A federal jury on March 15, 2026 cleared four Suffolk County police officers of an excessive-force claim in a civil lawsuit that accused them of breaking a Long Island woman’s arm after a 2019 police chase. The plaintiff, Maryann Ost Chernick, was 51 at the time of the arrest and later died on Jan. 1, 2020. Her husband, Ira, carried on the case on behalf of her estate. The verdict effectively closes out a courtroom fight that has put a spotlight on how officers handled the takedown of a small, medically fragile woman outside her gated community.
As reported by the New York Post, jurors returned a defense verdict in the suit, which was seeking roughly $9 million in damages. The Post quoted a statement from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office saying that "the jury recognized and acknowledged what we have always known - that our officers conducted themselves entirely appropriately and within the bounds of the law."
How the Chase and Arrest Unfolded
According to court documents filed in the Eastern District of New York, the chain of events started on Feb. 9, 2019, after a vehicle hit a CVS in Deer Park and then left the scene. Officers pursued the car onto the Long Island Expressway in a chase that stretched about 13 miles. It ended when the driver crashed through the entrance gate of a private community and parked at her home in the Hunt Club. The federal complaint names Officers Charles Tramontana, Jesus Faya, Michael Sweet and Argand Reyes as the individual defendants.
Medical Evidence and Aftermath
The same filings state that officers took Chernick into custody at her garage keypad and that she was brought to Good Samaritan Hospital, where x-rays revealed a spiral distal fracture that doctors said was consistent with a twisting force. The court record notes that Dr. Hamid Mostafavi operated on Feb. 22, 2019, installing metal wires and screws. Toxicology records, according to the filings, showed the presence of multiple prescription medications. Mrs. Chernick was charged with driving under the combined influence of drugs along with other offenses. She died on Jan. 1, 2020, of causes the court described as unrelated to the arrest.
Reactions
The New York Post reports that Ira Chernick said he was "very disappointed" by the verdict and that "there was no justice for her, what they did to her" after jurors sided with the officers. Attorneys for the plaintiff argued that the officers’ takedown fractured Chernick’s arm and led to the surgery. The defense countered that her injury could have occurred earlier in the night, before she was physically subdued.
Legal Context
The suit was brought as a federal civil-rights action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Court papers reflect an earlier opinion dated Oct. 2, 2024, that denied summary judgment on the excessive-force claim while granting summary judgment for Suffolk County on municipal-liability, or Monell, theories. That October opinion, part of the E.D.N.Y. docket, lays out the legal standards for excessive force and qualified immunity and leaves the disputed factual question of how Chernick’s arm was broken for a jury to resolve.
Local Patterns
Long Island has seen other high-profile civil cases and payouts tied to alleged police misconduct in recent years, a pattern that local media have tracked as part of broader scrutiny of policing on the island. The Long Island Press and other local reporters have detailed settlements and jury awards that highlight the growing attention on these disputes.
What’s Next
The federal jury’s decision resolves the question of liability at trial, but there is still room for post-trial motions or appeals. For now, the verdict leaves Chernick’s family and Suffolk County law enforcement on opposite sides of a long-running disagreement over exactly what happened on that February night in 2019.
