NYPD doctor rushed officer with heart monitor back to full duty and forced officer to retire, latest lawsuit against doctor says
NYPD doctor rushed officer with heart monitor back to full duty and forced officer to retire, latest lawsuit against doctor says
- Girard Moscato, 57, suffered heart attack and stroke due to COVID in 2021
- He was fitted with a heart monitor in May 2021 and returned to limited duties
- Dr. John Santucci rushed him back to work in 2022, against the cardiologist’s advice
An NYPD doctor rushed an officer back to full duty after he suffered a heart attack and stroke, forcing him to quit his job, according to a new lawsuit.
Dr. The department’s John Santucci is said to have told former officer Girard Moscato, 57, that he “couldn’t care less” about his cardiologist’s recommendation to work part-time after suffering two serious health problems the previous year.
Moscato said COVID complications caused him to have a heart attack and stroke in February 2021, and he was still feeling the effects the following year.
The officer, who served with the NYPD from June 2003, said he felt compelled to leave in 2022.
The longtime agent filed a lawsuit in the Manhattan Supreme Court, seen by the New York Post. Santucci has not responded to the latest allegations — the third against him by an NYPD officer.
Dr. John Santucci is said to have told former officer Girard Moscato, 57, that he “didn’t care” about his cardiologist’s recommendation to work part-time after he had two serious health problems the previous year.
Moscato, who served with the NYPD from June 2003, said he felt compelled to leave in 2022. The longtime agent filed a lawsuit in the Manhattan Supreme Court, seen by the New York Post
The suit outlines how Moscato had a heart monitor installed in May 2021, forcing him to take a two-month break from work before returning to limited duties.
But in January 2022, Santucci forced him back to work because at the time he “couldn’t have cared” about Moscato’s cardiologist’s recommendation that he remain on limited duty, the case alleges.
Moscato told the Post he pleaded with the doctor, who he says put him back to full duty because the NYPD is struggling to retain officers.
Speaking of Santucci, he said, “I’ve only seen this man once.
“He actually went against what my cardiologist wrote in a letter that I should never have worked fully again.
“In my opinion, because of the masses of cops leaving their jobs, they’re so understaffed that they’re looking for anyone they can to get back to full duty.”
Moscato’s lawsuit claims he struggled so much that he retired in early August 2022.
His attorney John Scola accused the NYPD of failing disabled officers.
“The NYPD isn’t following the law if they don’t house disabled officers,” Scola said.
“These failures not only hurt hard-working officials who become disabled like Officer Moscato, but will ultimately cost New York taxpayers millions of dollars as they are responsible for footing the bill for the NYPD’s continued abuse.”
Santucci faces several more lawsuits from other beleaguered NYPD officers.
This includes a potential $5 million lawsuit filed by Officer Edward Donzelli, 30, who alleged that Santucci humiliated him for taking sick leave.
NYPD officer Edward Donzelli, 30, claimed Santucci humiliated him for taking sick leave
Donzelli first saw the doctor in November 2021 after suffering from ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, and an injury to his right hip suffered on the job that required surgery.
The agent said he applied for sick leave, but Santucci allegedly “immediately returned him to work” and accused him of “faking” his illness, his case says.
Meanwhile, former NYPD police officer Destiny McCann, 39, who suffered a stroke and two bouts of breast cancer, said she resigned after being bullied by Santucci.
The former cop and Queens-born mother said Santucci began overseeing her disability case in 2020.
“He really bullied me,” McCann told The Post. “I’ve worked all these years and for him to push me away … I actually get pennies.”