ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – An Orange County woman is suing the city of Orlando and two of its officers over a COVID-19 lockdown curfew that was enforced in 2020, according to court records filed on Tuesday.
The lawsuit says that the woman — identified as Careen Moreno — was “peacefully protesting” in downtown Orlando in June 2020 during a march from City Hall to Colonial Drive.
However, Moreno was surrounded by Orlando police, who barricaded protestors to keep them from leaving the designated downtown area — a place zoned for an 8 p.m. curfew, the lawsuit adds.
Court documents claim that officers prevented the protesters from leaving so they could arrest the protesters for curfew violations, even though protesters were leaving before the curfew expired.
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According to the lawsuit, one officer tackled Moreno to the ground, breaking her nose.
“Moreno felt the excruciating pain immediately after being taken down and inquired to (the officer) whether her nose was bleading (sic) and was told it was just scratched but then felt and saw the blood coming down from her nose,” the lawsuit reads.
Moreno also said that the officer’s name was completely omitted from her arrest report.
The arrest report says that Moreno and other protestors were involved in a protest over the death of George Floyd. Police said that protestors failed to comply with officers’ commands, prompting the arrests.
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During that incident, Moreno was taken into custody on a charge of disorderly conduct, though prosecutors later declined to take the case.
“Moreno was observed to have some marks and small amounts of blood near her nose area,” the report reads.
As a result, Moreno is accusing two of the involved officers of excessive force, battery, false arrest, false imprisonment and unreasonable seizure. In addition, Moreno is accusing the city of violating her civil rights.
Moreno is seeking judgment for damages by the city, including the cost of legal action and other court-approved relief. She is also asking for a jury trial for the battery and false imprisonment accusations.
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