TAVARES, Fla. – Less than two months after a jury acquitted former Leesburg police officer Henri LaRue of sexually battering a woman he had arrested, LaRue is suing the alleged rape victim for defamation.
In his complaint, Larue accuses Alexis Ramos of lying about the attack "in an effort to 'shake down'" himself, the City of Leesburg and the Leesburg Police Department.
Local 6 generally does not identify alleged victims of sexual assaults. However, Ramos identified herself publicly in a recent online petition she posted to the website MoveOn.org.
LaRue's lawsuit addresses that online petition, which urges Florida lawmakers to "prevent ex-Leesburg cop Henri LaRue from being reinstated" as a police officer and to "prevent your daughters, sisters, and mothers from being raped by this man." Such comments "have impugned the character of LaRue, and made him a pariah in the Lake County community," according to his lawsuit.
Ramos insisted she was sexually battered by LaRue after he arrested her in October 2012 for driving on a suspended license. While transporting the woman from the Leesburg Police Department to the Lake County Jail, Ramos claimed LaRue drove his patrol car behind a building and ordered her to perform oral sex.
"He was groping my breasts and breathing really hard and heavy like it was enjoyable," the woman told jurors during LaRue's trial in August.
That jury later found the former police officer not guilty.
"It's just a tragedy that this was brought forward before the court. But I'm ready to rebuild my life and reputation and move on with my life," LaRue told Local 6 after his acquittal.
In his lawsuit, LaRue accuses the woman of conspiring with a friend to fabricate the sexual battery allegations. The former police officer claims LaRue falsely accused a Lake County deputy of being "rough with her" during an arrest one month prior. LaRue's lawsuit also claims the alleged rape victim posted "sexually suggestive" photographs of herself online during the same period she was giving tearful interviews to the media about the alleged attack.
"It's laughable," said Ramos's mother, who asked not to be identified by name.
She said she was not aware of LaRue's lawsuit until Local 6 brought it to her attention.
"It's a slap in the face to all victims," said the mother.
LaRue's attorney did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
The Leesburg Police Department fired LaRue before his jury trial. The probationary employee, who had been with the police force for only seven months, was not terminated for the sexual battery allegations but rather for violating administrative policies, according to a department spokesman.
LaRue has not sought to be reinstated at the agency.