A case that brought the City of Wetumpka lots of attention is no more.
The Wetumpka City Council voted to settle the “Cat Ladies” case for not more than $50,000.
“It is a very difficult case to defend,” Mayor Jerry Willis said after Monday’s city council meeting. “It would probably be expensive. This is in the best interest of the city to avoid the high costs of litigation.”
The settlement vote by the council came after a 10 minute executive session to discuss ongoing litigation in Monday’s meeting. According to court records, both parties have been ordered by federal courts to report a potential settlement by May 17.
In January Beverly Roberts and Mary Alston filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Wetumpka and others following their June 2022 arrest for criminal trespass for trapping cats.
Alston and Roberts were found guilty of criminal trespass, disorderly conduct and obstructing government operations in City of Wetumpka Municipal Court in December 2022.
“They violently handcuffed Ms. Roberts, an 86-year-old woman, and Ms. Alston, a 61-year-old woman, aggressively forced them into a police car and then unjustifiably jailed them,” the lawsuit stated. “They did so under the color of state law, based on a patently absurd, obviously pretextual assertion that Ms. Roberts and Ms. Alston were ‘trespassing’ on public property.”
The ladies appealed the verdict to circuit court. But before a jury trial, all the criminal charges against the ladies were dismissed by the city.
The suit listed the city, Mayor Jerry Willis, police chief Greg Benton, assistant police chief Ed Reeves and police officers Kameron Ricks, Jason Crumpton and Brenden Foster both as city employees and personally as defendants.
If the settlement is accepted, the federal courts will dismiss the case.
