Defamation Lawsuit After Fabricated Detention Claims
A woman’s allegations against federal and local law enforcement have been found to be untrue, leading a sheriff to file a defamation lawsuit against her.
In March, Sundas “Sunny” Naqvi gained significant media attention after claiming she and some coworkers were detained for over 30 hours, all while being American citizens.
Naqvi, 28, stated that upon arriving at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport from Turkey for a work trip, she was taken first to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement center in Broadview before being transferred to the Dodge County Jail in Wisconsin.
Her allegations were supported by Democratic Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison, who is a family friend and has been critical of the current administration’s immigration policies.
“It seems they don’t want to acknowledge that they have once again illegally detained an American citizen without due process,” Morrison remarked shortly after the claims surfaced.
However, Naqvi’s narrative began to unravel when the multinational software company she claimed to be employed by stated that she was not on their payroll, nor were any of their employees held at O’Hare.
Weeks later, Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt initiated a defamation lawsuit against Naqvi and Morrison, asserting that the evidence directly contradicted her claims.
“These statements are entirely unsupported by any verified evidence,” Schmidt stated at a press conference. “Sundas Naqvi was never in the custody of the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office.”
He released video evidence and text messages that seemingly contradicted her account, indicating she was able to leave O’Hare Airport less than 90 minutes after landing, along with statements from her boyfriend that were provided to the sheriff’s office.
“There are no charges against her here in Dodge County. My only option is to ensure that the public understands she can’t make false claims,” he added.
The lawsuit also includes ten unnamed individuals accused of disseminating false statements regarding the sheriff. Their identities will be added to the lawsuit as they are discovered.
Additionally, the Chicago Sun-Times highlighted a history of questionable claims made by Naqvi, which included previous accusations of sexual assault and stabbings that turned out to be false.
Schmidt is seeking $1 million in his lawsuit.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Morrison seems to have softened his stance on the matter, stating, “My understanding is that a lawsuit has been filed. I haven’t read it and can’t comment on ongoing litigation, even if it exists.”
