The former director of the NYPD’s health and wellness section has filed a lawsuit alleging he was forced to resign in retaliation for reporting unethical practices and advocating for improved mental health care for officers. Dr. Matthew James Graziano, who resigned in April, claims the department manufactured accusations against him as retribution after he raised concerns about compromising confidential therapy records and alleged gender discrimination.
Graziano, 45, joined the NYPD in 2022 and was promoted to his executive role in 2024. According to his lawsuit, filed June 23 in Manhattan Supreme Court, Graziano began to raise ethical concerns within the department's mental health practices. He alleges he was pressured to convert confidential therapy records of police officers into disciplinary files, a move he believes would deter officers from seeking help.
"There’s some things that you would confide in a psychologist that would normally be held confidential…but the NYPD was trying to turn it from confidential to disciplinary," said Nicole Brenecki, Graziano's lawyer, in comments to The Post. "So the files that were confidential before would become part of a disciplinary file."
Graziano also claims he reported instances of gender discrimination within the department and believes he was targeted because he is a gay man. His lawyer stated that after Graziano began complaining about departmental practices, "little comments here and there and being a little nasty to him on that basis" began.
In response to his complaints, Graziano escalated his concerns to external entities, including the New York State Education Department’s Office of the Professions, the Internal Affairs Bureau, the Equal Employment Opportunities office, and the Office of the Inspector General.
In April, Graziano was called into a meeting and informed he was under investigation for allegedly collecting overtime pay while working a second job as a psychotherapist. The city is reportedly seeking reimbursement, though the exact amount is unclear. Graziano's lawyer asserted that he "never violated any rules" and that the department was aware he operated a private practice when he was hired.
According to the lawsuit, Graziano was offered a demotion to an entry-level position instead of accepting which he resigned on the spot. He is seeking an unspecified amount of damages. The lawsuit states Graziano "doesn't think the way the NYPD is run is good for them. He feels that they’re being exploited. They’re being mistreated."