LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A judge has ordered the city of Lincoln to pay more than $259,000 to a woman who accused the city and a local Crime Stopper’s organization of libel and slander.
City officials must also issue a retraction. The judge’s ruling Wednesday comes after a jury awarded $75,000 to 26-year-old Shayla Funk in her case against Crime Stoppers.
Funk sued after her image appeared on the Crime Stopper’s website and television segments, with incorrect claims that she was a “crook” who made fake ATM deposits and withdrawals with a stolen credit card. Her image was used after the bank sent the wrong video to police.
Funk’s attorney, Vince Powers, says the ruling was an important step to restoring his client’s reputation.