SAN FRANCISCO (CN) - A San Francisco sheriff and his wife defamed their neighbors and lied to officers investigating domestic violence reports, a couple claims in court.
Ivory Madison had called the police on Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi in early 2012 out of concern for her neighbor, Eliana Lopez, who is married to Mirkarimi.
Lopez allegedly told Madison that Mirkarimi had grabbed her arm during an argument over whether she could take their son on a trip to her native Venezuela.
Madison recorded a video of Lopez in tears, pointing to the bruise Mirkarimi had allegedly caused.
The investigation led Mirkarimi to plead guilty to the false imprisonment and receive a temporary unpaid suspension.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee tried to permanently unseat Mirkarimi, but the city board of supervisors voted to reinstate Mirkarimi in October 2012.
Madison and her husband, Abraham Mertens, sued Mirkarimi and Lopez in Superior Court on Thursday.
Mirkarimi and Lopez allegedly accused the couple of trying to profit from the investigation and said that they were part of a political conspiracy. They also said Mertens was practicing law without a license.
Madison and Mertens seek an injunction and punitive damages.
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