Former Bergen County Jail inmate accused of abuse by sheriff’s officers in new lawsuit

Former Bergen County Jail inmate sues the county and the jail, accusing sheriff’s officers of beating him when he refused to wear a straitjacket.

Valmir Jemaili said he was pepper sprayed, hit in the face and then repeatedly beaten as he lay on the ground in October 2021 by two officers, he alleged in a lawsuit filed in Bergen County Superior Court on Thursday. The lawsuit stated that there was no reason for Jemaili to wear a straitjacket and that his lung collapsed due to the beating.

The lawsuit also alleges that Jemaily was left lying on the floor bleeding, coughing and struggling to breathe for an extended period of time before being taken to Bergen Regional Medical Center and eventually Hackensack University Medical Center for treatment. The lawsuit states that the entire incident was filmed on CCTV.

A similar lawsuit was filed by Jemajli in 2019 against the Paterson Police Department, accusing them of handcuffing him to an emergency room bed at Saint Joseph’s University Medical Center and beating him, resulting in a fractured rib and broken tooth.

Jemaili said that when he was released from the hospital, he was not transferred to the medical wing of the prison, but was placed in a room with a mattress on the floor, which left him in pain. He said he continues to suffer from painful breathing, struggles to breathe, hip pain, numbness, and facial injuries from the alleged attack.

Keisha McLean, a spokeswoman for the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, said they did not receive a complaint. Jemazhil’s lawyer, Alan Genitempo, did not immediately return calls for comment.

The lawsuit accuses the prison and county of causing emotional distress, both negligently and intentionally, assault and battery, and civil rights violations.

The lawsuit stated that the sheriff’s officers were not properly trained or they would have found a non-violent way to handle the situation.

“[Xhemajli] has suffered and will continue to suffer severe physical and emotional suffering, economic loss, humiliation and mental anguish,” the lawsuit says.[Xhemajli] suffered major and long-term trauma, exacerbation of previously diagnosed and pre-existing post-traumatic stress disorder, and seizures.”

Jemaili said he missed work and had to incur “significant” expenses due to injuries.

He seeks damages, the amount of which may be determined by the judge.

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Bergen County Jail has faced other allegations from inmates of abuse while held there.

In July 2021, several advocacy groups filed a complaint against the prison with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on behalf of 15 former and current inmates, alleging sexual abuse, medical and physical abuse, religious discrimination, negligence due to COVID-19, and appalling conditions.

Complaints are made not only by prisoners. In October, a former correctional officer sued the sheriff’s office, accusing them of ignoring years of sexual harassment against her and getting back at her when she complained about it.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Bergen County Jail inmate’s lawsuit alleges he is being abused by officers.

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