An NYPD sergeant’s troubled relationship could cost the city big bucks — thanks to his new lawsuit claiming he was wrongly arrested for stalking his estranged wife.
Sgt. Joel Silverman says the NYPD arrested him “without probable cause” in July 2016 when his estranged wife, Heidi Leibowitz, reported that he was tailing her in his car in violation of an order of protection.
The charges were later dismissed.
Silverman’s Manhattan federal court lawsuit says his arresting officer told him he was only being arrested “because his name was on a police report, and IAB [Internal Affairs Bureau] did not care whether the allegation was true or not.”
A spokesman for the city declined to comment.
Separately, Leibowitz told the Ramapo Police Department that Silverman punched her when she was five months pregnant in December 2015, police paperwork shows.
“I don’t want this baby,” Silverman allegedly said before punching her in the stomach, sending her to the hospital.
Tuesday’s lawsuit doesn’t mention the punching incident, but Silverman’s lawyer, Jacob Weinstein, said the Rockland County case has also been dismissed.
Silverman, 38, says the July 2016 arrest has been costly, embarrassing and detrimental to his career.
He has been on modified duty since the bust and prevented from earning overtime, his lawsuit claims.