No merit, case dismissed. That is how Judge Richard Platkin ruled on March 5 about former Peekskill police officer Michael Henderson’s lawsuit against the city and New York state. Henderson, an eight-year veteran, claimed the city violated terms of his settlement agreement that led to his departure in February 2025.
Henderson filed an Article 78 petition on June 3, 2025, claiming that the State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) did not give him a fair hearing to present his side of the case.
The former Peekskill officer agreed to resign in a settlement on Feb. 17, 2025, after he was caught on Feb. 8 blocking a station closed-circuit security camera and swiping a boot from the Peekskill Police Department women’s locker room to satisfy a “sexual addiction,.” according to court records and police internal affairs investigations records obtained by the Peekskill Herald.
On March 10, 2025, Henderson received a letter from DCJS stating the Peekskill Police Department reported he was removed for cause on Feb. 27, resulting in his basic training certification being stripped.
Henderson claimed the police department only supplied partial information to the DCJS regarding the reason for his resignation and that it failed to comply with the terms of a settlement agreement, which he said DCJS was never given.
However, in the March 5, 2026, disposition, Judge Richard Platkin ruled that a settlement agreement did not supersede the police department’s obligation to accurately report the reason for Henderson’s separation.
In addition, the court concluded that Henderson’s claims against DCJS were unfounded and that Henderson was not entitled to a hearing to “determine the factual background and nature of his resignation,” due to there being material accuracy in the police department’s reporting to DCJS.
In a statement to the Herald, Eric Gordon, principal member of Keane & Beane, which represented the police department, said, “The City of Peekskill believes the Court made the correct decision in the proceeding brought by Michael Henderson and agrees with the Court’s determination that the city’s police department and Division of Criminal Justice Services acted properly.”
The office of Letitia James, New York State Attorney General and attorney for DCJS, referred the Herald to DCJS, which declined to comment.
In a phone call, Henderson attorney Stephen Preziosi repeated the argument that the department violated the settlement agreement and that Henderson did not know what documents the department provided to the DCJS.
“I’m a little flabbergasted that they completely kept this hidden from him and now they’re claiming this is consistent with due process,” Preziosi said. “That’s like having a defendant sit outside the courtroom while the evidence is being presented and not permitting him to know what is being presented and then asking him to defend himself. It was just not a fair process.”
Preziosi said Henderson has not decided yet whether he will appeal or not. He has until April 3 to file a notice of appeal.
