Man Sues Seymour Police, Claims False Imprisonment

A man is suing the police department, claiming three officers entered his house illegally and detained him at gunpoint.

Leonard Gordon, a real estate agent who now lives in Georgia, has a lawsuit pending in federal court. He is asking for at least $15,000 in compensation.

Seymour police spokesman Lt. Paul Satkowski said he could not comment on pending litigation. Messages seeking comment were left with Colleen Fries and Kristen Maccini, the attorneys representing the town and the police department.

According to Gordon’s lawsuit, a repo man came to his house on Brookfield Road March 31, 2008 to take Gordon’s car, which was parked in his garage.

Gordon was upstairs in the shower, according to his attorney, Eroll V. Skyers of the Barrister Law Group in Bridgeport.

Skyers believes the repo man, identified as Luigio Zazzariello of Portfolio Recovery Associates, Inc., called police to the scene.

The lawsuit states three Seymour police officers — Brian Anderson, Mike Fappiano and John Oczkowski — broke through a door into Gordon’s garage, broke through a second door to get into the basement, then broke a third door to enter the main floor of Gordon’s home.

Police did not have a search warrant or any other legal right to be in the home, Skyers said.

The attorney said a police report states officers looked inside the house through a sliding glass door and saw a dark figure laying on a couch. The officers claimed they were concerned for the welfare of the person inside, which is why they entered.

It’s sketchy at best. It is not apparent to me what the police are claiming,” Skyers said. From what I’ve pieced together, Mr. Repo Man shows up and does what repo men do — looks for the property they’re entitled to receive for their employer.”

He goes around the side (of the house), I guess, sees a guy on a couch — or maybe he doesn’t. That prompts a phone call to the police. Hey look, you have to come over here, someone’s in the house,’ or something like that. I don’t know exactly what the phone call was,” Skyers said.

The Valley Indy was unable to obtain a copy of the police report Friday.

The lawsuit claims that police were trying to help the repo man get the car, which was in the garage.

To me, it looks like they just wanted to get in the garage,” Skyers said.

Skyers said that Gordon had a knife in his hand when police confronted him. He had just prepared a meal, Skyers said.

He’s cutting some meat, they see the knife, they draw their weapons,” Skyers said. He was at home, after taking a shower and fixing a meal, next thing you know he’s being held at gunpoint.”

Skyers said officers took Gordon upstairs, where he was able to produce identification showing he lived in the house.

The vehicle was not repossessed that day, Skyers said.

In his lawsuit, Gordon counts false imprisonment, false arrest and infliction of emotional distress among his claims.

The lawsuit was initially filed in Superior Court in Milford. Then, on April 8, at the request of the defendant’s lawyers, it was transferred to federal court.

The next court date hasn’t been scheduled. 

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