A judge has ruled that a man who claims to have been bitten on the penis by a rodent can sue county officials for damages relating to the alleged incident in 2007.
Peter Solomon suggested that Nassau County Correctional Center was negligent and mistreated him by placing him in what is claimed to have been a rodent-infested cell because his is black, BBC News reports.
Nassau County lawyers opposed the lawsuit, arguing that they had acted in an official capacity and were not aware of substantial risks. They also denied that a rodent problem existed in the jail and noted that no stitches were required after the incident.
Solomon alleges that when in a medical observation unit a rat “or similar rodent” bit him on the penis and hand.
Judge Arthur Spatt yesterday ruled that the lawsuit could proceed and said: “The parties dispute whether the rodent was a mouse or a rat, whether Solomon was bitten or scratched, and the nature and extent of his injuries.”
