Giving birth is hard enough. And while a baby's life is worth labor's grueling pains, sweat, and tears, some women go through it all under abusive conditions, with no support and, in this case, incredibly restrained.

Jane Doe - as she's identified in the lawsuit - received a settlement of $610,000 from New York City and the New York Police Department after officers bound her while she was in labor.

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The woman was arrested February 7 last year in Bronx County Family Court for violating child custody. Her attorney, Katherine Rosenfeld, said the woman overstepped her bounds in an order of protection during a dispute over custody with a previous partner.

Forty weeks pregnant, Jane Doe was escorted to jail in the Bronx where she went into labor hours later. The following morning, authorities took her to New York's Montefiore Medical Center in handcuffs. They also shackled her ankles, a practice that New York City banned in 2009.

When the woman arrived at the hospital, medics requested to undo the restraints, as they could harm both the mother and the child. But one of the officers said shackling was NYPD policy.

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With the doctors' adamant appeals, police removed the shackles. But they only did so minutes before the woman gave birth and replaced them immediately afterward. She fed the child for the first time with cuffs on her wrists and was only unbound hours later in her hospital bed.

In light of the events, a lawsuit was filed against the involved officers, the city and the NYPD, accusing them of unlawful use of restraints, assault, and violating the woman's rights.

Rosenfeld told CNN that Ms. Doe was fearful for both herself and her child: "While she was in the NYPD's custody, Ms. Doe never struggled, resisted, or acted in any way that would even remotely support the use of restraints."

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She also said that Ms. Doe experienced "a horrific violation of her rights by the NYPD during one of the most intimate moments in a woman's life: labor, delivery, and welcoming a new baby in her first day of life."

As a result of the lawsuit, the NYPD has promised to make changes to its patrol guide to make sure woman in late stages of pregnancy, and those giving birth, are safe and medically sound. Detective Sophia Mason said in a statement:

"At the same time, the NYPD will balance these needs with the safety of patients, medical staff, police officers, and others charged with the care and custody of all prisoners." 

The settlement occurred because Jane Doe wanted to ensure that what was done to her would never be done to another pregnant woman again.

A woman has been awarded $8.5 million following a horrific incident in a police car.

In September 2022, Yareni Rios-Gonzalez was handcuffed and detained by officers after being identified as a possible suspect in a road rage case.

According to CBS News, the police were informed that Rios-Gonzalez had threatened somebody with a gun.

After locating their suspect, the police pulled Rios-Gonzalez over, with everything being captured on video - which has been released by the Fort Lupton Police Department.

The incident took place in 2022. Credit: Douglas Sacha/Getty

Sgt. Pablo Vasquez and Fort Lupton Police Officer Jordan Steinke had pulled their suspect over at a railroad crossing.

After detaining Rios-Gonzalez, the officers placed her in a Platteville Police Department patrol car, which was parked on the train tracks behind her vehicle.

The officers then returned to her truck to search for any additional occupants and potential weapons.

As Rios-Gonzalez sat in the patrol car, a train horn sounded, and the train collided with the vehicle, pushing it into a nearby field.

The video footage shows one of the officers calling for a medical response, stating: "The suspect was in the vehicle that was hit by the train."

Rios-Gonzalez was rushed to the hospital with multiple injuries, including several broken bones and a traumatic brain injury, her attorney Paul Wilkinson said.

Wilkinson also mentioned that she had been attempting to alert the officers before the collision.

“When she was in the back of the car, she was able to see the train coming. She was frantically trying to escape, trying to open the doors, but she was handcuffed,” he told CNN.

Defense attorneys for Steinke claimed that she was unaware Vasquez had parked the car on the tracks, according to The Guardian.

The $8.5 million settlement will be paid by the insurers for the town and city, and will be split equally between them, attorney Eric M. Ziporin informed CNN.

Wilkinson described the settlement as “an excellent result and a hard-fought result,” adding: “She is up and moving around. She is still recovering from some physical and emotional impacts that she'll be dealing with for the rest of her life. But considering she got hit by a train, she's doing all right.”

Both police officers received punishments for the part they played in the incident. Credit: Carrastock/Getty

Following the incident, both officers faced multiple felony and misdemeanor charges. Vasquez, after pleading guilty to reckless endangerment in December, was sentenced to 12 months of unsupervised probation and was subsequently fired from his department, as reported by the Associated Press.

Steinke was convicted of the same charge, along with a misdemeanor for assault, and received 30 months of supervised probation and 100 hours of community service.

Featured image credit: Douglas Sacha/Getty

Rapper Jay Z has stepped in to offer legal support to a family who were threatened at gunpoint by police after their four-year-old accidentally shoplifted.

Phoenix couple Dravon Ames, 22, and Aisha Harper, 24 - parents to two children - were held at gunpoint by police in Arizona after their young daughter took a Barbie doll worth one dollar. Now, the philanthropic arm of Jay Z's entertainment company, Roc Nation, has given them a high-powered lawyer to help with their case, as the couple prepare to sue the city for $10 million.

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Ames and Harper filed a notice of claim on Thursday for the incident that took place in May, accusing the officers of committed battery, unlawful imprisonment, false arrest, and infliction of emotional distress - with the police also being accused of violating the couple's civil rights.

Dania Diaz, who is Roc Nation’s managing director of philanthropy, described the incident as "absolutely sickening", and promised to do whatever it takes to get the couple justice.

