Denver partygoer's lawsuit says he was "tortured" by cop - The Denver Post

Denver partygoer's lawsuit says he was "tortured" by cop - The Denver Post

A federal lawsuit filed this week alleges a female Denver police officer responding to a loud music complaint "tortured" a 23-year-old man and trashed a group of partygoers' cellphones after they recorded her actions.

The officer, Abbegayle Dorn, has had a high profile as a professional fitness model and a 2008 contestant on the TV show "American Gladiator."

The suit, reported by KCNC News4, targets Dorn, two male officers the plaintiff did not know and the Denver Police Department. It's the latest in a series of brutality claims against the department.

The city attorney's office reported this month that the city had paid out nearly $6.2 million since 2004 to settle lawsuits involving police officers. Almost all of them involved allegations of excessive force.

In the suit filed Tuesday, Rohit Mukherjee also said an unidentified officer at the Denver County Jail referred to him as a "(expletive) Arab."

Mukherjee is of Indian descent.

The suit alleges police violated Mukherjee's Fourth Amendment rights with an unlawful arrest.

The suit also alleges he was "tortured" by police despite giving no resistance other than to cry out in pain.

Mukherjee was celebrating with nine friends in his 17th Street apartment April 10 before he was to leave for a business apprenticeship in India.

His attorney, Alan Molk, would not comment on the suit, except to say Dorn's gender was not a factor.

"It doesn't make any difference whatsoever that she's a woman," he said. "A police officer has the same duties and responsibilities, regardless of gender."

Police spokesman Lt. Matt Murray said an investigation into the accusations against Dorn and other officers is underway, and he cannot comment as a matter of standard procedure.

The suit claims that when Dorn and the two male officers came to Mukherjee's door shortly before midnight April 10, he hesitated before stepping into the hallway, prompting a male officer to force open the door, and Dorn pinned Mukherjee's neck against it.

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