Beauty Queen Dragged Out of Bed Nude by Mistaken Deputies: Lawsuit
There she is, Miss Nevada 2007. And here's her lawsuit: Caleche Ranae Manos alleges sheriff's deputies busted the wrong apartment and ogled her naked body as they forced her out of bed.
The mistaken ex-beauty queen bust took place in November 2011 in her Los Angeles County apartment, KTLA-TV reports. Manos was asleep in bed with her fiance when armed deputies barged into her unit, clearly labeled apartment "A."
Unfortunately, the deputies' search warrant was for apartment "C."
"The sheriff deputies, all of which were male and armed with guns, ordered Ms. Manos to get out of bed and then watched as she attempted to do so" in the nude, Caleche Ranae Manos' lawsuit states, according to KTLA.
After deputies realized their mistake, one officer allegedly told Manos she'd have a good story to tell at Thanksgiving, KTLA reports.
But Manos didn't find it funny. Her lawsuit seeks damages for negligence, false imprisonment, civil-rights violations, and sexual harassment.
Suing law-enforcement officers for negligence can be complicated. In general, a victim must first file a government tort claim and give the government time to respond to the claim before filing a lawsuit.
In Los Angeles County, such a claim must be filed within six months of a death or injury to a person or property; other types of claims must be filed within one year. If the claim is rejected in writing, the victim generally then has six months to file a lawsuit.
Under California's tort claim law, a few types of claims are exempt from these requirements, including federal civil rights claims.
In Caleche Ranae Manos' case, news reports do not indicate whether her civil rights attorney is suing under federal or state law. Regardless, the ex-beauty queen appears poised to take the case of her naked bust to court.
[Editor's Note, 8/3/2012 4 p.m.: This post was edited to clarify that there are limited exemptions under California's tort claim law.]
Related Resources:
- Beauty Queen Sues L.A. Sheriff's Department for Botched Apartment Bust, Ogling Her Naked Body (LAist)
- Cops Search Wrong House, Kill Innocent Man (FindLaw's Blotter)
- NYC Stoplight Suit Highlights How to Sue Cities (FindLaw's Injured)
- When Can I Sue Police for False Arrest? (FindLaw's Injured)