Robert Dillon, a 52‑year‑old from Fort Myers, faced arrest in August 2024 after a FACES algorithm flagged him as a 93 % match to a suspect caught on McDonald’s surveillance at Jacksonville Beach. The match stemmed from a grainy photo of a screen, not a clean video frame, and the system’s data set exceeds 38 million images.

Dillon’s only link to the scene was a license‑plate search that found no evidence he was in Duval County between Nov. 1‑3, 2023. Officers ignored this data and other exculpatory details—mobile‑app orders, payment records, and a distinctive scar—while building a warrant that ultimately led to his overnight jail stay and that it was based on AI.

The lawsuit names City of Jacksonville Beach, Police Corporal Scott O’Connell, Sheriff T.K. Waters, and others as defendants. It accuses them of concealing evidence, misusing the FACES database, and violating procedural rules that require disclosure of exculpatory data. Dillon seeks monetary damages and reforms to prevent future wrongful arrests driven by flawed facial‑recognition technology systematically.

If the court sides with Dillon, the case could force police departments nationwide to overhaul how they deploy facial‑recognition tools and ensure transparent, evidence‑based investigations. For now, the lawsuit remains a stark reminder that a single algorithmic error can ruin a life and erode public trust in law‑enforcement data systems for communities across the country.