Atlanta council to vote on settlement over woman’s false drug arrest
Atlanta City Council on Jan. 3 is set to vote on a settlement with a transgender woman who spent more than five months in jail after a false arrest.
According to a federal lawsuit covered in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Ju’Zema Goldring was walking with friends in Midtown in 2015 when Atlanta police arrested and charged her with jaywalking. Officers Vladimir Henry and Juan Restrepo searched Goldring’s purse and found a “stress” ball.
The police cut the ball open to test the substance inside it for narcotics, Goldring’s suit states. The police found no evidence of illegal drugs, but she was still charged with trafficking cocaine. She stayed in Fulton County jail until March 22, 2016.
According to the City Council, Goldring has agreed to accept more than $1.3 million from the city to settle her lawsuit. However, Atlanta’s code limits the settlement to $2,000 because the city was not named as a defendant in the trial.
The city council’s public safety committee voted on Monday to advance an ordinance to waive that limitation to fulfill Goldring’s request. The committee convened in a closed-door executive session for 20 minutes to discuss the ordinance prior to their vote.
If the council passes the ordinance, the funds will be taken from the city’s General Fund and Litigation Expenses account, according to the ordinance.
Goldring filed her case against the officers two years after her jail release. When the case went to trial in February, the jury ruled in her favor and awarded her $1.5 million.
About the Author
Wilborn P. Nobles III covers Atlanta City Hall for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He began covering DeKalb County Schools for The AJC in November 2020. He previously covered Baltimore County for The Baltimore Sun and education for the Times-Picayune in New Orleans. He interned at the Washington Post. He graduated from Louisiana State University.
