Ex-NYC Officer Awarded $200K in ‘Phobia’ Firing
A former New York City police officer has been awarded $200,000 after a federal judge ruled she was fired based on an improper claustrophobia diagnosis.
The NYPD fired Rachel Rodriguez in 2005 because officials believed she failed to disclose she suffered from a mental condition.
A security guard in a midtown office building told officials Rodriguez suffered a panic attack in an elevator. Rodriguez said she was mistakenly identified.
Rodriguez, a former flight attendant, also rode the elevator to her 19th-floor apartment daily.
Brooklyn federal Judge Joseph Bianco also concluded a lieutenant had mistreated Rodriguez.
The city’s Law Department said the payout “was in the best interest” of the parties.
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