In the spring of 2023, a retired Buffalo police lieutenant, Amy I. Marracino, accused Jamie L. Mulligan, owner of West Side Cat Rescue, of stealing another woman’s cat. Marracino brought on-duty officers to Mulligan’s home, claiming she had text messages and video evidence proving the theft, according to a lawsuit filed by Mulligan.
Mulligan was arrested and booked at the city police lockup, enduring a strip search. However, when officers visited the home where the allegedly stolen cat was being fostered, the woman who claimed her cat was stolen stated that the cat was not hers. Despite this, Mulligan was charged with multiple misdemeanors and suffered an asthma and panic attack during her arrest.
Mulligan, who had the charges dropped in September, is now suing Marracino, the woman who claimed her cat was stolen, and Buffalo Police. The lawsuit alleges improper arrest, civil rights violations, and emotional distress. Mulligan claims Marracino harbored animosity towards her due to a previous false accusation of cat theft in October 2022.
Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia declined to comment on the pending litigation. Parties in the lawsuit are scheduled to meet with State Supreme Court Justice Gerald J. Greenan III on June 20.
