(NewsWorthy.news) – A woman who was accused of stealing AirPods from one of her classmates in high school is suing two members of the police department and the city of Naperville, Illinois, for $20 million in a civil rights discrimination lawsuit. Amara Harris, 21, who was cleared of the allegations, is seeking damages for suffering she claims she experienced when she battled to clear her name for more than three years.
The lawsuit also claims that Harris was the victim of discrimination by law enforcement and the school, arguing that black students are disproportionately targeted. Harris was accused of the theft in 2019 when she was studying at Naperville North High School, Chicago.
When she lost her AirPods and mistakenly picked up those belonging to another student when retracing her steps, Harris handed in the student’s AirPods. Despite her honesty she received a ticket from a member of the Naperville Police Department, who works as a resource officer for the school.
Harris denied the accusation of theft and declined to pay the fine of $120. Harris’ account of events never differed, as in her lengthy battle she repeatedly stated she had simply mistaken someone else’s AirPods as her own. A six-person jury ruled in 2023 to clear Harris, rendering the fee null and void.
Marla Baker, Harris’ mother, claimed that her daughter’s confidence was severely impacted by the lengthy legal battle. She commented that Harris used to be a very sociable cheerleader and that the experience made her quiet and increasingly withdrawn. Baker said she was upset to see her daughter battling through anxiety and depression as her fight to clear her name dragged on.
Though schools are prohibited under Illinois law from issuing fines to discipline students, news surfaced in 2022 of the state’s school officials reporting students to the police for minor offenses. The findings accused local law enforcement and schools of working together to penalize students.
Juan Leon, the officer who ticketed Harris, and his supervisor, Sergeant Jonathan W. Pope, are both named in the federal lawsuit. Leon and Pope have been accused of enabling a system that discriminates against students based on color. Leon clarified in the trial that there was no clear evidence to prove that Harris had stolen the AirPods.
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