Exposed breasts case moves to federal courtJim Walsh
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 27, 2007 10:42 AM
A woman who claims her rights were violated by Mesa police during a search after her arrest on assault charges is headed to federal court. In a Maricopa County Superior Court suit, Aran Griffin's attorney argues that she suffered from panic attacks and other forms of emotional distress after she was forced to expose her breasts while officers booked her in December at the police lock up. The issue was removal of body piercing jewelry. Griffin removed her tongue and nose rings, but said only a professional should remove the breast rings.
This conflicted with police policy, which requires that all inmate property be confiscated for the safety of officers and inmates. Detention Officer Jennifer Gneck removed the rings with pliers as Griffin stood before a bathroom wall, with male officers watching and with her back to taunting male inmates. "Defendant's acts go beyond all possible bounds of decency. These acts were atrocious and utterly intolerable in a civilized society," attorney Keith Knowlton wrote in his complaint.
Griffin called the treatment "disgusting" in a March interview with the Mesa Republic. "I got treated like a piece of meat. I was in a hungry lion cage," she said. "I felt embarrassed and humiliated." The suit claims the search was unreasonable and that Griffin's right to privacy also was violated.
In his answer, Assistant City Attorney Marc Steadman said Griffin's rights were not violated, that the officers' action were not reckless or negligent, and that Griffin is not entitled to damages. Steadman raised the ante by getting the case transferred to U.S District Court, saying the federal court is the appropriate venue for civil rights claims filed under federal law.
Knowlton's office declined comment. His original notice of claim against the city demanded $268,000 in damages, but an amount is not specified in his April Superior Court lawsuit. He argues, however, that Griffin is entitled to punitive damages for emotional distress and that she required psychological counseling and treatment after exposing herself during the booking. Griffin, then 26, was arrested Dec. 5 after an argument with a friend of her roommate. The charge was dropped when the witness and victim did not show up in Mesa Municipal Court to testify.
http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/0627mr-expose0628.html *** - You know, they never warn you about this kind of thing happening to you at the body piercing shops, do they??? And what's worse, it was all for nothing. For an argument with her roommate's friend, who didn't even bother to show up in court after her ordeal. Hell, she might as well sue them too....