. His estate is liable for his intentional actions.

I don't know that either could be true under NY Law, but I could see an aggressive department trying to make that argument in this day of shrinking governmental budgets.

[Lord Jim]

Well I think we can rule out number one Guin, since he was on foot:

While he was running, a police cruiser hit him.

[Guinevere]

Whoops, in a bit of a cold induced fog. My bad.