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Sgt. Alicia White and officer William Porter, two of the five officers currently facing charges in the Freddie Gray case, filed a lawsuit against Baltimore State attorney Marilyn Mosby for defamation, reports The Baltimore Sun.

White and Porter filed the civil suit on May 2, according to Baltimore Circuit Court records released Wednesday. The suit also names Baltimore sheriff’s office Maj. Sam Cogen and the state of Maryland.

In the suit, the officers claim Mosby and Cogen were aware the statement of charges filed against the officers and other statements Mosby made at a May 1, 2015 news conference announcing the charges, “were false.” 

The Sun writes:

In their 26-page lawsuit, White and Porter ask for more than $75,000 in damages for each of four counts — two of defamation and two of invasion of privacy and casting them in a false light.

Mosby received mixed commentary after announcing charges against six officers believed to be involved in Gray’s arrest. Protesters commended her quick actions, but naysayers felt that she spoke prematurely and would find difficulty getting a conviction.

White and Porter are facing involuntary manslaughter and other charges in the Gray case.

Freddie Gray, 25, was arrested last year and died after a spinal cord injury. State prosecutors say his injury escalated because he was transported in the back of a police van where he was shackled, but unrestrained by a seat belt. The city of Baltimore exploded under the weight of Gray’s death, with protests against police brutality reaching a fever pitch.

On May 24, Edward Nero, one of the officers on trial, was acquitted of four charges.

Porter’s first trial ended in December with a hung jury, but a second trial is scheduled to begin on September 6. White’s trial will start on October 13.

SOURCES: The Baltimore Sun | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty, Twitter

SEE ALSO:

Judge: State Failed To Prove Baltimore Cop Acted Unreasonably In Freddie Gray’s Arrest

Judge Acquits Second Officer In Freddie Gray Death

Two Officers In Freddie Gray Case File Defamation Suit Against Prosecutor Mosby  was originally published on newsone.com