A former Fishkill inmate who went to Westchester Medical Center for dental surgery and ended up leaving paralyzed after a hospital beating by officers has been awarded a $2,060,000 judgment. 

Court documents obtained by News 12 show Chad Stanbro woke up mid-surgery in August 2018 and knocked over a piece of medical equipment during an adverse reaction to anesthesia. 

Court records show Stanbro, who has since been released on parole, was then assaulted by four corrections officers, including one who allegedly thrust his knee into Stanbro’s throat and neck in the operating room. 

The officers named in the lawsuit, filed in U.S. Southern District of New York, are Nadya Palou, Raymond Deal, Richard Landry and Kristofer Leonardo. 

A jury found the officers and the hospital to blame for Stanbro’s catastrophic injuries and mistreatment – which included allegedly being dragged out of the hospital against the advice of medical staff, while being unable to walk or properly breathe, and repeatedly poked with sharp objects by prison nurse Gary Pagliaro, who was allegedly trying to disprove that the inmate was hurt. 

Stanbro was later airlifted from Fishkill Correctional Facility back to Westchester Medical Center, where he underwent spinal surgery. According to court documents, the inmate was then placed in solitary confinement upon his return to the prison due to a falsified disciplinary report. 

According to a published report, the guards involved in the attack admitted during the trial in February 2023 that they falsely claimed Stanbro tried to punch a dentist to substantiate the use of force. The dentist reportedly testified that the inmate did not attempt to assault him.  

Department of Corrections and Community Supervision spokesperson Thomas Mailey says the department regrets the incident and that one of the guards involved resigned while another was fined and put on workplace probation.  

“The Department is committed to the safety of all, including in this case the dental staff at the outside medical officers. We regret that the individual had a bad reaction to the anesthesia necessitating staff to use force to ensure the safety of the medical team and those in the offices, as well as the unfortunate injuries that resulted,” said Mailey. “As a result of the incident, DOCCS pursued disciplinary action against two staff, which resulted in CO Palou resigning and CO Deal receiving a fine and one-year probationary period.” 

A representative for Westchester Medical Center did not immediately provide a comment. 

Stanbro was serving a 10-year sentence for the theft of a TV and a probation violation at the time of the assault.