The woman who Public Advocate Letitia James named as her chief office counsel in January is suing the NYPD, saying cops targeted her because she is Muslim — and the suit has exposed an apparent rift between James and her now ex-staffer.
Chaumtoli Huq claims she’s still James’ general counsel in a Manhattan federal court lawsuit filed late Tuesday alleging cops targeted her and used “unreasonable and wholly unprovoked force” while arresting her without cause as she was leaving a pro-Palestinian protest in July.
Huq, 42, contends in the suit that she took an unrelated leave of absence after the incident to travel to her native Bangladesh for a planned fellowship.
However, a James spokesman told the Post Wednesday that Huq “is not an employee of this office” and a City Hall source said she hasn’t worked for James “for months” since the arrest.
James’ office declined comment on the merits of the lawsuit, and the city Law Department said it would “review the suit.”
After leaving the rally, Huq was planning to attend a family picnic, but her husband and two young children first needed to use a bathroom at Ruby Tuesday’s in Times Square.
She was dressed in a traditional South Asian tunic waiting for them to come out when a cop abruptly told her to leave the chain restaurant, the suit says. When she objected, the cops pushed her against a wall and arrested her.
One of the officers being sued, Ryan Lathrop, allegedly found out she had a different last name than her husband and said, “In America, wives take the names of their husbands.” He also allegedly shouted,“Shut your mouth” and “You’re my prisoner.”
Huq claims her arrest is “characteristic of a pattern and practice of the NYPD in aggressive over-policing of people of color and persons lawfully exercising their First Amendment rights.”
She was held for nine hours before being arraigned and charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and obstruction of governmental administration, the suit says.
Huq’s lawyer, Rebecca Heinegg, said her client accepted an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal that could lead to the charges being erased if she stays out of trouble. She took the plea because she had to leave soon after for Bangladesh and didn’t want the trip interrupted, the lawyer said.
When told that James’ office says her client is no longer employed there, Heinegg said, “As far I know, she still is.”
Huq claims the arrest has caused her to suffer from “physical, psychological and emotional injuries, mental anguish, suffering, lost wages, humiliation and embarrassment.” She is seeking unspecified money damages — and retraining for Midtown South cops on “interacting” with Muslims.