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Report: Agnes Scott reaches settlement in lawsuit over 2009 arrest

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Report: Agnes Scott reaches settlement in lawsuit over 2009 arrest

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Lloyd Bell and David Ladner deliver closings at trial against Agnes Scott College over claims Amanda Hartley was falsely arrested and imprisoned on groundless sexual assault charges. Judge Johnny Panos declared a mistrial in the case in 2016 after reports a juror conducted outside research during the trial. File photo provided courtesy of CVN
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Decatur, GA – A lawsuit against Agnes Scott College has been settled.

The Marietta Daily Journal reports that the settlement concludes the litigation brought by the plaintiff, Amanda Hartley.

The case stems from an arrest in 2009.

In 2009 an Agnes Scott student falsely accused Hartley, a University of Tennessee student, of sexually assaulting her in her dorm room at Agnes Scott. On the basis of those allegations, Hartley was extradited to DeKalb County from Tennessee and held in jail for three weeks. Hartley provided proof she was in Tennessee at the time of the alleged incident, and prosecutors dropped the charges.

Agnes Scott tried to argue its officers were legally immune from liability over the incident, but in 2014 the state Supreme Court disagreed.

In 2016, a judge declared a mistrial in the case after a juror was found to have performed outside research. In 2019, the state Supreme Court declined to hear Agnes Scott’s appeal that the case should’ve been dismissed following the mistrial, according to the Daily Report. An earlier story from the Daily Report said Hartley was seeking $10 million from the college.

The MDJ article doesn’t disclose the settlement amount. To see the story, click here.

A call to Hartley’s attorney hasn’t been returned. A spokesperson for Agnes Scott said the college doesn’t comment on litigation.

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