The family of 18-year-old Saniyah Cheatham has filed notice of intent to sue the city and NYPD for $25 million after she was found dead July 5 in 41st Precinct custody.
According to the Notice of Claim filed Oct. 3, Cheatham was arrested July 4 “without reasonable cause or reasonable suspicion” and showed signs of a mental health crisis. It alleges that officers did not follow safety protocols to monitor her behavior and did not intervene when she hung herself just hours after being detained.
Manhattan-based attorney David B. Rankin filed the paperwork on behalf of Saniyah’s mother, Thomasina Cheatham, and other family members, including her brothers Javan and Savaughn.
The claim said the city is “vicariously responsible” for Cheatham’s death because it hires, trains and supervises the NYPD. It also demanded that the city “take immediate steps to preserve” all electronic files and physical objects containing evidence of Cheatham’s death, including audio and video recordings, text messages, flash drives and phone calls.
“Ms. Cheatham is dead as a direct result of NYPD officers’ actions and omissions,” it said.
National civil rights attorney Ben Crump has worked with the family and said the claim marked “the first step toward justice” for Cheatham.
“Officers knew she was in mental health distress and threatening suicide, yet they failed to follow required safety protocols and failed to intervene, even though she was visible on surveillance video,” he said in a statement. “These preventable failures are inexcusable and we will use every legal avenue to uncover the truth, protect the evidence, and seek full justice for Saniyah’s family.”
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
