The city has agreed to pay $350,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a man who said he was assaulted by a police officer responding to a domestic dispute in 2004, city officials confirmed yesterday.
In a police brutality suit filed with his wife, Samuel Marquez of Centre Street claimed Trenton police officer Christopher Drew bashed him over the head with a department-issued flashlight during an encounter outside the couple’s home.
Yesterday city spokeswoman Lauren Ira confirmed that the city had agreed to settle.
The case was settled “on the basis of a compromise proposal, averting continued expensive litigation and a trial which would have subjected the City to a high risk of a significantly more costly damage award,” Ira wrote in a statement.
Robin Lord, the couple’s attorney, said her clients are glad the litigation is over.
“Sam and his family are happy to finally put this matter behind them,” she said. Marquez suffered permanent brain damage from the blow to his head, Lord said.