Teen actress suing NYPD for $2 million for mistreatment during underage drinking arrest

After being arrested for underage drinking, Winnifred Bonjean-Alpart, an 18-year-old actress, is suing the NYPD for “physical and emotional injuries,” according to the New York Post. She was at a party last summer in Harlem when a noise complaint was made. The police who responded to the complaint claimed that the young actress immediately informed everyone that they were not required to show any ID.

The police officers on the scene found illegal identification and a couple of empty liquor bottles in the purse of the young actress. She allegedly responded, “Yeah, I know it’s fake. Everyone has one. So what?”

The young actress was charged with disorderly conduct, possession of alcohol by a minor, and possession of a forged instrument.

In December, the first charge was dismissed because her behavior did “not rise to the level of a breach of the peace.”

In addition, if the actress did not get into any more trouble, then the court would also dismiss the other charges.

However, the actress and her mother, a civil rights attorney, are suing the NYPD for two million dollars.

The teenage actress claims that she was violently handled by the police officers, who handcuffed her too tightly and then threw her up against a wall. In addition, she was detained in a cell with males.

Her mother said that locking up a female minor with men is a direct violation of her daughter’s constitutional rights.

Her mother, Jennifer Bonjean, has previously won similar cases. She obtained a judgment of $500,000 for a convicted murderer in Chicago after he was physically injured by a prison guard.

According to the Daily Mail, Bonjean said, “I think it’s a beautiful day for civil rights when a jury can put aside emotions and say we are all entitled to our civil rights. It’s about protecting the constitutional rights of the least among us.”

Bonjean has a “Not Guilty” tattoo and boldly asserts on the website of her law firm, “We aggressively pursue justice for victims of police misconduct.”

Winnifred Bonjean-Alpart starred in the film Sexy Baby with Nikita Cash, a former adult movie actress. The film premiered at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival.

She also starred in the 2013 Fringe Festival entry Slut, which received a great deal of critical acclaim.

For her senior thesis, she directed a production of The Vagina Monologues.