Packers running back Josh Jacobs has filed a civil suit seeking a permanent injunction restricting access to records from his May 23 altercation with a woman at his home. Jacobs' attorneys, Clarence F. Duchac III, David Z. Chesnoff and Richard A. Schonfeld, said the filing "is an effort to assist" the woman in the altercation, who filed a restraining order against the Hobart/Lawrence Police Department on Wednesday to block release of the records.
The lawsuits were filed one day after the Hobart/Lawrence Police Department announced it had approved the release of certain records with appropriate redactions, but a party or parties involved had appealed that decision. The initial criminal report said surveillance video from Jacobs' garage shows part of the altercation with the woman. Jacobs argues the woman has requested protection for her privacy, dignity, personal security, and emotional well-being, and that redacting names or faces would not adequately protect her identity, since advanced AI could be applied to the video to identify her.
Jacobs also argues that releasing the video would reveal private details of his garage and home, and he cites the rise in robberies targeting athletes' homes. The lawsuit states that public access to his schedule or travel information could help someone identify when he is away and target his property.
Jacobs pleaded no contest on Sept. 10 to charges of battery and criminal destruction of property. He was convicted of battery and fined $1,000, and agreed to a deferred judgment on a property damage charge. The NFL is seeking the video as part of its investigation, and Jacobs has not played this season while on the commissioner exempt list. Time served on that list would count toward any suspension.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing