As reflected by the terms of a partial settlement agreement filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee today, Knox County will pay Horwitz Law, PLLC client Layla Soliz $71,500.00 for publishing a booking photograph in which she was depicted without her hijab: https://horwitz.law/wp-content/uploads/Knox-Soliz-Settlement-Agreement.pdf.  The settlement resolves only Mrs. Soliz’s claims for monetary damages; Mrs. Soliz’s claims demanding that Knox County delete her uncovered booking photograph and reform its booking policy will continue.
“This is a meaningful step toward accountability for violating Mrs. Soliz’s religious rights under state and federal law,” said Daniel A. Horwitz, Mrs. Soliz’s lead counsel.  “Because Knox County has refused to destroy Mrs. Soliz’s uncovered booking photograph or update its booking policy to conform with what Mrs. Soliz asserts that state and federal law require, however, those claims will continue.”
Liability for retaining an uncovered booking photograph under circumstances like Mrs. Soliz’s can be significant.  A recent (September 2024) decision from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia awarded a plaintiff attorney’s fees and costs totaling $191,613.64 after a county sheriff refused to delete an uncovered booking photo voluntarily, for example.  To protect arrestees’ religious rights, sheriffs across the county and throughout Tennessee—including in Rutherford County and Davidson County—do not generally require religious arrestees to remove religious headwear for booking photos.
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Daniel A. Horwitz is a First Amendment and civil rights lawyer who represents clients across Tennessee.  If you are seeking First Amendment representation, you can purchase a consultation from Horwitz Law here.