Fuhgetaboutit bar owner Freddie Fields has sued Columbus and Lowndes County law enforcement agencies and officers for allegedly harassing him and his business.
The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court of Northern Mississippi on Aug. 27 by Fuhgetaboutit LLC, parent company Golden Horn Inc., and Fields.
But City Attorney Jeff Turnage said officials have “bent over backwards” to cooperate with Fields, who he said has missed several meetings with Police Chief Joseph St. John to work out the situation.
“The suit has no merit whatsoever and I think the facts will bear that out,” he said.
Fields and his attorney, Mark Cliett, who serves as municipal judge for the city of West Point, could not be reached for comment today.
The lawsuit claims Fields and the bar, which is at 115 Fifth Street N., have been harassed “frequently” since the business opened in December 2008, according to the complaint.
In April, an employee was charged with simple assault after ejecting a rowdy minor from the bar and another employee was ticketed for selling beer to him, the document continues.
The minor allegedly filed the simple assault charge against the employee, yet did not face any charges for breaking a window down the street or underage drinking, the suit claims.
On May 6, 2010, 12 officers dressed in riot gear entered the bar, claiming there was an illegal bar operating upstairs, the complaint says. Despite a search of the upstairs, no bar was found.
Fields also claims that Columbus police officers have wrongly tried to arrest him and patrons, claiming alcohol was being served at the bar after hours.
“We”ve taken (the lawsuit) and reviewed it and turned it over to the city attorney,” said Police Chief Joseph St. John.
Besides the Lowndes County Sheriff”s Office, CPD and 12 individual Columbus police officers, the lawsuit also names Columbus-Lowndes Metro Narcotics Unit officers David Criddle and John Duke.
According to the lawsuit, Criddle and Duke have defamed Fields, saying he is involved in drugs and prostitution.
Criddle declined to comment on the lawsuit, and Duke did not return phone calls.
On Aug. 18, as a result of the officers” statements, Fields received calls from his friends and family who heard he was arrested for prostitution, the lawsuit alleges.
Fields has filed three claims against the defendants: for relief from civil rights violations, for punitive damages to be repaid by Criddle and Duke and repayment for attorney”s fees.
The plaintiff also requested a trial by jury, which will likely take place in Aberdeen in about 18 months to two years, Turnage said.
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