by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
SDNY COURTHOUSE, April 21 – Thomas M. Moran was a Metro North conductor of a 1 am train to New Haven from Grand Central Station in August 2017.
He told a man in a wheelchair, who he perceived to be drunk, that he could not ride and get off at 125th Street, where the train would only receive but not discharge passengers.
The man in the wheelchair, he says, became abusive. Then the MTA police not only would not help him as conductor - they abused and arrested him. He sued.
On April 18, 2023 U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Analisa Torres was presiding over the trial. Inner City Press went and covered it.
Plaintiff's counsel showed the incident report, which described Moran as armed with his hands and feet; it contained his mug shot. Q&A was read from depositions. Meanwhile the defendants have moved for sanctions under FRCP 37(c).
On April 19, Moran was on the witness stand. Under cross examination, he said he never uses profanity, citing his Catholic faith. Then he said he might swear in (or at) a sports game.
He was asked if the "R" (receiving only) status of the New Haven line train at 125th Street is or was not mostly a matter of accounting for revenue between the states of New York and Connecticut. [This used to happen at the Fordham Road station in The Bronx, but has since been solved].
Moran said that he did not want to leave a disabled passenger in a station that might not be ready for him or her, but that he could not keep any passenger on the train at a station against their will. "They might have forgotten something," he said. Might, indeed.
On April 20, a doctor testified about the medications Moran was on, and said that because he does not acknowledge even small faults, he is defensive.
On April, Officer Sedita was on the stand. He described Moran as possibly under the influence, he was so loud; he quoted him yelling profanity. (In fairness, he also said Moran seemed to get along with his colleagues). On cross examination he was shown security video of the large hall in Grand Central, how long people where at Track 25. The case continues.
The case is Moran v. Metro-North Railroad Company, et al., 19-cv-3079 (Torres)
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