Pittsburgh woman settles civil rights lawsuit against city, Allegheny County for $70K

A Pittsburgh woman who sued Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh over claims of civil rights violations, false arrest and violent treatment has settled her federal case for a total of $70,000.

The county last week paid Joanna Obuzor, 41, of the city’s Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood, $62,500 after approval from the law department and the county manager.

That Jan. 23 payment is in addition to a $7,500 payment to Obuzor by Pittsburgh that was unanimously approved in November by City Council and signed by Mayor Ed Gainey the following month.

In her lawsuit, Obuzor, an executive with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, said she was headed home around midnight from a 2021 Halloween-themed book club party, when she began to feel tired. She pulled into a street parking spot in Oakland to nap, rather than risk falling asleep while driving.

Obuzor said at 4 a.m. the next morning she was abruptly awakened by two Pittsburgh police officers.

According to the lawsuit, they performed a field sobriety test, accused of her of failing it without offering to conduct a Breathalyzer or blood test, slammed her against her vehicle, tore one of her elbow ligaments while arresting her, and drove her to the Allegheny County Jail without telling her why she was under arrest.

At the jail, Obuzor said correctional officers overreacted when she asked a question during intake and shocked her multiple times with a Taser that left burn marks across her back, according to court records.

Obuzor said she was left in a cell without medical care or the rest of her clothing for five hours.

No record of any charges against her can be found in Pennsylvania’s online court records database.

Obuzor’s claims against the City of Pittsburgh and city police were dismissed from the lawsuit last July, according to court records.

The case was resolved in November, according to the docket, and its dismissal was approved earlier this month.

Neither Obuzor nor her lawyers responded Thursday to requests for comment.

Abigail Gardner, a county spokesperson, said Thursday, “There is a confidentiality clause in the settlement that prohibits us from commenting on it.”

Olga George, a spokesperson for Gainey, did not respond to a message seeking comment.