Tennessee woman sues Fargo, city detective over AI-aided arrest
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A Tennessee woman who said she was falsely jailed after Fargo police relied on artificial intelligence is suing the city and a detective.
In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, Angela Lipps alleged five counts against the City of Fargo and Detective Lucas Heck, including violation of her civil rights and malicious prosecution. The city has been preparing for a lawsuit from Lipps, according to reporting from The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead.
Law enforcement arrested Lipps in Tennessee last year in connection with a case of bank fraud in Fargo. Police said they used facial recognition software to link Lipps to the suspect, and she was held in jail for six months.
But Lipps said she had never been to North Dakota, and her bank records put her in Tennessee during the crime. She was released in December and, according to the lawsuit, sustained physical and mental injuries from her time in jail.
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“Since the incident, Lipps continues to suffer emotional distress,” according to the lawsuit. “Lipps has continuing trauma, anxiety and panic attacks. She does not trust law enforcement or strangers. She is no longer social. She has general paranoia. She constantly fears for her safety and liberty. She has received treatment for these conditions, but they persist.”
Lipps is requesting a jury trial. One of her lawyers, Dane DeKrey, said the community support for Lipps indicates that Fargo residents want the police to be held accountable.
“This can send a message to other departments to not do what was done here,” he said. “So I think [the lawsuit] is both for herself and also broader for everyone who may get ensnared in something like this with the rise of AI.”
The City of Fargo declined to comment on the lawsuit. The police department initially denied any wrongdoing, but in a March press conference, then-Police Chief Dave Zibolski admitted that errors were made during the investigation.
In that press conference, he apologized to the community, but not to Lipps, citing the active investigation.
“There has been no formal retraction of the cloud of suspicion on our client,” DeKrey said. “They dismissed the charges, but when they did, and when we got involved, we asked for a specific admission of wrongdoing, and a specific admission that Ms. Lipps was not part of this conduct in any way, and we haven't gotten that.”
