N.J. to pay $11.5 million after State Police trooper arrests motorist having a stroke

Essex County jury issued a $11.5 million verdict against N.J. State Police trooper Jennifer Albuja who mistook a motorist’s stroke for inebriation and arrested her, according to the lawsuit. In 2017, Albuja found Cheryl Rhines pulled over on a Newark highway, five minutes from a hospital, and misinterpreted Rhines’ failure to respond to commands, communicate clearly, or stand upright, as intoxication despite finding no sign or smell of substance use. Albuja searched Rhines’ car, handcuffed her, and brought her to the state police’s Somerville station. This delayed medical attention by two and a half hours, which left Rhines with global aphasia, a permanent language disorder caused by stroke-related brain damage, the lawsuit says.

From New Jersey Monitor.