Jameis Winston Accuser to File Civil Lawsuit Against TPD and FSU QB; Attorney: 'I Want Heads to Roll'
ByPatricia Carroll, the attorney for the woman who accused Jameis Winston of rape, has announced she will pursue a civil lawsuit against the quarterback and the Tallahassee Police Department (TPD), ABC News reported.
Winston led the Florida State University (FSU) Seminoles to a BCS National Championship win over Auburn Monday night to cap an undefeated season in which he also won the Heisman Trophy. However, with the season over and a civil suit on the way, Winston will need to prepare for an all-out legal battle.
CLICK HERE for a timeline of events in the sexual assault case and investigation.
Tallahassee's Florida state attorney William Meggs announced in Dec. that he did not have enough evidence to pursue criminal charges against Winston. Carroll said poor police work was to blame for Meggs' decision.
"Absolutely you're going to see a civil suit," Carroll told ABC News. "You can not have law enforcement that is not held accountable."
Winston and the TPD are sure to be named in the lawsuit, but it is not yet clear if FSU will also be. On the night of the incident, in Dec. 2012, the alleged assault happened off campus and, when the accuser went to the school police, they forwarded her to the TPD.
Carroll said her client's identity has somehow been leaked on FSU's campus and that she has been receiving threats against her life. The accuser has even reportedly been forced to leave the school.
"I inquired if... if she could return to FSU and they told me absolutely not," Carroll said. "They too had the impression she would be in physical danger."
The accuser filed her complaint in the days following her alleged attack, but by Feb., the TPD declared the case inactive, claiming she had stopped communicating. Carroll, however, outlined in a press conference shortly after Meggs' announced his decision several inconsistencies and shortcomings in the police investigation.
The case only ended up being opened last Nov. when the TPD handed it over to Meggs' office, seemingly only after certain reporters caught wind of the case.
TPD Chief Tom Coe said in Dec. his department "took the case seriously, processed evidence and conducted an investigation based on information available at that time."
Carroll does not believe that to be true and she told ABC News in an exclusive interview, "I want heads to roll."