Wedding Photographer's False Arrest Lawsuit Advances After Judge's Ruling
A federal judge in Nevada has decided that a wedding photographer can continue her lawsuit against the police, rejecting efforts to dismiss accusations of false arrest and malicious prosecution. The unnamed photographer filed her case in 2024 against the City of Reno, a Reno police detective, and a deputy from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office. This stems from an incident at a Reno wedding where the maid of honor's car was broken into, and her wallet and debit card were taken. Despite evidence showing the stolen card was used the next day in Reno while the photographer was in Sacramento, she was wrongfully accused. The lawsuit claims that Detective Eric Hague and Deputy Shelly Tone overlooked key evidence. Although she was arrested and humiliated, all charges were dropped later. U.S. District Judge Miranda Du allowed the lawsuit to proceed, indicating that there are disputed facts about probable cause, and the photographer is now seeking a jury trial.
Key facts
- The lawsuit was filed in 2024 against the City of Reno, Detective Eric Hague, and Deputy Shelly Tone.
- The photographer was falsely accused of stealing the maid of honor's wallet and debit card at a wedding in Reno.
- The stolen debit card was used in Reno the day after the wedding while the photographer was in Sacramento, California.
- The maid of honor is the daughter of former Sparks Police public information officer Damon O'Connell.
- Detective Hague allegedly withheld videotape showing the actual thief and falsely claimed the seized belt bag contained the stolen credit card.
- The photographer was arrested, handcuffed, and taken to Washoe County jail, where she was forced to undress and shower.
- All charges were dismissed by the district attorney after reviewing evidence.
- U.S. District Judge Miranda Du denied parts of the summary judgment motions, allowing claims of false arrest, false imprisonment, and malicious prosecution to proceed.
Entities
Institutions
- Reno Police Department
- Washoe County Sheriff's Office
- City of Reno
- Washoe County
- Sparks Police
Locations
- Reno
- Nevada
- Sacramento
- California