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Johnson City, Tennessee, has agreed to pay $28 million to settle a federal lawsuit brought by women who alleged that police deliberately mishandled investigations into reports of drugging and sexual assault by a man accused of preying on dozens of victims, the National Criminal Justice Association reported Feb. 15. The settlement, pending judicial approval, would resolve claims filed under “Jane Doe” pseudonyms against the city and individual police officers, who were accused of failing to properly investigate allegations against Sean Williams from 2018 to 2021.
The city and officers named in the lawsuit have denied allegations of corruption and misconduct. However, the City Commissioner, Jenny Brock, acknowledged the victims’ suffering, stating, “Johnson City does not blame these victims whatsoever. It was Sean Williams that is to blame for all of this.”
Williams, who is currently incarcerated for producing images of child sexual abuse and escaping from an inmate transfer van, has not been criminally charged in connection with the women’s allegations of sexual assault.
The settlement class includes up to 400 women who reported incidents of sexual abuse or trafficking to Johnson City Police between 2018 and December 2022. According to attorney Vanessa Baehr-Jones, who represents the plaintiffs, the resolution of the case provides an opportunity for the women to begin the healing process. “It has been a painful journey for these women; it has been a hard journey; and it has ultimately led to a successful and empowering end,” Baehr-Jones said.
This lawsuit is one of three cases accusing the Johnson City Police Department of neglecting to investigate evidence that Williams had been drugging and raping women in the east Tennessee community over a span of several years. The lawsuits highlight ongoing concerns about how law enforcement agencies handle sexual assault investigations and the barriers survivors face when seeking justice.
