A retired New York City Police Department supervisor has filed a lawsuit against the County of Nassau and several police officers from both Nassau County and Old Westbury, alleging violations of his constitutional rights following a domestic dispute at his home.
The lawsuit filed by plaintiff Richard Douglas details an incident on August 27, 2024, when Douglas had a verbal altercation with his daughter at his residence in Old Westbury, New York. After requesting police assistance to remove his daughter, officers from the Old Westbury Police Department allegedly entered Douglas’s home without justification and seized his legally owned firearms. Although Douglas held a valid pistol license issued by Nassau County, he claims that the officers unlawfully detained him and confiscated his firearms without cause or due process.
Douglas alleges that the defendants violated multiple constitutional rights, including the First Amendment right to free speech, the Second Amendment right to bear arms, the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, and the Fourteenth Amendment right to due process. He further asserts that the seizure of his firearms reflected a policy by Nassau County authorities to confiscate weapons during any domestic disturbance call, regardless of whether violence or threats were present.
Douglas is seeking compensatory damages exceeding $1 million for each count of alleged misconduct, along with punitive damages and attorneys’ fees under Title 42 § 1988. He is also requesting injunctive relief to prevent further violations of constitutional rights, including restoration of his pistol license and the return of all seized firearms.
The plaintiff is represented by attorney Pablo A. Fernandez of Horn Wright LLP. The case was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York under case ID number 2:25-cv-04359.