Months after being arrested on serious charges, John Marks is now fighting back, filing a lawsuit against Amanda Zawieruszynski, the City of Manvel, the Manvel Police Department, Police Chief Keith Traylor, and the two officers involved in his case. Marks, along with his attorneys, claims that his arrest, alongside friend Freddie Douglas Jr., was the result of a flawed investigation marred by racial bias. The lawsuit alleges that the police failed to properly investigate Zawieruszynski’s accusations, ignoring key evidence, including surveillance footage that, according to Marks, would have exonerated him and his friend immediately.
The controversy began in November 2023, when Zawieruszynski accused Marks and Douglas of raping her at a party hosted by Marks at his home in Manvel, Texas. In her police report, Zawieruszynski claimed that she was held against her will and assaulted by the two men for hours, from night into the early morning. A month after these accusations, both men were arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault. However, in March 2024, after reviewing the evidence presented by the local district attorney, a grand jury declined to indict Marks and Douglas.
Marks, who is seeking compensation for damages including attorney’s fees, medical expenses, and lost earning capacity, emphasized that his lawsuit aims to address the racial discrimination he believes played a role in his wrongful arrest. He contends that the ordeal has caused him severe psychological trauma and irreparably damaged his reputation and future job prospects. Speaking to ABC13, Marks drew parallels between his experience and historical instances of Black men being falsely accused by white women, stating, “What happened to my client shouldn’t happen to anybody in this country, not in the year 2024.”
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