TMZ has learned the L.A. Airport Police and the City of Los Angeles may end up getting sued over a bungled attempt to protect Britney Spears' sister, Jamie Lynn.
Last September 11, when Jamie Lynn flew to Los Angeles, LAX cops tried to divert the paparazzi by using a decoy whom they escorted to baggage claim. The impromptu decoy -- Adessa Eskridge -- happened to be on the same plane as Jamie Lynn.
Eskridge's lawyer, Chuck Vernon, tells us one of the cops told Eskridge as she got off the plane, "You're going to help us with something." He says it was almost as if she was taken into custody. Vernon says cops told Eskridge to walk with them as they made their way to baggage claim.
Vernon says as the eight officers escorted his client, she took her sunglasses off but they told her to put them back on. As they reached the bottom of the escalator, she was suddenly and unwittingly besieged by paparazzi.
Jamie Lynn was able to beat a hasty retreat from the airport, undetected by the media.
Vernon says Eskridge has filed a claim for money with the City of L.A., a prelude to filing a lawsuit. Vernon says a City rep from Risk Management contacted him yesterday. Vernon vows, if the claim is rejected, Eskridge will file a lawsuit claiming false arrest and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
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she deserved SOME money for whoring herself out to the papparazzi like that.
What's the point of having a decoy if Jamie Lynn wasn't at risk of some kind? They just took some stranger and put them at risk! It's f'ed up! She should sue! True enough no one gets killed by the paps usually, but there is some crazy reason they needed a decoy. Why should this stranger have to do that? I don't blame her one bit!
Was the decoy Melissa Etheridge instead of Adessa Eskridge? Someone needs to learn how to spell before getting the names wrong.
If true, the L.A Police department is heroes. To use Adessa Eskridge to cover for pregnant Jamie Lynn was a stroke of genius.
This is beyond ridiculous, dragging an innocent traveler into the nightmare that is the SPEARS family existence. I hate the effing police, i hate the paps, and i hate jaimie lynn for being famous simply because her sister is trailerpark trash who used to know how to dance a little. While i don't condone frivilous lawsuits, i DEFINITELY think she deserves SOME compensation - i mean, afterall, it was totally NOT her responsibility to "help" these bumbling key-stone cops with whatever so called "mission" they were on ....
P.S. Jaimie Lynn is the one who should be shelling out the cash for this chick's inconvenience!
I have a feeling Chuck Vernon is friends with a Mr. Harvey Levin. Why the F else would TMZ (or anyone else) give a s--t???
so, eskridge is complaining about what exactly? getting a police escort out of the airport??? pul-ease.
Come one she could have said no, and even though we think the celebs have such struggles, they could fly private, and not go to the celeb restaraunts, I say she's being greedy.....
I think we'd all that read this site sometimes wonder what it would be like for so many people vying for your attention, maybe that's what they all what :x
If she wasn't briefed and ask to do it in advance, then the cops are guilty of kidnapping. If she didn't know what was going on, it was probably very scary.
I don't blame the decoy for suing the police department since they were the ones that dragged her through that mess. But she should also be naming Jamie Lynn since it seems that she was the one that benefited from the entire charade.
It seems to me that if you're such a big celebrity, then you should be paying for your own decoy and security. Or better yet, fly in a private jet and land in a small airport so you're not mobbed. There's no reason why tax dollars should go to getting YOU out of a public airport!
I am usually annoyed by frivolous lawsuits, but this one makes sense. I don't think this young woman could say no. When the police tell you to do something, you should do it. But what right do they have to inconvenience a law abiding citizen in order to make things easier for a "celebrity." Celebrities ask for this attention by their very existence. This young woman did not.
LAPD: "To Protect and to Serve" (especially if you're a celebrity)
Not so much, if you're not.
To be surrounded by 8 cops in an airport and escorted away, not knowing why, must be frightening as heck. The celebrities know this goes with the territory. This girl was an innocent bystander and deserves compensation. I'm sure she didn't even get a "Thank you" from Jamie Lynn.
Wow. I think that it was explained to her what this was all about and she agreed, maybe thought it would be fun, but then someone said "Hey did you get paid for that?". Then thought came about for compensation!
"You're going to help us with something."
How demanding is that? They did not request her assistance, they simply demanded it! To those who said she could have said no, it probably happened so fast that it did not leave her much room to re-act....especially when approached by a Police Officer. I think the suit is warranted. Maybe now the LAPD will think twice before abusing their power and authority.
