2 Ottawa officers dropped from ‘Jane Doe’ lawsuit

Two of the defendants in the “Jane Doe” lawsuit against the city of Ottawa have been dropped from the case.

A former DUI suspect identified only as “Jane Doe” last year sued the city of Ottawa, several police officers and Ottawa officials for allegedly keeping nude photos and videos of her.

“The claims against Officer (Whalen) and myself were absolutely false.”

—  Scott Harden, Ottawa police officer

The lawsuit remains pending in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago. However, attorneys for Jane Doe filed an amended complaint on Oct. 17 that dismisses all allegations against officers Kari Whalen and Scott Harden.

Harden said he was barred, at the time Doe filed the lawsuit, from commenting on the allegations.

“Had I been allowed to comment on the case, I would have adamantly denied the allegations,” Harden said in an email statement. “The claims against Officer (Whalen) and myself were absolutely false. A thorough investigation, including examination of our cellphones, has proven there was no wrongdoing as described in the lawsuit.”

Whalen also released a statement.

“The accusations brought against us were completely false, and if I had been allowed to comment back in February 2023, I would have denied the claims as such,” she said. “Lastly, I would like to state that during this time I was surrounded by support from my family and am beyond happy to put this all behind me.”

According to the complaint, Doe was arrested and detained on April 24, 2022. Doe’s lawyers said cameras in the police station “captured video footage of (Doe) while she was partially and totally nude” and that the images were exchanged among the named defendants.

Doe and her lawyers claim multiple violations of her rights under the U.S. Constitution and further allege intentional infliction of emotional distress.

A status hearing is set for Dec. 19 in Chicago.