A former New York City prisoner just got a big $750,000 settlement all thanks to his penis.
51-year-old Rodney Cotton was suing New York City for negligence (not a first for NYC jails) after an untreated abnormal erection in 2011 left him with “permanent injuries to his penis.” Cotton, who was in the Manhattan Detention Complex at the time after violating parole, was given Risperdal, an antipsychotic medication, to treat his bipolar disorder, which somehow resulted in the erection. Cotton was left untreated all Independence Day weekend and was only given an ice pack and Tylenol.
Cotton told the New York Daily News,
He was finally sent to Bellevue Hospital for emergency surgery after a third doctor saw him on July 8, 2011 where he received a catheter implant.
The situation worsened post-surgery after “self-dissolving” stitches became “embedded” to his penis after a month back in jail. Cotton said the stitches had to be removed by a doctor without anesthesia.
Cotton, who received the settlement before the trial started, said he’ll use the money to move to Atlanta in search of a new start and to be with his daughter. “If I had the choice between the reward and having my manhood restored, I’d have my manhood restored in a heartbeat,” he said.
[via Gothamist]
