Judge trims Paterson police lawsuit, allows some claims to move forward

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Police car at the scene of a criminal related incident

Newark, NJ – A federal judge has narrowed but not dismissed a lawsuit accusing Paterson police officers of violating a man’s rights during a 2022 street stop, allowing parts of the case to proceed.

Benjamin Jackson, an African American man, sued the Paterson Police Department, the City of Paterson, and more than a dozen officers over an encounter on November 6, 2022, near Broadway and East 18th Street. Jackson alleges that plainclothes officers stopped him without cause, attempted to search him after questioning his “fanny pack,” and ignored his repeated requests for a supervisor.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Jamel K. Semper ruled on competing dismissal motions. The City of Paterson and the police department succeeded in dismissing parts of Jackson’s complaint, while the individual officers won a partial dismissal of claims against them. However, the court denied other portions of their motion, keeping some of Jackson’s allegations alive.

Court filings describe the disputed stop as occurring between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., when officers wearing body cameras approached Jackson in an unmarked vehicle. Jackson refused consent to a search, asserting that “New Jersey was not a stop and frisk state.” Despite his objections, the lawsuit claims, officers persisted without calling a supervisor.

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The judge’s opinion leaves Jackson’s case partially intact, setting the stage for further proceedings as he presses his allegations of unlawful police conduct.

Key Points

  • Benjamin Jackson sued Paterson police and city officials over a November 2022 stop.
  • The judge granted dismissal motions in part, but some claims against officers remain.
  • Jackson alleges officers ignored his refusal of a search and his requests for a supervisor.

The case against Paterson police isn’t over—it just got narrower.