Riverhead cop beating lawsuit settled

A lawsuit against a Riverhead police officer who used force against a handcuffed detainee in a courthouse hallway after a 2007 arraignment has been settled for an undisclosed amount after one day of trial testimony.

"We're pleased with the settlement," said Brian Dratch, the Livingston, N.J.-based attorney representing William Robinson, 42, who was punched, pushed down and kicked by Officer Peter Troyan in a Riverhead Town Justice courthouse scuffle captured on videotape.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas E. Boyle dismissed the jury after several meetings between the parties Tuesday, a day after Robinson and Troyan testified about the Feb. 7, 2007, incident.

Dratch said the terms of the settlement were private but that the town made an offer that was above the $10,000 it had originally agreed to pay, but less than the $1 million Robinson had sought in his lawsuit. He suffered cuts and bruises from the attack, according to medical records.

On the first day of trial Monday in federal court, jurors saw the video footage of the scuffle, with Troyan and Robinson taking turns narrating the action in court.

They heard Troyan testify he felt his use of force was necessary to "control the situation." He pushed Robinson into a wall, knocking him to the floor before punching him in the head and kicking him in the face, he said, because he thought Robinson might bite him.

Troyan also testified that Robinson, who was handcuffed from behind, kneed him in the groin and kicked him in the shin in an off-camera skirmish.

Robinson testified that he was being combative because he was trying to get the judge's attention. He acknowledged he was upset when he jerked his arm from the escorting officer and yelled, "Get the ---- off me" in a crowded court as an officer led him away.

Both men testified that Robinson was asking Riverhead Town Justice Allen Smith to put him in drug treatment, and that he got more upset and cried after Smith seemed unable to help him right away.

Seconds after that, Troyan, who was responsible for security, left the courtroom to help the officer. That's when his struggle with Robinson was videotaped.

Jurors also heard testimony from Smith, who presided over Robinson's arraignment on a drug charge and driving violation, and former Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Robert Connelly, who brought the charges against Robinson.

"We're satisfied with the resolution," said Scott Middleton of Bohemia, who was retained by Riverhead Town to represent Troyan.

Middleton added that Troyan is "satisfied that the matter is behind him and he can move forward with his personal and professional life."

Troyan, a 20-year veteran officer, has been assigned to desk duty since he returned to the force after an eight-month suspension without pay and the confiscation of his firearm following the incident.