Appeals court revises lawsuit of prosecutor who objected to charging decisions in George Floyd case
Original article courtesy of Alpha News
The court ruling provides new details about the "hostility" former prosecutor Amy Sweasy says she faced after objecting to certain charging decisions in the George Floyd case.
The Minnesota Court of Appeals has partially reinstated a lawsuit filed by veteran prosecutor Amy Sweasy, who alleges that former Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman violated whistleblower protection laws after Sweasy’s refusal to charge additional officers in George Floyd’s death and add charges against former officer Derek Chauvin.
The ruling, issued Monday, allows Sweasy to move forward with claims that Freeman engaged in whistleblower retaliation against her for decisions she made during her tenure under his administration.
While not named as a defendant, Freeman’s successor, current Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, is mentioned in the ruling for her actions and comments after taking office.
Freeman’s alleged retaliation over George Floyd cases
In 2020, Sweasy drafted the initial criminal complaint against Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd.
According to Monday’s ruling, “In 2020, Sweasy drafted the initial criminal complaint against Officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd (the Chauvin complaint). Freeman also expected Sweasy to draft charges in a complaint against three other involved officers, but Sweasy avers that she ‘believed Hennepin County was proceeding with a prosecution of [those] three individuals in violation of Minnesota Rules of Professional Responsibility 3.8(a).'”
“She also disagreed with a decision to add additional charges against Chauvin,” the ruling states.