Rochester, Monroe County to pay $1.75M to officer blinded in stabbing

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(USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect) – The City of Rochester announced on Thursday its settlement with former Rochester Police Officer Denny Wright, a 29-year veteran with the department.

The settlement comes after Wright suffered multiple stab wounds, leaving him blinded, after responding to a domestic disturbance call at a home in northeast Rochester in 2019. Since the day he was stabbed, Wright has been medically disabled from his job.

In December 2020, Wright filed a notice of claim against the Rochester Police Department, the City of Rochester and Monroe County.

The claim alleged that no warnings or notices were attached to the dispatched call. It also did not advise “that the property or residents had a history or that I should wait for backup,” according to the document.

The city’s announcement comes after the Monroe County Legislature unanimously approved on May 12 a settlement of $500,000 with Wright.

The city said in a statement that after a series of court-facilitated settlement conferences all parties agreed to a settlement in mid-April of this year with the following terms:

• City of Rochester to make a lump sum payment to the Wrights in the amount of $1.25 million.
• Monroe County to make a lump sum payment to the Wrights in the amount of $500,000.
• City of Rochester to continue to pay for any medical care related to Officer Wright’s line of duty injuries, and to continue to provide health insurance for the Wrights.
• Officer Wright to retire from the city, but to continue to act as an ambassador for the Rochester Police Department for the mutual benefit of both the department and Officer Wright.
• City of Rochester to pay Officer Wright $65,000 annually for up to 10 years following his retirement from the city, as additional compensation for pain and suffering damages.