NEW ORLEANS — A New Orleans man is suing the Causeway Police Department for wrongful arrest and the violation of his civil rights, after being arrested on his way to work.
Plaintiff Corey T. Price filed the complaint on July, 30, in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, against the Greater New Orleans Expressway Commission, Causeway Police Officer Chris Galloway, and the Causeway Police Department.
“As a result of the false arrest, the plaintiff has suffered embarrassment, humiliation, mental anguish, legal fees, and loss of work,” the complaint states.
Price, a father of four, was reportedly on his way to the Louisiana Superdome, where he worked as a security guard, when he was pulled over by Galloway. The officer ordered Price to exit the vehicle and, upon seeing he was armed, Galloway ordered him to the back of his pickup truck so he could be disarmed.
According to the complaint, Price has a speech impediment, which he tried to explain to Galloway, stating that he hadn’t consumed any drugs or alcohol.
“He explained that he had frustratingly gone through a similar stop and arrest ordeal about a month earlier with the state police in which he gave a breath and urine sample, which both came back negative,” the complaint states.
Once Price asked to contact his attorney and refused any tests, Galloway arrested him for driving under the influence and placed him in the back of his vehicle. When he requested from Galloway’s supervisor a chance to call his lawyer and wife to notify them of the arrest, he was denied.
After spending the entire day in jail and being forced to submit to numerous tests, all of which were negative for drugs and alcohol, Price was bonded out.
The complaint states Price suffered repercussions at work as a result of the arrest, in addition to being humiliated and incurring financial losses. He is requesting punitive damages and reasonable attorney’s fees.