A prominent doctor who threw a backyard party for his sister’s birthday in Queens claims their group was “hosed down” with water by a “racist” white neighbor during a noise dispute, according to a lawsuit comparing the incident to Alabama in the 1960s.
Dr. Yves Duroseau, the first American doctor to receive the Covid vaccine, and more than a dozen of his guests claim that neighbor Marcus Rosebrock, a 48-year-old married father of two, had their civil rights violated by the group.
A lawsuit filed by Duroseau and his guests — including a music manager and several prominent attorneys — also alleges that an unnamed woman, referred to in the lawsuit as Jane Doe, threatened them with a German shepherd dog during the incident.
Rosebrock, who is a German national, denies the allegations and “rejects any characterization that he is racist,” according to a statement from his lawyer.
The lawsuit states that Duroseau – chairman of the emergency department at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City – threw a party for his sister Rosevony Duroseau’s 47th birthday on Saturday, September 17, 2022.
Dr. Yves Duroseau (pictured), the first US doctor to receive the Covid vaccine, threw a garden party for his sister’s birthday before neighbor Marcus Rosebrock allegedly ‘hosed down’ the group after a noise complaint, according to a lawsuit
The group enjoyed a nine-course alfresco dinner prepared by TV chef Vanessa Cantave (pictured), who won the 2011 Bravo reality cooking competition Rocco’s Dinner Party.
An aerial view shows Dr. Yves Duroseau’s home bordering Marcus Rosebrock’s property in a leafy suburb of Queens, New York City
The meeting was held in the yard of his Forest Hill home and was attended by about fifteen guests, most of whom were black or Latino, depending on the charges.
Guests included Rigo Morales, a record executive who has worked with Eminem and 50 Cent, along with lawyers and bank bosses. The lawsuit said many of those in attendance were friends Rosevony met at Fordham Law School.
They enjoyed a nine-course alfresco dinner prepared by TV chef Vanessa Cantave, who won the 2011 Bravo reality cooking competition Rocco’s Dinner Party.
At 9:50 p.m., as the party was winding down, the female defendant known as Jane Doe “entered the Duroseau home uninvited with a large German Shepherd and demanded that the music in the backyard be turned down,” according to the lawsuit .
Cantave and her business partner, Shani Porter, feared the dog “would attack and seriously injure them because it looked menacing and aggressive.” They went into the yard to inform Duroseau and his sister, a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services asylum officer, of the complaint.
Dr. Duroseau told the woman the party would end soon and asked her to leave his property before returning to his yard to continue socializing.
Duroseau, pictured receiving the Covid vaccine in 2020, and 18 others have filed suit against Rosebrock, claiming the incident violated their civil rights
Guests included Rigo Morales (pictured), a record executive who has worked with Eminem and 50 Cent, along with lawyers and bank bosses
But soon afterward, Rosebrock, whose yard borders Duroseau’s, “grabbed his water hose and began spraying (the guests) with water in the Duroseau’s backyard to disperse them,” according to the complaint.
According to the lawsuit, the incident created “a scene reminiscent of Birmingham, Alabama in the 1960s, when white law enforcement officers used fire hoses to extinguish, assault and assault African Americans participating in civil rights demonstrations.”
The complaint alleges that during the alleged attack, Rosebrock increased the pressure of the hose so that it was “extremely forceful and stinging in nature.”
Rosebrock allegedly subjected the group to a prolonged attack until they were “completely soaked.”
The police were called and two NYPD officers responded to take a report, but since then there has been “no follow-up, even though this incident should be investigated as a hate crime,” according to Derek Sells, an attorney who represents the group.
The lawsuit accuses both Rosebrock and the woman of being “racist.”
The lawsuit adds: “Each of the plaintiffs has suffered economic losses as a result of (the defendants’) conduct.”
A Google Street View image shows the front of Dr. Duroseau’s home in Queens, New York City
The neighbor, Marcus Rosebrock, lives in a building adjacent to Doctor Duroseau’s home
“Unable to use their property to peacefully assemble, and humiliated, terrified, embarrassed and humiliated, Plaintiffs seek justice for the violent conduct, acts of violence and violations of civil rights.”
Duroseau and his sister are Haitian-Americans. The package said they were “celebrating with family and friends, all but one of whom were black or Latino.”
This is what lawyers for Duroseau and the eighteen others named in the lawsuit said The everyday beastwho first reported the case: “I was shocked and disgusted that water spouts and German Shepherds were used against people of color in New York City in 2022. I was in disbelief.’
Malik said the guests remain “deeply scarred” by the alleged ordeal and were “made to feel less than human.”
According to the civil rights claim in the lawsuit, the incident violated Title 7 of the New York City Adminstrate Code.
Rosebrock’s attorney, Brandon Gillard, told The Daily Beast that he “denies all allegations in the complaint and rejects any characterization that he is racist, or that his actions are racially motivated.”
The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages.