By Brian Niemietz
New York Daily News
TRENTON, N.J. — A jury awarded $11.5 million to a New Jersey woman left permanently disabled after being arrested by New Jersey State Police, who mistook her for being drunk while she was having a stroke.
Cheryl Rhines, 56, pulled over to the side of the road while driving to work in 2017 because she wasn’t feeling well, according to a lawsuit filed be her mother on Rhines’ behalf. Roughly 30 minutes later, she was approached by New Jersey State Police officers who ordered her to either put her car in park or turn off the ignition after it rolled into a guardrail.
Due to the stroke, according to the lawsuit, Rhines appeared confused and was unable to follow the orders of officers who accused her of being uncooperative.
RELATED | One for the Road: Stroke care missing the mark
“Rather than calling and/or providing the necessary medical evaluation and treatment by EMS, the stroke victim was wrongfully arrested for being under the influence of an unknown narcotic, handcuffed and physically inappropriately handled and moved into the backseat of the police car,” Rhines’ attorney charged.
Police allegedly searched the woman’s car and pocketbook and found nothing incriminating during the 8 a.m. stop. She was then arrested and driven to the Somerville Trooper station, which deprived her of another two hours of much-needed medical attention.
As a result of all that transpired on that October 2017 morning, Rhines lives with permanent with verbal, cognitive and motor deficits rendering her unable to work. The lawsuit settled last week contends Rhines will forever require home assistance, medical care and supervision.
A jury initially awarded Rhines $19.1 million, but that judgment was reduced to $11.5 million when the court ruled the stroke itself — not just the actions of police — was partly to blame for the victim’s pain and suffering, according to the New Jersey Monitor.
Similar lawsuits have been filed against authorities who’ve mistaken stroke victims for drunks.
In 2020, Canadian police officers were sued for leaving Calgary man Alan Ruel in a jail cell for 18 hours while he was suffering a medical episode., according to the CBC.
In 2013, the Louisiana Record reported the family of Gaynell Martin accused New Orleans’ area paramedics of mistaking that victim’s stroke symptoms for signs of intoxication and denying him immediate hospital care. Martin, who eventually sought treatment, died a few months later.
—
©2025 New York Daily News.
Visit nydailynews.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.