A lawsuit has been filed in the Eastern District of New York that accuses several Nassau County officials and correctional officers of misconduct and negligence, resulting in severe emotional distress for a Suffolk County resident. On January 28, 2026, Mayra Nunez initiated legal proceedings against the County of Nassau, Sheriff Anthony J. LaRocco, Corrections Officer John Barber, and unnamed corrections officers, alleging violations of her civil rights.
Mayra Nunez's complaint details a series of disturbing events that began on October 31, 2024. During a visit to the Nassau County Correctional Center (NCCC), where she was required to provide personal information such as her name, address, and phone number for visitation purposes, Nunez claims her privacy was violated. The lawsuit alleges that Corrections Officer John Barber accessed this information without consent and contacted her via WhatsApp with inappropriate messages. One message allegedly read: "Hi, Mayra, this is John Barber... I think you’re very beautiful." Despite not responding to these advances, Nunez received further unsolicited communication from Barber.
The complaint accuses the defendants of failing to protect Nunez's personal information and allowing it to be misused by employees like Barber. It claims this breach resulted in significant emotional distress due to fears for her safety and that of her boyfriend detained at the facility. Furthermore, the suit highlights a pattern of behavior by Barber towards female visitors which was allegedly known but ignored by his superiors.
The lawsuit seeks redress under multiple legal theories including violations of 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for unlawful search and seizure, breaches under the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA), and Monell claims against Nassau County for failure to supervise and train its employees adequately. The plaintiff argues that these systemic failures created an environment where misconduct could thrive unchecked.
Nunez is seeking substantial damages totaling at least six million dollars across various counts for emotional distress and punitive damages due to the alleged negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress by county officials. She demands a jury trial to resolve these allegations.
Representing Mayra Nunez is attorney Sheetal Paul from Horn Wright LLP based in Garden City, New York. The case has been assigned Docket No: 2:26-cv-00496 in front of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Source: 226cv00496_Nunez_v_County_of_Nassau_Complaint_Eastern_District_New_York.pdf