‘Slut’ Actress has Mommy Sue for False Arrest

June 17th, 2015. By LucyC

A 17-year old girl, sorry, actress, who was arrested last August for possession of alcohol by a minor and disorderly conduct, is suing the NYPD for false arrest. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, Winnifred Bonjean-Alpart alleges the evidence was planted. Noteworthy here, is that the charges against her were dropped by Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Ann E. Scherzer.

Winnifred, a “rising star in feminist theater and star of Slut: The Play” (source NYPost), (soon to be Slut: The Movie? – I think that one’s likely been done, but maybe not from the feminist viewpoint) isn’t satisfied with getting off ‘scott free’ as it were (pardon the pun). She and her mother, a lawyer (is that the sound of a penny dropping?) are alleging the NYPD violated Winnifred’s constitutional rights and planted evidence in her purse.

The backstory, Winnifred had a few friends over and they were drinking. Apparently it got loud and a neighbor called the police, as one does. When the police arrived they asked for identification from the party-goers but Winnifred apparently took it upon herself to inform her guests that they didn’t have to comply with that request.

Big surprise, the police responded by arresting Winnifred, claiming they found a fake Maryland’s driver’s licenses in her purse and a couple of empty bottles of booze. She claims the booze and ID were planted because she asserted her First Amendment rights. Um. Possible. But is it probable? Or does it even matter now?

Apparently it does. Winnifred and her mother have filed a civil suit. I guess she really does want her day in court. She and her mother are alleging the police cuffed her too tightly, slammed her against a wall, and put her in a holding cell with men for 18 hours in central booking. Mother and daughter are suing the city for $2 million. Wow—that’s some payday.

Only problem, mummy forgot to get the filing in by the deadline. Jennifer Bonjean, an experienced defense attorney who has apparently won lawsuits against the authorities in the past, missed a 90 day deadline. Seems, in New York, you must file a Notice of Claim with the city within 90 days of the incident. Once the notice is filed, you have one year to actually file the lawsuit. Bonjean missed the 90 day deadline. Now, she must petition the court for permission to proceed with her lawsuit against the city, according to the Post.

So will Winnifred fire her mother—or wait to see if the situation improves? We’ll have to wait and see. One thing’s for sure—the publicity can’t be hurting her. Might even improve ticket sales—or launch a sequel.

This was posted on Wednesday, June 17th, 2015 at 1:53 pm and is filed under Crazy Sh*t Lawyers See . Feel free to respond, or trackback. Read our comments policy.