Tennessee: Federal Suit Leads to Deletion of Muslim Woman’s Uncovered Booking Photo
The case stems from the May 2024 arrest of Layla Soliz, who was charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass during a pro-Palestinian vigil held at the University of Tennessee. During the booking process at the Knox County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO), Soliz was required to remove her hijab for a photograph.
According to the original complaint, the release of the photo violated not only Soliz’s religious beliefs but also KCSO’s own internal policies, which prohibit the public release of mugshots showing Muslim women without their head coverings. Despite warnings from her attorney, the photo was allegedly uploaded by Sgt. Jonathan Burgess.
Soliz described the experience as deeply distressing. “So for, suddenly, after all of those years of doing my best to keep that part of my physical self private — to suddenly now have my image without hijab posted online is just really violating and really upsetting,” she said at the time.
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In March, Knox County agreed to a $71,500 settlement with Soliz but did not delete the images or update its mugshot policy, prompting the continuation of the legal case.
On June 13, the county permanently deleted the digital files in question, 6 News reported on Tuesday.
In a motion filed Monday, Knox County and Sheriff Tom Spangler asked the court to dismiss the remaining lawsuit, arguing that since the photos no longer exist, the case is now moot.
The filing includes declarations confirming that the images and video were deleted by female employees, and that two male data experts verified the deletion process without viewing the content. Female staff were present to ensure any potentially sensitive images were not viewed by male employees.
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Despite the deletion, Soliz’s attorney maintains that the lawsuit remains relevant. “We are pleased that Knox County has finally destroyed the offending photographs, though it should not have taken a federal lawsuit to convince Knox County to comply with the law,” the attorney told local media. “We are continuing to explore all options at this time.”
Soliz, one of 10 individuals indicted following the May 15 protest, is also involved in a separate lawsuit against the University of Tennessee. That case alleges violations of her constitutional rights related to her arrest during the campus vigil. She is scheduled to appear in court on July 16.
Source: Agencies
