Judge: Jury Should Hear Case Against City In Alleged Sex Assault

The case against former Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Officer Marcus Jackson went in front of a judge this week.

Jackson was arrested last December, after women came forward and claimed he sexually assaulted them during phony traffic stops.

For more information on the accusations against Jackson, click here.

One alleged victim and her boyfriend are now suing the city of Charlotte.

“In this case, we have the employer itself, through its agents, saying, ‘We could've known and should've known, and we just messed up,” attorney Neal Rodgers, who is representing the woman, said.

The woman and man said they were pulled over by Jackson last December, and that Jackson fondled the woman in the parking lot of an east Charlotte church. He threatened to arrest the man if he tried to intervene, the couple said.

In January, CMPD Chief Rodney Monroe said the department missed things in Jackson’s background.

“There were things missed in this background investigation that should not have been missed,” he said.

Rodgers said Monroe made similar comments in a deposition, and that those comments prove the city should be liable for damages.

City attorney Court Fulton called Monroe his “best witness,” though, saying Monroe was quick to speak out and call on other potential victims to come forward.

Fulton said the city didn't hesitate to act once officials heard the accusations against Jackson.

Joe Marinello, a UNC Charlotte criminal justice expert, said the case should go to a jury so that the public can hear from both sides.

“The public has a right to know when one of its officers has violated the public trust,” he said.

A judge agreed, saying it's up to a jury to decide if the city is at fault.

The two sides will meet later this month for mediation, at which point a settlement could be reached before the case goes to trial.