Kenneth Moreno, a former NYPD officer who was cleared of charges that he raped a woman in her Manhattan apartment but served nine months behind bars for misconduct relating to the event, is suing his accuser and the city for $175 million, The Raw Story reported.
Moreno's trial captivated the nation and drew attention to what some have said is an ongoing problem of police brutality. The civil rights lawsuit filed in Bronx Supreme Court on July 30 states that his trial inappropriately soiled his reputation and led to financial difficulties after he was fired from the police force.
The lawsuit goes on to allege that the accuser's credibility claims and a lack of forensic evidence was ignored by city prosecutors during the trial. Moreno also claimed in the lawsuit that he was unfairly targeted by the prosecution because of his Puerto Rican background.
According to the New York Daily News, Moreno works as a building contractor and has been asked to leave construction sites due to his reputation.
"There were some carpenters one day and one of them asked me if I was the ‘rape cop,’” Moreno told the Daily News.
The Frisky reported in 2008, Moreno and his partner, who was also acquitted in the 2011 trial, were called to the home of a 27-year-old woman after a cab driver called the police and told them she was drunk and having a hard time climbing the stairs. The officers helped the woman to her apartment, but took her keys, allowing them to return to her home numerous times throughout the night. The two officers also made phony 911 calls so they would have a reason to return to her neighborhood while she was intoxicated.
Moreno denied raping the woman during the trial, but admitted to cuddling with her in bed. The jury didn't think the prosecution's case was pervasive and acquitted Moreno and his partner of rape, but found Moreno guilty of three misdemeanor counts of misconduct, including the fake 911 calls, sending Moreno to jail.
