Cops stormed in when she was showering — then watched her get dressed, SC lawsuit says
Meghan Gaffney was in the shower when deputies in South Carolina forced their way into her home last year, according to a lawsuit filed in Greenville County.
The two male officers later saw her naked — and watched her get dressed, the complaint states.
“Throughout her interactions with officers, the plaintiff suffered extreme discomfort, embarrassment, and emotional stress,” her attorneys said in the lawsuit. “She was forced out of her house unclothed and inadequately covered. When she was allowed to clothe herself, she saw male officers looking at her while she was nude.”
Gaffney is suing Greenville County, the sheriff’s office and her former employer, Alorica, after she said she was fired over the incident, according to the lawsuit.
The sheriff’s office and a spokesperson for Alorica declined to comment on pending litigation. The office of the county attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.
Deputies went to Gaffney’s home on Feb. 11, 2019, according to a complaint filed Thursday. She reportedly heard a loud “bang” before slipping and falling out the shower in a rush to reach her children.
“When the plaintiff left the bathroom, she saw her two children standing in the doorway of their bedroom and crying. The plaintiff grabbed a comforter from the children’s bed to cover herself,” the lawsuit states. “She then walked toward the front of her home, where she discovered that a group of GCSO deputies had forced entry and were already inside.”
The deputies ushered her outside the house wearing only the comforter, according to the complaint. Her children — one of whom reportedly didn’t have shoes on — followed.
Gaffney saw her boyfriend in handcuffs at the kitchen table when the deputies let her back in, her attorneys said in the lawsuit. She then asked for permission to put clothes on.
“Two male officers followed the plaintiff into her bedroom and watched as the plaintiff, who was at this time completely nude, found clothes and got dressed,” the complaint states.
One of the deputies works at her daughter’s school, Gaffney’s attorneys said in the complaint.
“The plaintiff has encountered this deputy both before and after the above-described incident, which has added to her extreme discomfort, embarrassment, and emotional stress,” the lawsuit states.
After her boyfriend’s arrest, the complaint alleges Gaffney was also fired from Alorica — a company providing customer service call centers for businesses — for misusing Family Medical Leave Act time.
When she asked for proof, an Alorica representative “indicated that they were terminating the plaintiff because of her boyfriend’s February 11 arrest,” her attorneys said in the lawsuit.
The complaint makes claims for negligence, negligent hiring, wrongful discharge and violations of the South Carolina Payment of Wages Act and South Carolina Human Affairs Law. Gaffney is seeking a jury trial, statutory and punitive damages as well as attorneys’ fees.
This story was originally published February 17, 2020 at 4:58 PM.
