Attorney Wins False Arrest Suit Against State of New York

A lawyer who was arrested in a Queens courtroom after calling a court officer an obscene name has successfully sued New York state for false arrest. Solo practitioner Joseph A. DePaula and court officer Charles Rey agree that Rey confiscated DePaula's phone and that DePaula used an expletive in referring to Rey -- but beyond that, their recollections of the incident diverge.