WEST DEPTFORD TWP. -- A Woodbury Heights resident has will receive a $575,000 settlement from West Deptford and Woodbury Heights municipalities for a settle a false arrest and excessive force claim, according to court documents.

Joseph Rickert filed suit in Superior Court in Gloucester County against West Deptford, Woodbury Heights and two police officers from the towns in 2013 claiming he was "unlawfully and unreasonably" detained in April 2012.

The suit, which does not go into detail about what happened during his arrest, claims police violated Rickert's fourth, fifth and fourteenth amendment rights by unlawfully arresting him and using excessive force.

Rickert, who suffers from cerebral palsy, also claimed the officers discriminated against him due to his disability and used unreasonable force, even after he told both police officers of his diagnosis. Each municipality settled their respective portion of the suit, agreeing to pay $237,500 to Rickert and his attorney for personal injuries, according to documents obtained by John Paff, an open public records advocate.

The agreement does not stipulate any wrong doing or liability on the part of the towns, saying it was made "solely for purposes of avoiding the excessive course of litigation."

Rebecca Forand may be reached at rforand@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @RebeccaForand.Find NJ.com on Facebook.