The Manhattan woman who won custody of her domestic partner’s biological daughter in a landmark court decision is suing the city over an NYPD cop’s campaign of harassment on behalf of the scorned mom, The Post has learned.
Sgt. Regina Debellis of Manhattan’s First Precinct has been showing up at Allison Scollar’s home without a warrant and traumatizing her 6-year-old daughter in an attempt by Brook Altman to get the kid back, the court papers charge.
“I’m trying to protect myself. What am I going to do, call the cops on the cops,” Scollar told The Post.
Altman, a TV producer, wants to overturn a judge’s October decision that awarded Scollar custody because she was the “responsible” adult.
“There have been nine motions in nine months to try to change custody,” Scollar said. “She hates me more than she loves the kid.”
Altman involved the police because of an incident on Apr. 3 where she claims Scollar threatened her life by tossing her a pair of the child’s tennis shoes.
The two appeared in court May 2 and when things didn’t end in her favor, Altman brought in Debellis.
Based on this allegation, Debellis filed a complaint with the administration for children’s services on May 6, claiming that the girl was a “child at imminent risk.”
The next day, a caseworker from ACS showed up and found the child to be “healthy, well-nourished and well cared for,” according to the court papers.
Debellis, with two additional cops in tow, then showed up to Scollar’s downtown home on May 8 and threatened her with a list of demands.
“She got into my face, she was snickering at me,” Scollar said.
Among the laundry list of requests was for her to find the child a new therapist, the sergeant called Scollar “emotionally abusive” and even told her not to send the little girl to camp this summer.
“She was in my face about the camp I’m sending my child to,” Scollar said.
In a complaint filed with the Internal Affairs Bureau of the NYPD, Scollar says that she believes that Debellis has a “personal interest” in her case.
“She knows a lot about my life and case and I am very suspicious as to why she would put her career on the line like that,” Scollar said.
Debellis has gone above and beyond the normal call of duty, contacting ACS with the neglect claim and then further overstepped the parameters of her policing by contacting the family court directly.
“I have never in 25 years on the bench had a police officer personally call to get involved in a case,” said Judge Gloria Sosa-Lintner during a court proceeding on May 24. “It is not appropriate.”
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Debellis called the child’s court appointed lawyer on May 28 and said that the NYPD “would continue to make numerous future, unannounced, warrantless entries and intrusions” at Scollar’s home, the papers say.
Finally on Monday, three cops showed up and threatened to put the child on the missing persons list when the “traumatized” kid hid from the police.
“My daughter was hiding in the bathroom, terrified,” Scollar said.
The judge, fed up with this game of cat and mouse, laid down the law during the May 24 proceeding. “This is getting way out of hand. This child is suffering. It’s not at the hands of one but both and all because it takes two to tango.”