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Jury: Psychic Playboy Playmate Deserves $1.2 Million For NYPD Abuse

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Stephanie Adams and her spectacularly tied lawyer Sanford Rubenstein at a press conference back in 2006 (AP).

Stephanie Adams—former Playboy Playmate, former lesbian, possible descendant of John Adams, astrologist, regular litigant, and much, much more—was awarded a massive $1.2 million payout from a jury yesterday for injuries she says she suffered after a 2006 incident with the police. That is $385,000 more than the former playmate's lawyer was looking for.

"I was praying for justice and waited six years to speak my truth in court and I’m very grateful for the closure and the healing," said Adams, who was the first lesbian playmate, but is now a mother of one, married to a man. Before Miss November 1992 starts counting her pennies though, the city has 45 days to appeal the case if it chooses. And the city Law Department can (and likely will) ask the judge to reduce the payout or overturn the jury's verdict.

So, what exactly happened all those years ago? Let's go back and look at what Stephanie told us back in 2006:

What started off as a night of celebration for my stylist's birthday, ended up one of my biggest nightmares. Thursday, May 25, 2006 at approximately 10:42pm, I was assaulted by a New York City taxi driver (Medallion # 2J70) and called 911. He realized that I called 911 to make a truthful complaint about him, and in return, he called 911 and falsely reported that I had a gun and threatened to kill him.

When I realized that he made a false report, I immediately let the lady from 911 know that he was lying and she even had a chance to hear him screaming at me before he dialed 911 and made the false report.

I stepped away from him while I was on the phone with the lady from 911 and waited for help to arrive. I walked across the street and hoped that the people I knew from the precinct would show up fast. Expecting to have the police show up and help me, I received just the opposite and ended up being assaulted by members of the NYPD.

***(Note: I mentioned the name of my ex girlfriend who works in a higher position with the NYPD than they do, and soon after I mentioned her name, they brutalized me.)***

In court Adams and her lawyer, Sanford Rubenstein, kept with that story and managed to get the Sergent John Rajan to acknowledge that while he made a "controlled drop to the ground" to subdue the centerfold and did so because "We didn’t know if she had a firearm," that didn't make much sense, as she "was wearing tight-fitting clothing, and there was no place to conceal a weapon."

It took the jury 8 1/2 hours of deliberation to award Adams her payday, which her lawyer took as a sign regarding the state of police brutality in NYC. "This jury verdict demonstrates that there is a serious problem in this city regarding excessive use of force of our police against ordinary citizens. This must be addressed by the appropriate city officials," he said.

Meanwhile, if you want to read more about Ms. Adams and her many activities, her "books" on astrology are something else and, for the legal eagles out there, try out this website which followed a very strange defamation lawsuit Adams filed (and eventually dropped) against a New York blogger, James Poling, way back in 2006 that tied into the same lawsuit she won this week (Full disclosure: my late father represented Poling). Especially fun are the pages and pages and pages of questions that Adams simply refused to answer, including "Have you ever been banned from performing editing at Wikipedia?" and "Have you ever represented yourself as a 'Psychic Egyptian Healer?' If so, are you Egyptian in fact?"

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

Comments [rss]

  • zombiebob

    if you want to REALLY laugh, check out her shitty 'art:
    ' http://www.goddessy.com/ArtCol...

  • zombiebob

    Ex-lesbian, egyptian psychic, nypd punching bag... this lady has lived quite a life!

  • This is pathetic. Someone calls in a gun threat, and we're suing the NYPD for taking it seriously?  If anyone should be held accountable, it is the cab driver.  Also, a skin tight dress does not mean you don't have a gun.  Why does this woman deserve 1.2 million dollars?  She doesn't.  She is taking money from all of us.  We pay for the NYPD.

  • getDange

    I can't believe no one posted this yet. 
    The NYPD owes her nothing. The back pain is explained by heavy silicone boobs, the neck pain by too many BJs. 

  • J_Temperance

    According to this logic, there should be thousands of millionaire black teenagers in Manhattan.  

  • ANGRYGOD11

     Its plausible a teenager in typical baggy clothes could be hiding a weapon. A Playmate in skin tight clothing, not so much.  NYPD did a lousy job and their testimony didn't help.

  • LtWorf

    Correct. There really should be. But unfortunately, they can't afford high price lawyers like she can.

    Not to mention, she's hot.

  • whitecastlerock

    This jury verdict demonstrates that there is a serious problem with jury selections...

  • mikecherepko

     It is understandably difficult to find a jury that is sympathetic to the NYPD.

    "This jury verdict demonstrates that there is a serious problem
    in this city regarding excessive use of force of our police against
    ordinary citizens. This must be addressed by the appropriate city
    officials," he said. "

    Exactly.

  • whitecastlerock

     It is understandably difficult to find a jury that is sympathetic to the NYPD. Exactly. Which is why you keep throwing them back into the pool...

  • mikecherepko

     The jury is supposed to reflect the community, not people who are more sympathetic to the NYPD than average.

  • whitecastlerock

    They are looking for jurors suitable for the case. Those demonstrating anti police sentiments could have been dismissed. Entire communities don't hate the NYPD-just the dregs in this jury pool I gather...

  • mikecherepko

     Fair and reasonable people side against the police when they hear what the police do. There's no bias involved.

  • LtWorf

    It sounds like they packed the jury with horny college freshmen. A sure win + bonus $!

  • pendejito

    Damn, I need me one of these pay days too.

  • Enh, honestly I fail to see how her claiming to be a psychic and her past sexual history has to do with her claim of being assaulted.  

  •  Thanks for bein' you, Elizabeth.  'cause yeah, I don't care if this lady is crazy, believes in astrology & is a bisexual.  That doesn't have any bearing on whether or not she was assaulted...which, by the way, it looks like she was, so.

  • LesFleursDuMal

    Being a flaky weirdo can be injurious to one's credibility.

  •  True, but in the case of a criminal investigation shouldn't we just be concerned about the facts of the case.  Flakey people get assaulted too.

  • randomtransplant

    I wanna play devils advocate; I'm really sorry but I cant resist:

    her past sexual history may have been directly or indirectly tied to the fact she got 1/3 of a million dollars more than she even asked for. 

    That might be irresponsible BS, I HOPE it is, but it was an atypical law suit with an atypical reward & the defendants atypicalness is a part of the story.  

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