KTLA

Woman, Fiance Wrongly Accused of Kidnapping Hoax Settle for $2.5M in Suit Against Vallejo Police

Nearly three years after Vallejo police wrongly labeled a woman’s kidnapping a hoax, she and her fiance have reached a settlement in a defamation lawsuit against the city and its police department.

Denise Huskins is seen in a photo released by the Vallejo Police Department after she was kidnapped in March 2015.

The city agreed to pay $2.5 million to Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn after the Vallejo Police Department accused the couple of faking Huskins’ kidnapping, according to the couple’s attorney.

“What happened to us should not happen to anyone,” the couple said in a statement. “Victims should be protected in their time of need, not humiliated on a public stage. We hope that this settlement brings inspiration to others like us to speak up and keep fighting.”

Huskins and Quinn filed the federal complaint in March 2016, nearly a year after the Vallejo Police Department referred to the case as a “wild goose chase” and a waste of police resources.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.

38.104086-122.256637