A former Philadelphia police officer is suing Meek Mill, Jay-Z and Amazon for including her picture in the documentary Free Meek. She alleges that the Amazon Prime documentary falsely implies that she’s a corrupt cop and a liar, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The lawsuit centers around the fourth episode titled “Filthadelphia” in the five-part series detailing Mill's legal saga. The episode sets out to explore recent cases of corruption within the Philadelphia Police Department and the district attorney's office.
One of the more scandalous revelations during the episode was the Philadelphia district attorney’s “Do Not Call” list. The list is a private guide of police officers prosecutors were told to keep off the witness stand because of allegations of misconduct or questionable work history.
Former officer Saqueta Williams' name was included on the list. While a voice-over explains the “Do Not Call” list and its significance to Mill’s case, a Philadelphia Inquirer article displaying Williams’ name and picture flashed across the screen.
“The DA’s Office generated a specific list that has 66 names of police officers on it,” the voice-over said. “There have been findings by the police department that the officers have lied to Internal Affairs, to other police officers, or in court.”
Reginald Graham, the officer who arrested Mill for his initial charges over a decade ago, was also included on the “Do Not Call” list. His allegations of misconduct proved a crucial turning point for the rapper's case.
Former Philadelphia police officer Jerold Gibson swore in an affidavit that Graham falsely accused Mill, who was 19 years old at the time, of pointing a gun at police.
The reasoning behind officers’ names appearing on the list vary from DUIs to mishandling evidence. Williams, who was a seven-year veteran in the 22nd District, had no involvement with Meek’s arrest or subsequent probation history.
The former officer found herself on the list after she and her significant other were involved in an early-morning altercation with four women outside a bar in which she threatened people with a gun. Williams was off duty at the time. She was charged and acquitted of simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and terroristic threats. She was subsequently fired from the force.
Williams’ lawyer, Steven Marino, states that this unfavorable narration along with the use of Williams’ image, “imputes the impression in the minds of the average persons among whom it is intended to circulate that…Williams was a dirty and dishonest police officer.”
“She was attacked,” Marino, said. “It had nothing to do with lying, deception, or perjury.”
Williams, who now works as a security guard at a local school, says her reputation has been irreparably harmed.
She is seeking more than $75,000 in damages and alleges that Mill, Jay-Z, Amazon and others “inspected and edited” the episode defaming her.