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Former Southold court clerk sues over alleged mistreatment in jail; seeks $20M in damages

The former Southold justice court clerk convicted of stealing more than $230,000 from the town’s bail fund has filed a federal lawsuit claiming officials at the Suffolk County Jail refused to treat her for a broken hip suffered while in custody. 

Christine Stulsky, 68, of New Suffolk is seeking $20 million in damages, claiming she endured permanent injury after jail officials declined to treat her for six days following a fall she suffered while in custody at the Suffolk County Jail in Riverside.

The lawsuit, which was filed in the Eastern District Court of New York Friday, names Sheriff Vincent DeMarco, jail medical director Dr. Vincent Geraci and the County of Suffolk as defendants.

Ms. Stulsky alleges she broke her hip on April 12, 2015 but jail officials did not transport her to Peconic Bay Medical Center for treatment until April 18. She said they also declined to provide her with a wheelchair or other means of support following a second fall that week and accused her of “not being injured and just wanting drugs.”

The suit alleges that the lack of emergency treatment caused Ms. Stulsky’s injuries to worsen and led to her having total hip replacement surgery.

Ms. Stulsky spent several months in jail following her January 2015 guilty plea on one count of second-degree grand larceny. The 34-year town employee admitted to stealing $231,791 over a nearly five-year stretch beginning in 2009.

As part of her plea deal, Ms. Stulsky agreed to pay full restitution through monthly installments to the town court. In March, town officials said she had already paid back $110,000.

Ms. Stulsky apologized at her March 2015 sentencing, telling the judge “it was never my intent to hurt anybody. I intend to pay everybody back.”

Attorneys for Ms. Stulsky and the county could not be immediately reached for comment this weekend.

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