Lauren Roberts is seeking damages from the city of Indianapolis after she was forcibly removed from a City-County Council meeting earlier this year.
Sheriff’s deputies ejected Roberts from a June 9 meeting as she tried to speak about her experience working for Thomas Cook, a former deputy mayor who has been accused by Roberts and two other women of sexual misconduct.
Council President Vop Osili ordered the deputies to remove Roberts after she went over her 2-minute time limit during public comment. She delivered the rest of her remarks outside.
Mayor Joe Hogsett and several councilors criticized Osili’s handling of Roberts’ testimony.
Osili, a Democrat who represents parts of downtown and some areas northwest, later apologized, saying he should have “shown a sensitivity in that emotionally charged moment.”
An attorney for Roberts filed a tort claim Dec. 8 against the mayor’s office, the City-County Council and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, according to a copy of the claim obtained by Mirror Indy.
The claim states that excessive force was used to remove Roberts, resulting in physical and emotional distress. Roberts, who lives in Colorado, is seeking $50,000 in damages to resolve the claim.
Roberts declined to comment through her attorney. Spokespeople for the mayor’s office and council directed questions about the case to the city’s Office of Corporation Counsel. That office confirmed that it received the tort claim but declined to comment further.
In an emailed statement to Mirror Indy, an unnamed spokesperson for the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said that if the tort claim notice was properly filed, then the case will be “fought aggressively” in the courtroom.
“It has been a longstanding practice that the sheriff’s office has allowed the president of the council, who represents the people, to direct deputy sheriffs to have people removed from a public meeting at the president’s discretion,” the statement read in part.
GET THE BACKSTORY
Council president removes Lauren Roberts from council meeting
Vop Osili, a Democrat, ordered deputies to remove Roberts from the building.
A tort claim is the first step in the legal process when seeking compensation for personal injury or property damage from a government entity. If the parties named in the claim don’t respond to the claim in 90 days, Roberts can proceed with a lawsuit.
Meeting came after council investigation
Roberts’ remarks at the meeting were related to the council’s investigation into sexual harassment allegations against Cook.
The probe was launched after IndyStar and Mirror Indy published stories in which Roberts and two other women accused Cook of sexual misconduct.
It was the first meeting following the release of the long-awaited report from Fisher Phillips, the law firm hired by the council to carry out the investigation.
Roberts and a former city staffer, Caroline Ellert, said that report left out key details, including late-night messages that Hogsett appeared to send to both women in the past.
Hogsett later said it was never his intention to make anyone uncomfortable. He attributed his remarks to the “casual conversation style” that comes with a political campaign.
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Peter Blanchard covers local government. Reach him at 317-605-4836 or peter.blanchard@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @peterlblanchard.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
