A woman to be awarded $205,000 settlement after a humiliating drug search by the San Antonio Police Department. On August 8th, 2016, Natalie Simms was subjected to public humiliation during a virginal cavity search by police officers that was conducted in full view of male officers and other passers-by. Simms was shocked when the police ask her to spread her legs and raise her hands to search her at the side of a street in San Antonio, TX.
The police were investigating that area for possible illegal drug activity. There had been a lot of complaints about the issue for several months. A police officer reported that she had spotted Natalie Simms (who also has a criminal record) accompanied by another unknown woman walking beneath an underpass where she appeared to be selling drugs.
Before her search, the police asked for consent to search the victim’s car, which she willingly gave because she had nothing to hide. Nothing suspicious was found in the car. A police female officer was then called to search her. After they didn’t find anything in her pockets, she was subjected to a vaginal cavity search which led to her tampon being pulled out.
Simms filed a lawsuit last year at the western district of Texas. She sued the city as well as Mara Wilson – the now-retired police detective who searched her – for unspecified damages. She alleged that the act resulted in significant and lasting harm and was a blatant violation of her rights.
The legal battle seems to be coming to an end as the city schedules to vote on a proposed settlement that would award Natalie Simms $205,000. While the San Antonio Police Department has not offered an official apology and not admitted to liability, the fact that she’ll receive compensation shows that what she went through was wrong.
If you need legal help, contact us for assistance.