EAST LANSING, Mich — Two people have filed federal lawsuits against the city of East Lansing, East Lansing Police Chief Jennifer Brown, and ELPD Officer Anthony Lyon.
- Lonnie Smith and Mason Woods filed lawsuits against the City of East Lansing, ELPD Chief Jennifer Brown, and ELPD Officer Anthony Lyon.
- The lawsuit also claims libel and slander after the city released details of their Welcome Week arrests in a September press release.
- Charges of disturbing the public peace against both men were dropped by prosecutors last month.
WATCH: Lawsuits filed against the City of East Lansing and ELPD Chief
Lonnie Smith and Mason Woods filed lawsuits against the defendants on Thursday.
The lawsuit claims libel and slander after the city released details of Smith and Woods' arrests to the public. According to the plaintiffs, a statement from East Lansing Police Chief Jennifer Brown did not accurately reflect what happened during the arrests.
Brown's statement said the two men were part of a fight outside of Dave's Hot Chicken during Welcome Week, and that both Smith and Woods were charged with disturbing the public peace.
Those charges were dropped by prosecutors last month.
I reached out to the city of East Lansing and the East Lansing Police Department, but both declined to comment.
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