A former Douglas County probate judge who was arrested in June 2024 has filed a lawsuit seeking $50 million in damages against the city of Atlanta and the officers who arrested her.
Christina Peterson was arrested outside Red Martini nightclub in Atlanta after an altercation in the parking lot. Most of the charges against her were dismissed in November.
Channel 2 Action News The arrest was reported back in 2024, when police released hours of body camera footage of the incident.
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The incident reportedly occurred when Peterson was trying to stop a man from attacking another woman at Red Martini Bar.
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Body camera footage released by the Atlanta Police Department showed Peterson shoving an officer, but the former judge said at the time it was an accident.
Peterson’s lawsuit accuses Officer Keith Wadsworth of using excessive force and “acting with actual malice and intent to injure” when arresting her.
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She also accused the city of releasing a “false and misleading” arrest narrative and body camera video that painted her as guilty of a violent felony.
“The stigmatizing statements and visual depictions disseminated by the city are false and were posted with knowledge that they were false or without regard to the facts,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit later called for a jury trial and sought more than $50 million in damages.
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Christina J. Peterson v. City of Atlanta, Keith Wadsworth By Jennifer Smith