"There is no place for that behavior in our world – let alone our justice system – and we are calling for the immediate termination of the police officers in question. We are committed to supporting the family to ensure that justice is served."

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After their daughter had allegedly taken the doll, the couple drove to a nearby apartment complex to drop their child off at a babysitter's, before police showed up, banging on their car window and threatening to kill them.

"Our hands are up, we're just trying not to get shot, trying to stay calm," said Ames to CNN after the horrific incident, with police heard on camera saying: "I'm gonna put a f****** cap inside your f****** ass."  Meanwhile, Ames' fiancée Harper said: "I really thought he was gonna shoot me in front of the kids."

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In a statement, Phoenix Mayor, Kate Gallego, apologised to the family, posting to Facebook to denounce the police involvement. "I, like many others, am sick over what I have seen in the video depicting Phoenix police interacting with a family and young children. It was completely inappropriate and clearly unprofessional,"  she said.

"There is no situation in which this behavior is ever close to acceptable. As a mother myself, seeing these children placed in such a terrifying situation is beyond upsetting. I am deeply sorry for what this family went through, and I apologize to our community.

This is not who we are, and I refuse to allow this type of behavior to go unchallenged. I have spoken directly with our Police Chief, City Manager, and our Public Safety Subcommittee Chairman."

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"The Phoenix Police Department takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and for this reason, this incident is currently being investigated by the Professional Standards Bureau," said authorities from the local police department.

The couple say they were released shortly after the arrest, and the shop manager refused to press charges.

Nicki Minaj has made a grand gesture, as she's offered to pay the college tuition fees of a 14-year-old who killed a man while defending his mother.

As reported by CBS News, 35-year-old Carlishia Hood and her 14-year-old son were initially charged with the murder of 32-year-old Jeremy Brown.

The incident took place on June 18 outside of a restaurant in West Pullman, Chicago which saw the 32-year-old shot dead following an altercation.

Hood has a FOID card (firearm owner identification) and is a concealed carry license holder. She was further charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor as her son was the one who fired the weapon.

Carlishia Hood was arrested following the shooting. Credit: Chicago Police Department

Following surveillance footage of the incident, all charges against the mother and son were dropped as the footage revealed that Brown was punching Hood before her son shot him.

Prosecutors argued that Hood was texting her 14-year-old son who was in the car while arguing with Brown, and the boy soon entered the fast food restaurant.

After the 32-year-old began attacking Hood, the boy shot him and Brown fled the scene. The 14-year-old then allegedly chased him out of the building and shot him a further two times.

Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx's office said that the decision to drop the charges was "based upon our continued review and in light of emerging evidence".

"Based upon the facts, evidence, and the law we are unable to meet our burden of proof in the prosecution of these cases," the office added.

Questions are being raised why charges were filed against the mother and son, as the initial report documented that Brown had acted violently before any shots were fired.

It would seem that singer Nicki Minaj questioned the same thing and has decided to reward the actions of the 14-year-old.

Taking to her Instagram stories, the Minaj wrote: "That 14-year-old boy that backed dat hammer out when that grown a** man was punching his mother in the face as if she were a MAN; is a true hero."

Credit: Instagram / Nicki Minaj

Minaj continued: "If he wants to go to college, I'd love to help. It's what ANY son should've done for their MOTHER. She raised a dope kid & should be so proud. Also, God knew b4 she knew; that she'd be attacked that day & made sure they had protection on DECK. God is GOOD."

There's no word yet on whether the 14-year-old has taken Minaj up on her offer, but considering college tuition fees can venture past the $100,000 mark, it's a great incentive for him to study hard in school.

Hood is currently planning a lawsuit following her claims that she was wrongfully arrested.

Featured image credit: Jamie McCarthy / Getty

A woman has been arrested on child abuse charges after being caught allegedly her forcing her own son into the boot of her car.

According to KOAA News, a bystander witnessed 33-year-old Chelsea Trujillo shoving her five-year-old child into the trunk of the vehicle, on Wednesday, August 4.

Luckily for the child concerned, a nearby witness in Pueblo, Colorado, whipped out their phone and began recording.

WARNING: Some viewers may find the following video extremely distressing:

The bystander can be heard shouting at Trujillo to get her attention, telling her to leave the boy alone.

When Trujillo appeared to ignore this, the person filming the scene only redoubled her efforts, shouting, "Take the f***ing kid out of the f***ing trunk!"

Trujillo can be heard replying: "Dude I was gonna take him out!"

The witness later handed the distressing video to local law enforcement, who immediately launched an investigation.

At approximately 5.30 PM the following day, police announced that they had apprehended Trujillo and charged her with child abuse and violation of a restraining order.

Meanwhile, the child involved in the incident is now under the care of the Department of Homeland Security.

Credit: Alamy / Radharc Images

Commenting on the incident in a statement made to the above publication, Sergeant Franklyn Ortega of the Pueblo Police Department stated: "Obviously, I think anybody who looks at that video would be concerned about the welfare of that little boy.

"We saw what we saw in the video, but we need to look at the whole thing, that's why detectives are involved."

This story comes after another mother was arrested by police after a video emerged of her 10-year-old son getting a tattoo in unsanitary conditions.

According to ABC News, 34-year-old Nikki J Dickinson had allegedly gotten tired of her child asking her for a tattoo and relented. A video was later obtained by police showing a 16-year-old administer the inking.

As a result of this, Dickinson was later charged with first-degree misdemeanor child endangering and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Featured Image Credit: Pixabay / Pexels