Initially, the case sounded reminiscent of the police brutality scandals that have haunted the New York Police Department for years. A young man returning from celebrating his birthday at a Brooklyn bar had a tart exchange with two police officers, who he said then handcuffed him and slammed his head onto the hood of their car.

The man, Andrew Abeyta, a Columbia University graduate who worked as an environmental consultant, would later claim that the encounter had left him with life-altering brain injuries that prevented him from working, looking at a computer screen or even leaving his apartment for long periods.

He sued the officers and the city, requesting over $12 million in compensation.

Outside of court, though, Mr. Abeyta’s life veered wildly off that script. He drank and played video games, according to court documents, and repeatedly visited a strip club, seemingly undermining his claim that he could not tolerate crowds or loud noises.

A jury ruled against his claim in November, and last week a federal judge took the unusual step of ordering him to pay the city’s legal fees of about $212,000 for making “obviously fictitious allegations” against the Police Department.