New York Civil Rights Attorney Eric Sanders, Esq., of The Sanders Firm, P.C., alleges in a $15 million Notice of Claim filing that NYPD Housing Police Service Area No.: 8 police supervisors actively participated, ratified, condoned or acquiesced to the creation of a racially and sexually charged work atmosphere

According to the claim, from June 19, 2011, through the present, the Claimant, Eunice Vilaseca, a Medium Brown Skinned Dominican female police officer has been subjected to the highly offensive discriminatory conduct of Lieutenant Dennis Azambuja (Light Skinned Hispanic Male).  Lieutenant Azambuja openly announced in the workplace that he has a “Hit List” of ‘minority officers’ meaning African-American and Hispanic officers that he dislikes due to their race and/or ethnicity.  This “Hit List” includes Caucasian Male officers who closely affiliate themselves with their minority partners.  Lieutenant Azambuja openly makes racially offensive jokes and comments about African-Americans.  Additionally, Lieutenant Azambuja openly refers to females as “Bitches.”  The other police supervisors actively participated, ratified, condoned or acquiesced to Lieutenant Azambuja’s discriminatory conduct.

Ms. Vilaseca has filed numerous complaints with the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and the Internal Affairs Bureau.  Police Officer Glenn Bysterbusch (Caucasian Male) gave numerous witness statements supporting her claims.  Ms. Vilaseca alleges that the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity have done nothing to protect her or Police Officer Bysterbusch.  Commanding Officer Captain Kevin Maloney (Caucasian Male) and Lieutenant Azambuja as well as the other police supervisors have responded by retaliating against them filing falsified disciplinary charges, transferring them to an undesirable tour, undesirable patrol assignments, etc.

Lieutenant Azambuja allegedly told Sergeants Rosemary Davis (Dark Skinned Hispanic Female) and John Grasso (Caucasian Male) that he had a “Hit List” and that he is going to crush the officers on the list.  Ms. Vilaseca alleges that she objected to Lieutenant Azambuja’s discriminatory conduct.  According to the claim, the “Hit List” is similar in nature and goals to the one maintained by (deceased) former Chief of Personnel Michael A. Markman (Caucasian Male) as discovered in Patricia A. Raniola V. The City of New York, et al., 243 F3d 610 (2d Cir. 2001).

According to the claim, Lieutenant Azambuja was reading a supermarket circular and made the following racially insensitive comments:

• “Hey Rose (Sergeant Rosemary Davis) there is a sale on bananas.  Get it, bananas and monkeys’.”
• Sergeant Trevor Allen (African-American Male) looks like an “Oreo Cookie”
• Women are “Bitches”
• Made a comment about Ms. Vilaseca’s “Spanish hair”

“The Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and the Internal Affairs Bureau woefully failed to protect Ms. Vilaseca’s Civil Rights by failing to take appropriate action to discipline offending employees or stop further discriminatory behavior in the workplace.  The employers’ actions are particularly egregious because the actors are police supervisors who are entrusted with direct authority over subordinates’ such as my client.” Eric Sanders says.

Eric Sanders, Esq., of The Sanders Firm, P.C., filed Notice of Claim with the New York City’s Comptroller’s Office on March 14, 2013.
The Sanders Firm, P.C., is a nationally recognized law firm located in New York, NY, serving clients throughout the five (5) boroughs of the City of New York: Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island as well as Nassau, Orange, Suffolk, and Westchester Counties, focused on cases involving Civil Rights, and Civil Service Law.
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