WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A West Palm Beach police officer, who has a history of complaints from people claiming to be victims of excessive force, faces a new lawsuit.
According to court papers, the stepson of an injured crime victim in West Palm Beach claimed he was confronted by Officer Nicholas Lordi and thrown to the ground.
The lawsuit said that Jamiah Smith was in downtown West Palm Beach in January 2020, attending to his stepfather who was in an ambulance after being stabbed.
The suit claims Lordi pulled Smith away from the ambulance and tossed Smith to the ground, causing a broken hand. Lordi then handcuffed Smith.
Read the lawsuit below:
This is not the first time Lordi has been in the news.
Video recorded in November 2019 led to Lordi's arrest after John Monroque, 65, was punched 11 times outside of a grocery store and wound up with a broken nose. Lordi accused Monroque of trespassing.
The officer was later charged with aggravated battery in February 2022.
However, three months later, the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office chose not to press charges, claiming the evidence was insufficient.
A Contact 5 investigation found that Lordi had been disciplined five times and had received four citizen complaints.
A spokesman for the West Palm Beach Police Department declined to comment, saying the department had not seen the lawsuit.