Lawyers know the de Blasio administration folds quickly on suits against the city — and here’s the proof.
A Brooklyn lawyer filed “borderline frivolous” claims on behalf of a client to wring settlement cash out of the city and almost scored $15,000, according to a private e-mail revealed in a Brooklyn federal-court filing.
“As I mentioned to you on many occasions, I believe all the claims in the complaint other than the false arrest are borderline frivolous,” Gerald Cohen wrote to his client, former Brooklyn prosecutor Jesus Corrales, in December.
“I included them as a strategy to get the city to make an offer,” he allegedly admitted.
Corrales sued the city last year for discrimination and other violations, claiming that Brooklyn DA brass unfairly “chided” his lackluster work rate despite a hand disability.
The false-arrest claim arose after Corrales was held in Brooklyn Criminal Court for 90 minutes by DA investigators who wanted to know why he was in the building after his resignation.
He eventually agreed to a $15,000 settlement with the city but later rejected the deal, court papers state.
With their relationship soured, Cohen abandoned the case.
Corrales is now fighting his withdrawal and included a series of e-mail exchanges with Cohen in a motion submitted in Brooklyn federal court on Monday.
“I do not believe the claims were frivolous when they were filed,” Cohen told The Post. “Rather, this e-mail was written after I reviewed the discovery and not before.”
Cohen said he dutifully backed out of the case after discovery materials exposed it as weak.
A source told The Post that there is currently no settlement agreement in place with Corrales.
“We prefer not to comment on this particular development,” said Patricia Miller, chief of the Special Federal Litigation Division.
Corrales did not return a call seeking comment.