A city councillor who fends off criminal charges for biting the NYPD chief in a Brooklyn protest could face a judge on the matter in civil court.
Patrol Brooklyn South deputy chief Frank Digiacomo filed a Brooklyn Supreme Court lawsuit at her Gravesend Home on April 9th the day after her criminal charges were dismissed against her, court records show.
According to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, 39-year-old Zhuang and Digiacomo met as part of the “restorative justice” program before the criminal case was dropped.
The ultimate in-person firing of criminal charges was “based on the victim’s wishes and the defendant’s willingness to revise,” Brooklyn da Da spokesman Oren Yanib said in a statement at the time.
“This case was resolved through a restorative justice process that created spaces for dialogue, accountability and healing,” the statement touted.
But despite the obvious Kumbaya moment, Digia Como is proceeding with a lawsuit accusing Zhuang of negligence and accusing him of being “permanently injured” and suffering from the great “trauma and pain.”
Digia Como, seeking unspecified damages, claimed that tetanus was shot after Zhuang devoured his arm while trying to hold the barricade in place in a July protest against Bensonhurst’s homeless shelter.
“The lawsuit has nothing to do with solving a criminal case,” Yanib told the Post.
The lawmaker pleaded not guilty to all charges and claimed he was protecting elderly demonstrators who are being treated by police.
Neither Digiacomo nor his attorney filed the lawsuit on March 18th, and although they had not waited for three weeks to serve Zhuang in legal filings, they responded to a message seeking comment.
Zhuang declined to comment.
