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Jury Clears Officers in $9M Brutality Case; Widow Continues Fight

3/16/2026

46 8 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

A Long Island jury cleared four police officers of brutality in a $9 million lawsuit by Maryann Ost Chernick, a cancer patient who suffered a broken arm in 2019.
The officers were found to have acted appropriately after a 13-mile chase.
Chernick died a year later while under prescription pills, prompting her widower to continue the suit.
The Suffolk district attorney's office defended the actions as lawful.

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Story summary

A Long Island jury cleared four police officers of brutality in a $9 million lawsuit by Maryann Ost Chernick, a cancer patient who suffered a broken arm in 2019.
The officers were found to have acted appropriately after a 13-mile chase.
Chernick died a year later while under prescription pills, prompting her widower to continue the suit.
The Suffolk district attorney's office defended the actions as lawful.