Supreme Court Revives Atlanta Family's Lawsuit After Wrongful FBI Home Invasion

ATLANTA, GA — The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a lower court to revive a lawsuit brought against the FBI by an Atlanta family claiming the agency wrongfully raided their home in 2017 and caused them emotional trauma.

The unanimous decision written by Justice Neil Gorsuch means Toi Cliatt, his former girlfriend Trina Martina and her son Gabe Watson can continue to press claims alleging assault, battery and false imprisonment under the Federal Tort Claims Act, a law designed to hold federal officials accountable for their actions, NBC News reported.

The case will now resume litigation in the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Supreme Court was right to let the Martin family’s case move forward for the FBI’s botched raid of their home," Patrick Jaicomo, a lawyer at the libertarian Institute for Justice who represents the plaintiffs, said in a statement. "We look forward to continuing this fight with the Martins in the Eleventh Circuit and making it easier for everyday people to hold the government accountable for its mistaken and intentional violations of individual rights."

In October 2017, the Martin home in suburban Atlanta was mistakenly raided by FBI agents. According to court documents, the agents meant to execute search and arrest warrants at a suspected gang hideout on Landau Lane, but instead stormed a home located on Denville Trace.

According to the Institute for Justice, Cliatt, Martin and her son were "traumatized" by the experience of being startled awake by a flashbang and held at gunpoint until agents figured out they were at the wrong address.

"Agents angrily shouted questions at Toi, but when he told them his address, the room went silent. The SWAT team realized they were in the wrong house," the Institute for Justice said.

According to the organization, agents quickly left and raided the target house. After that, an agent returned, apologized and left a business card for his supervisor.

In court papers obtained by NBC News, the Justice Department said that a Garmin GPS device used to lead the team to the house indicated the agents had arrived at the correct location.

The family filed a lawsuit in 2019, which was dismissed by a federal judge, according to a WSB-TV report. The family’s lawyers appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard the case in April.

Get The Latest Local News (For Free!) With One Quick Tap

READ MORE:

• Grammy-Nominated Singer Charged In GA Animal Cruelty Case
• YSL Case To End After 3 Years With A Twist As Final Defendant Heads To Trial
• HBO Actor Shares Updates After Son Survives EF-2 Tornado In Metro Atlanta