COLLEGE PARK, GA — College Park Police Department is facing a new lawsuit accusing it of violating the privacy of a sexual assault victim.
The lawsuit accuses the police department of releasing raw police video of officers interviewing a 13-year-old girl as she reported her sexual abuse, and giving that video to a social media content creator who later posted it publicly on YouTube.
According to the complaint, the videos were released in response to an open records request. Attorneys for the teen and her mother argue the footage should never have been made public because it contained sensitive information and identified a minor involved in a sexual assault case.
The lawsuit alleges not only did College Park police officers chastise the teen during the interview as she described the alleged rape, but strangers later did as well after the unredacted video circulated online.
The complaint says the video received more than a quarter-million views and prompted commenters to attack the teen, with some calling for charges to be dropped or for a not-guilty verdict for the suspect.
WSB senior legal analyst Ron Carlson says the lawsuit claims the family has suffered significant harm.
“They’re talking about how she can’t sleep at night, humiliation, degradation, so they’ve made a substantial claim for mental injury damages here,” Carlson said.
The lawsuit further alleges police also released video of the suspect being interviewed. The suspect in the case is currently being held without bond.
Carlson says the legal fight will likely center on whether police violated privacy protections for minors or properly responded to a records request.
“This lawsuit will pit the plaintiff’s claim for invasion of privacy against a possible defense of aiding First Amendment rights,” Carlson said.
In another portion of the complaint, Carlson says the allegations raise concerns about protections for minors in legal proceedings.
“If these acts are borne out by the evidence, they run afoul of court policy to protect the identity of minors involved in legal proceedings. The YouTube posting apparently has had 254,000 views,” Carlson said.
The 13-year-old girl and her mother are seeking punitive damages, saying they suffered mental pain and anguish as a result of the video’s release and public circulation.
WSB Radio has reached out to the College Park Police Department for comment. So far, there has been no response.
WSB Radio’s Veronica Waters contributed to this story.