Family sues D.C. for $10 Million in Marc Washington case


WASHINGTON (WUSA9) -- The family of the 15-year-old girl that D.C. police officer Marc Washington allegedly took half naked photos of is suing the District for 10 million dollars.
Officer Marc Washington was arrested and charged with producing child pornography in December of 2013.
Washington was on duty, in uniform and armed when he went to the home of the 15-year-old asked to speak to her privately, instructed her to remove her shirt and took photos of her, prosecutors said.
The 15-year-old had been reported missing earlier in the day, and Washington told the girl he needed the naked photographs to identify her if she ever ran away again, investigators alleged.
Washington was found dead from an apparent suicide shortly after the charges arose.
"It's been traumatic, as you can imagine this child is 15 years old when this happened, it was against her will, she protested at the time and was nevertheless ordered by Mr. Marc Washington to disrobe and allow him to take these pictures, she didn't understand what was going on but he was an authority figure," Scott Lucas, the attorney representing the 15-year-old's family, told WUSA9.
The teen's parents have filed the lawsuit on her behalf for alleged negligence.
"Negligence on behalf of the city would be in terms of the supervision and the training of Officer Marc Washington, that he had done this," Lucas explained.
When the charges first arose in December Police Chief Cathy Lanier expressed outrage over the allegations against Washington.
"It's devastating for the whole agency, what a lot of people don't realize is that this is a blow to the gun of every good police officer in the Metropolitan Police Department," Lanier said.
In the time since the case originated, the family says the city has not done enough to help the 15-year-old and her family. The family also contends that police have prevented the family from finding out more about Washington's actions while on duty.
WUSA9 reached out the The Metropoiltan Police Department, and was told that they have no comment on the case at this time.