Judge dismisses suit over innocent woman’s jailing
A federal judge in Atlanta has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a woman who was arrested by mistake and then held for 53 days in jail before finally being released.
Teresa Ann Culpepper had filed suit against Atlanta police and Fulton County officials over her wrongful arrest in August 2011. She previously settled claims against the city.
On Wednesday, Senior U.S. District Judge Charles Pannell Jr. dismissed her remaining claims against Fulton prosecutors, finding they had immunity from such litigation.
Culpepper was arrested because she had the same first name as another woman wanted by authorities in an aggravated assault case, even though Culpepper provided officers with her driver’s license that showed she did not have the same name and was not the same age as the real suspect. She also did not have a gold tooth that police were told the real suspect had.
Culpepper was cleared of the felony charges weeks later when the victim in the case saw Culpepper in court and said she was not the person who committed the crime — yet Culpepper was returned to jail and remained there for several more days before being released.
About the Author
Bill Rankin has been an AJC reporter for more than 30 years. His father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years, retiring in 1986. Bill has primarily covered the state’s court system, doing all he can do to keep the scales of justice on an even keel. Since 2015, he has been the host of the newspaper’s Breakdown podcast.
