Judge To Let Ramapo Cop Leave Home During Disability To Get Married

RAMAPO, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- There will be wedding day blues for a Rockland County couple. The groom told his bride-to-be he'll leave their planned wedding reception early in order to keep his job.

His fiancée and his mother looked on nervously Friday waiting for the news. Then, 33-year-old Modestino "Tino" Giusto came out of the Rockland County Courthouse all smiles.

"No. I'm ready to go," he told CBS 2's Lou Young when asked if he was getting cold feet.

WCBS 880's Alex Silverman On The Story

Giusto is a cop with the Ramapo Police Department, but he's out on long term disability, which under his union agreement requires him to be at home during his regularly scheduled work tour.  He's on the schedule to work Saturday. He's also supposed to get married. He literally had to go to court to get permission to attend his own wedding reception. Needless to say, this caused a bit of anxiety among the wedding planners over the last few weeks.

"It was terrible. It was unbelievable. I watched my daughter cry a lot and all these plans are made and it turns out he can't stay," said Barbara Wilson, the bride's mother.

"It's been very hard just thinking you got to leave in the middle of the reception and that's why we wanted the Police Department to understand us. It's an occasion that's once in a lifetime," said Jenny Giusto, the groom's mother.

The Police Department claimed its hands were tied.  The town's lawyer insisted they were not motivated by annoyance that Tino had gone out sick after undergoing Taser training. On Friday, they all worked it out before a judge.

"In the interest of reaching a settlement and the importance of the event the town has agreed to solution where he will be able to attend the end of his reception," Town Attorney Brian Nugent said, adding when asked if Giusto's chief could have just changed his schedule, "No, he couldn't have."

"I'm just happy. I've got stuff to do. I got places to go," bride-to-be Sara Narun said.

When reminded that Giusto now has no excuse, Narun said, "What? For doing it? Right! We have it on tape!"

CBS 2's Young got the impression that Giusto was never really in charge of his wedding plans, but now that his future wife is aware of his scheduling limitations the honeymoon in Cancun has been cancelled in exchange for a midweek trip to Key West, Fla.

Giusto and Narun's wedding is scheduled to take place at 11 a.m.

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