New York Law firm Tilem & Campbell is in the news again after filing a federal civil rights law suit brought against the Village of Spring Valley, New York, the Village Police Department, the Building Department and several detectives. The article originally published in the Rockland County Journal News has been picked up on several national websites.
The suit alleges that the detectives intervened on behalf of a tenant who was claiming that a landlord owed him money. The detectives used a ruse to lure the individual to a building and then used threats, intimidation and the threat of an illegal building inspection to compel the individual to pay money to the tenant.
The suit names individuals Det. Roxanne Lopez, Det. Ted Hughes and Det. John Beltempo as well as Assistant Building Inspector Manny Carmona and Building Inspector Joseph Jacaruso. Tilem & Campbell asks that any one with information of misconduct by any of these individuals contact the law firm.
The lawsuit was filed in Federal Court in White Plains and is assigned to the Honorable Stephen Robinson, District Court Judge.