Litigation  
BOL Meeting Minutes -  
Final  
800 Michaelian Office Bldg.  
148 Martine Avenue, 8th Floor  
White Plains, NY 10601  
Committee Chair: David Imamura  
WestchesterLegislatorsNY.gov  
Tuesday, March 10, 2026  
1:00 PM  
Committee Room  
Joint w/B&A  
CALL TO ORDER  
Please note: Meetings of the Board of Legislators and its committees are held at the  
Michaelian Office Building, 148 Martine Avenue, 8th Floor, White Plains, New York, 10601,  
and livestreamed via the WebEx video conferencing system. Legislators may participate in  
person or via Webex. Members of the public may attend meetings in person at any of its  
locations, or view the meeting and its video recording online on the Westchester County  
Legislature’s website: https://westchestercountyny.legistar.com/. This website also provides  
the links to documents to be discussed at a given meeting.  
Legislator Colin Smith will be participating remotely from 1132 Main Street, Suite 1, Peekskill,  
NY 10566.  
With a quorum present, Chair Imamura called the meeting to order at 1:07 p.m.  
Others in Attendance: BOL: Legislators: Tyrae Woodson-Samuels, James Nolan, and Shanae  
Williams; Committee Coordinators: Jill Axelrod, Ethan Samuel, Sebastian Loreti, Dayana  
Gomez, and Althema Goodson; James Silverberg; GUESTS: Law Dept.: John Nonna and  
Carla Chaves; Budget Dept.: Dianne Vanadia; DEF: Vincent Kopicki and Melissa Rotini;  
Planning Dept.: Blanca Lopez  
Legislator Imamura, Legislator Barr, Legislator Nambiar and Legislator Williams  
Present:  
Johnson  
Legislator Smith  
Remote:  
MINUTES APPROVAL  
Monday, February 9, 2026 at 10:00 a.m.  
On motion of Legislator Williams Johnson, seconded by Legislator Barr, the minutes were  
approved. The motion carried by the following vote:  
Aye:  
Legislator Imamura, Legislator Barr, Legislator Nambiar and Legislator  
Williams Johnson  
Away:  
Legislator Smith  
Monday, March 2, 2026 at 10:00 a.m.  
On motion of Legislator Williams Johnson, seconded by Legislator Barr, the minutes were  
approved. The motion carried by the following vote:  
Litigation  
BOL Meeting Minutes - Final  
March 10, 2026  
Aye:  
Legislator Imamura, Legislator Barr, Legislator Nambiar and Legislator  
Williams Johnson  
Away:  
Legislator Smith  
I.  
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION  
1.  
ACT-2026-45  
ACT - Lawsuit Settlement of Pellis v. Russo  
Guest: Law Dept.: County Attorney John Nonna  
Mr. Nonna said that the plaintiff’s claims were excessive force and deliberate indifference to  
medical needs. He said that the settlement was appropriate because liability was an issue,  
and if the plaintiff succeeded at trial, he would have been entitled to attorneys’ fees in addition  
to damages.  
Legislator Woodson-Samuels asked if any changes in policy or training were made after the  
underlying incident. Mr. Nonna said that the officer received a letter of reprimand, which stays  
in his file forever, and the Department of Public Safety has instituted measures to ensure that  
something like this does not happen again.  
Legislator Nambiar asked how the settlement amount of $200,000 was reached. Mr. Nonna  
said the plaintiff demanded $300,000 and the County offered $50,000, and eventually settled  
for $200,000.  
Legislator Pierce asked what kind of training the police officers have to prevent this type of  
situation from happening again. Mr. Nonna said the Commissioner of Public Safety could  
provide that information.  
On motion of Legislator Barr, seconded by Legislator Nambiar, the above item was signed by  
committee and referred to Board of Legislators. The motion carried by the following vote:  
Aye:  
Legislator Imamura, Legislator Barr, Legislator Nambiar and Legislator  
Williams Johnson  
Away:  
II.  
Legislator Smith  
OTHER BUSINESS  
RECEIVE & FILE  
III.  
ADJOURNMENT  
Moved by Legislator Nambiar, seconded by Legislator Barr, the Committee adjourned at 1:20  
p.m. by the following vote:  
Aye:  
Legislator Imamura, Legislator Barr, Legislator Nambiar and Legislator  
Williams Johnson  
Away:  
Legislator Smith