Freddie Douglas, a Black Texas police officer, lost his job and home after being falsely accused of raping a white woman during a consensual threesome.
According to a DailyMail report, Douglas, 43, was arrested in December after Amanda Zawieruszynski, the neighbor of his best friend John Marks, alleged he assaulted her.
Douglas, a father of two, was exonerated when security footage from Marks’ home proved the encounter was consensual, but despite being cleared, Douglas was forced to sell his home to cover legal fees.
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He is now suing the Manvel Police Department and Zawieruszynski for civil rights violations, defamation, and malicious prosecution.
Douglas, a decorated El Campo police detective named Officer of the Year in 2020, filed the lawsuit after the charges were dropped.
According to court documents, the situation unfolded on November 8, when Douglas met Zawieruszynski at Marks’ home to celebrate his birthday.
The trio engaged in consensual sexual activities, which Marks filmed on his phone, with security cameras also capturing the encounter.
The footage reportedly shows no signs of coercion, with Zawieruszynski making lighthearted remarks during the evening.
Three weeks later, she contacted police, claiming she was assaulted after refusing to engage in sexual activity. The lawsuit alleges police obtained an arrest warrant without interviewing the suspects.
Douglas, who expressed gratitude to his wife for her support during the ordeal, is now seeking compensation for damages- including compensatory, punitive and exemplary damages, as well as attorney’s fees and any other relief the court deems just and proper as he works to rebuild his life.
“This case is not an isolated incident but reflects a time-worn pattern, reminiscent of the injustices depicted in To Kill a Mockingbird, where black men are falsely accused of sexual crimes by white women, and the machinery of law enforcement is all too willing to proceed without question,’ Marks’ lawsuit claimed.”
It however remains unclear whether Douglas and his wife, Stefanie Coffman-Douglas, stayed together or were just amicably co-parenting following the ordeal.
