Dominique Sharpton, 28, eldest daughter of Al Sharpton, is suing New York City’s departments of Transportation and Environmental Protection for $5 million because of a sprained ankle. According to Kathianne Boniello, writing for the New York Post, Sharpton claimed that she was “severely injured, bruised and wounded” when she stumbled over uneven pavement at the corner of Broome Street and Broadway in the downtown area of New York City last year.
Sharpton’s Daughter Sues Over Ankle Sprain

According to the lawsuit Dominique claims that she “still suffers and will continue to suffer for some time physical pain and bodily injuries, ” She alleges “internal and external injuries to the whole body, lower and upper limbs, the full extent of which are unknown, permanent pain and mental anguish.”
Boniello writes that there are social-media shots of Dominique in high heels and of her climbing a ladder to decorate a Christmas tree. She is currently on vacation in Bali and serves as membership director for her father’s National Action Network.
Dominique claims she fell in a crosswalk, which would make hers a “defective roadway” claim, according to Boniello. She writes that New York City received 774 such claims in the 2014 fiscal year alone.
In a subsequent, May 22 New York Post article, Sharpton posted photos of an Indonesian trip and commented on Instagram: “We hiked UP the mountain, over the clouds…into the SUNRISE.”
New York City lawyers have warned her NOT to delete all her social media postings showing her hiking the mountain.

Discussion
This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
Join the conversation
Orthopedic professionals are discussing this. Sign in and upgrade to read every comment and add your voice.